Jacksonville Jaguars OTA Standouts Worth Keeping an Eye on This Offseason

The Jacksonville Jaguars and their players are in an interesting situation. The team looks ready to take the next step forward. The team has a lot of transitioning to do, however, and who can be a part of that transition will be determined by their performance this offseason.

The metaphorical train is already admitting passengers, but not every spot is guaranteed. Those who performed well in OTAs this past week are off to a great start to punching their ticket, but there's still work to do for most of the Jaguars.

There were some unexpected standouts in the first week of OTAs for the Jaguars, which in itself isn't too surprising. Most of the players are enjoying playing for the Jaguars, and if they underperformed last season, they realize this is their best chance.

The Jaguars will continue to have intense competition throughout this offseason, and the more each player performs and breaks expectations, the better this team gets as a whole. It should be fun to watch.

Zane Beadles

John Raoux/Associated Press

Arguably the most disappointing free-agent signing from 2014, guard Zane Beadles got off to a solid start in the first week of OTAs. This was mentioned last week, but he's stood out in practice, which is saying something considering his competition.

Beadles signed a five-year, $30 million contract in 2014, and his first season was disappointing. All signs seemed to point toward him being an average, maybe slightly above-average, player the Jaguars overpaid.

However, he's trying to erase the mistakes of last season with an excellent offseason, and his first week definitely showed signs of improvement. According to Jaguars.com, head coach Gus Bradley said that Beadles made adjustments to his footwork and stance, and that's brought the improvement.

First and foremost, the fact that Beadles changed up a big part of his game to improve puts him in a new light. The 2012 Pro Bowler obviously doesn't want, or plan, to lose his starting job to promising rookie A.J. Cann, and he showed he's willing to change to do that.

Beadles' performance this past week was exciting and refreshing. It's not often you see a veteran like Beadles change major parts of his game. Beadles knew he'd be on the hot seat, and he's doing everything in his power to get off of it.

Look for him to continue to impress the Jaguars staff in the coming weeks and possibly lock down his starting spot sooner than expected.

Julius Thomas

John Raoux/Associated Press

It doesn't feel surprising that Julius Thomas has impressed in the first week of OTAs, but his performance has still surpassed expectations. No one was certain how the tight end would take the transition from Denver to Duval County, but he hasn't slipped up since arriving.

Thomas impressed virtually everyone who saw him, including head coach Gus Bradley. According to Jaguars.com, Bradley had this to say about Thomas' performance: “I love his mentality, love his attitude.” Bradley added that Thomas “has a strong sense of leadership that he can add.” 

Bradley's an outspoken coach who gives credit when it's due, but it's still nice to see personal recognition from the head coach. He was expected to be one of the best, if not the best, player on the practice field, and he's done just that so far.

Thomas has done well on and off the field to impress in the first week, and his smooth transition to Jacksonville has been relieving. People have had their doubts about his overall play and character, but he's silenced those doubters for the time being.

We'll see if the opening week translates to the season, but for the time being, expect Thomas to continue to impress as a player and as a teammate. He's settling in and finding his way, and the sooner he gets comfortable, the more he'll continue to improve.

Thurston Armbrister

Joel Auerbach/Associated Press

Strong-side linebacker Thurston Armbrister definitely received the majority of the hype for undrafted free agents, and he and Corey Grant are considered to be the best of the Jaguars' UDFAs. He's proved why this past week, and his standout performance on defense puts him on pace for a final roster spot.

Undrafted out of Miami (FL), Armbrister's impressive first week shows it was definitely worth giving him a chance. 

Armbrister and the rest of the Jaguars showed improvement on Day 2 of OTAs, according to Jaguars.com, and head coach Bradley noticed. “We had a couple of interceptions and guys were flying around,” Bradley said. “We are still in that installation phase so we are learning some new things with some younger guys.”

Armbrister shined on the field last week, and while his individual performance will be something to watch, his competition with backup linebackers Khairi Fortt and LaRoy Reynolds will be even better. Dan Skuta holds the starting spot, and that won't budge unless things get drastic.

Reynolds is a proven player, and it will be hard to beat him out, but Armbrister can beat out Fortt if he can continue to improve and become a special teams asset as well. It won't be easy, but it's certainly possible.

Ace Sanders

John Raoux/Associated Press

I mentioned Ace Sanders in my articles last week, and deservedly so. He surprised a lot of people by excelling in practice and appearing in top physical shape. Sanders has a lot to prove this offseason, and his first week of OTAs was the start he needed.

Sanders had a solid rookie season in 2013, but his 2014 season saw a ban for violating the NFL's substance-abuse policy leading to a four-game suspension, and he never really found his footing.

Sanders' performance as of late has been a different story. According to Jaguars.com, wide receivers coach Jerry Sullivan praised his work last week, and Bradley has now mentioned him personally twice, although his most recent comment is more motivation than anything. 

Bradley said, "I’m hoping what I see from Ace [Sanders] as a wide receiver shows up as a punt returner.” While Sanders has been solid, he does need to show improvement in that part of his game in the coming weeks.

Sanders was electrifying as a returner for South Carolina, but he hasn't shown the same burst and vision since getting into the NFL. If he wants a guaranteed roster spot, he'll need to show signs of his college days.

Blake Bortles

John Raoux/Associated Press

Quarterback Blake Bortles had a rough 2014, and while he is in no jeopardy of losing a roster spot or even losing the starting job, his impressive first week of OTAs still showed that he's leaving nothing to chance and that he's putting everything he's got into his game.

Training with QB guru Tom House through the offseason has obviously improved his mechanics and even his overall play. Bortles showed up to this past week sharp and focused, which was expected, but it's still a great thing to see.

According to Jaguars.com, head coach Bradley was impressed with Bortles' work, saying, "The ideal thing is to be with us and to be with our coaches. But that can’t happen [under NFL rules] so he took the next best thing and met with somebody, met with another player and threw in the offseason and really worked on it."

Every QB does offseason work, but the fact that it's translated to how Bortles looks and his confidence is a big deal. The Jaguars need him to be as ready for his sophomore season as he can, and he's done well so far.

Whether Bortles will succeed this season is a question that won't get answered until the end of the year, but his progress just exudes an optimistic attitude. He's got a better team to work with, he's a better player than he was a season ago and the Jaguars are ready to reap the benefits.

Bortles' progress over the next few weeks will be the most interesting topic of this offseason. While the pressure and chaotic nature of last season isn't as prevalent, he still has expectations to meet, and it'll be exciting to see how he does.

All stats were provided by ESPN.com unless otherwise stated. Predraft information courtesy of NFLDraftScout.com and NFL.com.

Evan Reier is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report covering the Jacksonville Jaguars. Follow Evan on Twitter at @evanreier.