Jacksonville Jaguars: Breaking Down Final Roster and Week 1 Starters

The Jacksonville Jaguars have completed an entire preseason and have made the necessary decisions to cut down their roster to the top 53 available. The team is now less than a week from the regular season, and the Jaguars can be happy with the work they've put in coming up to Week 1.

After an initial cut to 57 members, the Jaguars made the final decision to release linebacker Jeremiah George, safety Craig Loston and tackle Austin Pasztor as well as putting defensive tackle Ziggy Hood on injured reserve.

All four have had active roles in the preseason as well as last season, but the decision to cut four guys with at least some experience in favor of undrafted free agents like Corey Grant, Nick Marshall and Thurston Armbrister follows the current trend of keeping the team relatively young.

Whether one thinks the decisions to part with players like Pasztor were right or not, the fact of the matter is that it's happened. These are the 53 players the Jaguars will utilize for the 2015 season, and all that's left is execution.

Quarterback

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Quarterback Blake Bortles is the most important cog in the offense this season, and his stellar preseason is hopefully a good sign of things to come. He looks mature, technically improved and ready to take on his second season in the league.

Bortles will be the main guy, but the Jaguars are fortunate to have the experienced Chad Henne backing him up and continuing to help mentor him. Henne hasn't exactly excelled as a QB with the Jaguars, but he has something to offer on the sidelines.

The Jaguars parted with their third-string QB Stephen Morris in the cuts to 57 total players, which was disappointing but necessary. Morris has potential, as seen by the Philadelphia Eagles claiming him, but it just couldn't work out.

The Jaguars QB situation is relatively unchanged from last year, and that's a good thing. QB stability is crucial to an offense, and the Jaguars are lucky to have that. It will, hopefully, translate into good play on the field and victories this season.

Running Back

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Typically, NFL teams take a maximum of four RBs for the final roster, but the Jaguars have taken five. Between T.J. Yeldon, Denard Robinson, Toby Gerhart, Bernard Pierce and Grant, it definitely seems like the Jaguars have a versatile, exciting stable of options.

Storm Johnson was the lone RB cut, which was to be expected. He didn't exactly light up the NFL in his rookie year, and his offseason and preseason didn't show enough to be considered a better option over someone like Pierce or Grant.

Yeldon still seems to be the preferred feature back, but it'll be interesting to see what the Jaguars will do depending on his play. With the quick Robinson and strong Gerhart waiting in the wings and hungry for carries, both could benefit from a Yeldon slip-up.

Pierce will also see a few carries a game, and he should. He's done well as a backup for the Baltimore Ravens in the past and is definitely a good enough option to see the ball should the trio in front of him struggle.

As for Grant, he'll likely see the occasional carry, but he's probably going to see more time as a kick returner than anything else. His insane speed is a useful tool, but with the four options in front of him, it's hard to see him getting any more than a carry or two per game.

Wide Receiver

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The Jaguars are taking five receivers into the season—a relatively young group, but one that could be both efficient and explosive. Allen Robinson and Bryan Walters are reliable, while Allen Hurns, Marqise Lee and Rashad Greene can all make big plays after the catch.

It's an interesting mix but not necessarily a surprising one. The rest of the other options in the preseason, like Kasey Closs and Tony Washington, simply weren't talented enough or didn't bring enough spark into the offense.

Robinson is certainly the No. 1 receiver, and he'll be Bortles' favorite target in the group. He's quick enough to make plays, but the Jaguars will make the most of his size and hands rather than his legs, and that should provide a consistent, vital target.

Hurns and Lee will line up on the other side of Robinson, with Hurns the likely No. 2 and Lee the No. 3. Both offer big plays with their quickness, but Lee's injury issues may make Hurns the primary option for a speedy receiver.

Greene is the starting slot receiver, and Walters could see time there as well as further outside. Greene had a promising preseason, and he looked very comfortable in his role. Walters rarely drops the ball or gets beat to the ball on a good throw, and having his experience and reliability makes him a solid option as the fifth receiver.

Tight Ends

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The Jaguars' biggest free-agent signing this year in Julius Thomas and one of their most established veterans in Marcedes Lewis will lead the tight ends this year. Familiar, useful backups Clay Harbor and Nic Jacobs will be ready to come in for the duo.

The Jaguars parted with 2015 NFL draft seventh-round pick Ben Koyack and instead chose Harbor and/or Jacobs as the backups instead. Both were with the team last year, and Harbor offers receiving options while Jacobs' huge frame is useful as a blocker.

It's a similar style with the starters, with Thomas the primary receiver of the TEs, while Lewis will be more of a support role, although he's certainly dangerous as a receiver as well. The Jaguars' new two-TE set from offensive coordinator Greg Olson certainly has the tools to succeed.

The Jaguars will be without Thomas for about a month, but Lewis and Harbor should be good enough to handle the extra weight. Neither offers the explosive plays or red zone threat that Thomas does, but they should suffice in the meantime.

