Breaking Down the Jacksonville Jaguars' Roster After the 2015 NFL Draft
Free agency and the NFL draft bring roster changes to every team in the NFL, including the Jacksonville Jaguars. It's never easy to tell exactly who will start and won't, but that's part of the NFL and part of the fun.
The Jaguars might have a new set of starters going into the 2015 season, thanks to free agency and the draft. The team has picked up some very valuable players to help the team succeed, and I would expect most of them to start sooner rather than later.
With a team as young and developing as the Jaguars, the change in starters should be expected. Despite the results of the previous years, there is a lot of love and excitement in this team.
However, a player's sentimental value and performance compared to the expectations of yesteryear can blind people to a better option. The Jaguars front office has been unfazed by this, but it's not uncommon to see among the fans.
The Jaguars still have a ways to go, but the future of this team is taking shape, and it's apparent by the roster. A young and talented team with some playmaking vets is continuing to set the tone for the future of the franchise.
This team may not be the most enjoyable to watch next season, but the improvements in the roster make me feel it'll be much more enjoyable than the past few seasons. We won't know until the fall, but the attitude is positive.
With the intro out of the way, let's look at the latest changes to the Jaguars roster after the NFL draft.
Quarterback
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Starter: Blake Bortles
Backups: Chad Henne, Stephen Morris
No surprises here, Blake Bortles is most definitely the starter. Bortles will be entering his first full season as the starter after not starting until the Week 4 matchup against the San Diego Chargers last season.
Bortles will look to improve off his rookie season, where he understandably struggled. He seemed to improve and show signs of promise, but this is his real chance to show he's made steps forward.
As for Henne and Morris, they'll back up Bortles in case he gets injured or plays so poorly the Jaguars have no choice, but hopefully that won't happen. Henne is a satisfactory backup, and Morris really has no evidence for or against him, and I'll doubt we'll see him get any more playing time this season.
Running Back
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Starters: T.J. Yeldon, Denard Robinson
Backups: Toby Gerhart, Bernard Pierce, Storm Johnson
You read that right. I think Yeldon and Robinson will receive equal carries to start the preseason, and that might go into the regular season. Robinson hasn't really done anything to lose the job, and with selecting Yeldon with their second-round pick, the Jaguars show they have faith in him.
If I have to edge one or the other, I'd say it's Yeldon's job to lose. Robinson will be hot on his heels, especially after showing some serious improvement at the position last season. It should be neck and neck to start the season.
Gerhart, Pierce and Johnson will be situational guys. Pierce will play a bit of fullback as well, and he might be used for dive situations. Gerhart will be used as the third RB and for certain situations, and Johnson will have to deal with whatever's left after that.
Wide Receiver
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Starters: Allen Robinson, Marqise Lee, Rashad Greene
Backups: Allen Hurns, Ace Sanders, Bryan Walters, Damian Copeland
The thinking process for this is that I can only pick three starters, so I went with Robinson and Lee on the outside and Greene in the slot. Hurns will be the fourth receiver, but he could easily move up.
Hurns is in "limbo" right now, but he will still play a big role for this team. Robinson will look to continue improving like he was last season before his injury, and Lee will do the same. Greene will see a lot of action, and it'll be interesting to see how he handles it.
As for Sanders and Walters, they'll come in on occasion, typically later. Copeland has shown some promise this past year, and I think he might get a chance or two to prove it in games this season.
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Tight End
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Starters: Julius Thomas
Backups: Marcedes Lewis, Ben Koyack, Neal Sterling
The initial tight end to start will be Thomas. Flat out a great receiver, Thomas will be a huge weapon for the Jaguars and Bortles. Thomas isn't the best of blockers, but that's not his purpose. He's a top player at his position, and he'll be used a lot this season.
As for Lewis, he'll be the leading blocking tight end, but he'll catch a lot of teams off guard with his catching. He's getting older, but he's still got his hands, and if teams don't respect that, Lewis will punish them time and time again.
Sterling will be Thomas' protege, and Koyack will be Lewis'. Koyack is an excellent run-blocker, and he'll see the field for that purpose. Sterling will come in for Thomas every now and again, and we might see him at a receiving spot as well.
Offensive Line
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Starters: RT Jermey Parnell, RG Brandon Linder, C Luke Bowanko, LG Zane Beadles, LT Luke Joeckel
Backups: RT Austin Pasztor, RG Tyler Shatley, C Stefen Wisniewski, LG A.J. Cann, LT Sam Young
There have been some upgrades and additions, but the thing to notice here is the strength of competition. Everyone—except for Shatley—has started at some point, and each of the backups will look to move up.
Parnell will be a definite starter, but Pasztor is about as good as you get in terms of backups. As for Joeckel, Young got a taste of the starting life last season, and he'll have to perform each week to make sure he stays on top.
Linder faces the least amount of direct competition, but Beadles and Bowanko have hungry newcomers looking for starting spots in Wisniewski and Cann. Cann could make the jump as quick as anyone, and I wouldn't be surprised if he takes over if Beadles stumbles.
The offensive line is really starting to take shape, and the addition of Parnell, Wisniewski and Cann will make this the most competitive and best offensive line in years.
Defensive Line
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Starters: "Leo" Dante Fowler Jr., NT Roy Miller, DT Sen'Derrick Marks, DE Jared Odrick
Backups: Leo Chris Clemons, NT Abry Jones, DT Ziggy Hood, DE Tyson Alualu, DT Michael Bennett
Your first-round pick is an immediate starter nine times out of 10, and Fowler is no different. We'll see if he's got the ability to pass-rush in the NFL and make an impact early. At the other end, Odrick will play the "big end" as defensive line coach Todd Wash told Ryan O'Halloran on April 4.
As for the inside positions, Miller will start in front or just left or right of the center, and Marks will play the 3-technique DT position, with Hood backing him. Jones will back Miller, but neither of these positions are in jeopardy in terms of the starters.
Alualu will back Odrick, which will help Odrick know he won't be owed anything when he comes in and that he can be benched with Alualu waiting. Clemons will continue to see play time, but considerably less. Finally, I think we'll see Bennett get in on occasion to begin working his way to the top.
Linebackers
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Starters: OLB Telvin Smith, ILB Paul Posluszny, OLB Dan Skuta
Backups: OLB John Lotulelei, ILB Jeremiah George, OLB LaRoy Reynolds
Telvin Smith will continue to play at his preferred weak-side position ("Will"), and if he plays anything like he did last year, it'll be impressive. Veteran Posluszny will head this core and the defense at middle linebacker ("Mike"), and Skuta will hold down the strong-side spot ("Sam").
Skuta had his breakout season with the San Francisco 49ers last season, and I'm curious on how he'll handle his first real starting job from Week 1. "Poz" will come back to the inside after missing the end of last season on injured reserve (IR).
The depth at linebacker is a little concerning, but the backups are hungry to break into the top spot. They're not perfect, but they'll play with tenacity. I don't expect to see any moves up or down the ladder, but no starting job is guaranteed.
Secondary
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Starters: CB Demetrius McCray, CB Dwayne Gratz, SS Johnathan Cyprien, FS Sergio Brown
Backups: CB Aaron Colvin, CB Davon House, SS Craig Loston, FS/SS James Sample, FS Josh Evans
McCray earned his starting spot last season, and despite the addition of House and the electric play of Colvin, he should be the starter Week 1. On the other side, Gratz will enter his third season as a starter with Colvin and House also hot on his heels.
Cyprien and Brown will start out as safeties, but Loston and Evans will look to work their way back into a more prominent role. Sample will be used eventually as a free safety (FS), but I wouldn't be surprised to see him come on for Cyprien on occasion.
The secondary needs to take a big step forward this year. No one performed consistently last season, and Colvin and House will especially looking to move up. Sample may need some time, and Loston and Evans are mediocre, but there needs to be better results from them in 2015.
Special Teams
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Starters: K Josh Scobee, P Bryan Anger, PR Ace Sanders, KR Ace Sanders
Backups: K Derek Dimke, P Kasey Redfern, PR/KR Bryan Walters, PR/KR Marqise Lee
For Scobee and Anger, it's another season of being the starter. Anger is entering his fourth season; Scobee his 12th, and the players behind them won't provide much of a challenge for the starting spots.
As for kickoff returner (KR) and punt returner (PR), it's a little less certain. I'm not completely sure Sanders makes it through the summer, but his primary role to this team right now is as a returner, both in punt situations and on kickoffs.
Walters was initially listed as a returner along with wide receiver (WR), when he was put on the roster, but that seems less the case now. However, I could most definitely see him as a backup, and I see Lee as another backup as well as the second KR.
All stats were provided by ESPN.com, unless otherwise stated.
Evan Reier is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report covering the Jacksonville Jaguars. Follow Evan on Twitter at @evanreier.
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