Offensive Line

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The Jaguars are going into the season with nine offensive linemen, with the starters being left tackle Luke Joeckel, left guard Zane Beadles, center Stefen Wisniewksi, right guard Brandon Linder and right tackle Jermey Parnell.

Parnell and Wisniewski were key offseason signings, and both should round out a much better looking offensive line, especially when you compare it to previous signings. Joeckel and Beadles will look to finally perform up to expecations, while Linder will look to continue the success from his rookie season in 2014.

The Jaguars can be happy with their starting lineup, and their backups are also pretty solid. C Luke Bowanko, G A.J. Cann, G/C Tyler Shatley and T Sam Young are all young options who will continue to grow as they learn from the starters.

The Jaguars need to protect Bortles and open up holes for the RBs, and it seems like they'll be able to do that with this group. If the offense can't get off the ground, it's impossible to score, so having an OL like this will be a key to a successful 2015 season.

Defensive Line

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As seen in the link on the first slide, DT Sen'Derrick Marks was put on the active roster, probably the best news involving the defensive linemen this week. An essential member of the line in 2014, Marks will hope to lead the "Hit Squad" again this year.

He's joined by defensive end Jared Odrick, DTs Mike Bennett, Roy Miller, Tyson Alualu and Abry Jones, as well as "Leo" ends Chris Clemons, Andre Branch, Ryan Davis and Chris Smith. The Jaguars have depth on the line once again, which will be crucial to the overall success of the defense.

Bennett will be the direct backup to Marks with Hood on the IR, while Miller and Jones will match up with them as proper nose tackles. Alualu and Odrick will be moving around the line depending on the situation, but will be primarily on the strong end.

The Jaguars took the same group of Leos into the season last year and will hope that they can build a productive first season together. Clemons and Davis will see more time in passing situations, while Smith will be the option on first and second downs, with Branch out for an extended time with a knee injury.

The secondary simply isn't good enough to handle NFL QB play for an entire game, so it's crucial that the line gets the push they need and pressures QBs regularly. They'll have help from the LBs, but they have to lead the way this year.

Linebackers

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The starting trio of LBs for the Jaguars—Telvin Smith, Paul Posluszny and Dan Skuta—are ready to make some noise. The three provide the mix the defense requires, with each offering various skills and athletic ability.

"Poz" will once again be important in the run game on the inside, and while it could be his last year with the team, he's still an important member of the defense and in the run defense.

Skuta will operate on the strong side, Smith on the weak side, providing a balance of experienced, consistent experience and electrifying, athletic youth. Both are solid in coverage, but the Jaguars will also call on them to rush the QB or be important defenders on outside runs. 

This trio is backed up by another trio of LaRoy Reynolds, Armbrister and John Lotulelei. Reynolds and Lotulelei are solid backups and important special teams players, while Armbrister will hope to deliver on the Jaguars' gamble of signing a UDFA to backup an important player in Posluszny.

Corners

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The Jaguars have five corners going into the 2015 season, with the gap from the top to the bottom not very wide. While there's no standout corner, the group of Aaron Colvin, Demetrius McCray, Davon House, Dwayne Gratz and Nick Marshall is a fine one.

Colvin is the most exciting option, and his skill and versatility to play on the outside and the inside will be very useful to the Jaguars. He's got a sky-high ceiling, and this could be a breakout year for the sophomore corner.

Likely starters with Colvin are McCray and House, both decently experienced and reliable. Neither are the type of guys to bring down interceptions on the regular, but they aren't often beat and will be important to the defense against the pass.

Gratz and Marshall are at the bottom of the totem pole, albeit in different situations. It seems like this could be Gratz last season to make a proper impact and step up his game, while Marshall's potential plus his special teams value makes for a bright future.

It's not the most experienced group, but there's talent across the board. It's just a matter of putting them in a position to succeed.

Safeties

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The Jaguars safety group sees two new faces at free safety and two familiar ones at strong safety. Johnathan Cyprien and Sergio Brown will start at SS and FS respectively and will have Josh Evans and James Sample backing them up.

Free-agent signing Brown wasn't the initial favorite for the FS job, but Sample's arm injury has had him out for a good while, and he just saw his first plays in a Jaguars uniform in the 17-16 preseason win over the Redskins.

Sample is an exciting prospect with his size and ball skills, so Brown could be in trouble should he not execute. Cyprien, on the other hand, doesn't face too much competition from Evans but should be working hard all the same.

"Cyp's" sophomore year in 2014 was a step down from a promising year in 2014, and he needs to bounce back. He's expected to be an important member of this defense, and 2015 will be his chance to prove why.

Special Teams

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It is now the age of Jason Myers. In a somewhat surprising but totally sensible move, the Jaguars traded kicker Josh Scobee to the Pittsburgh Steelers, leaving Myers as the starting kicker going into 2015.

He has no regular season experience, but he's very talented and has the leg to kick in the NFL. The Jaguars will be patient with him and will hope that he can handle the pressure of being a starting kicker in the NFL.

Punter Bryan Anger is once again the option and will hope that a better all-around special teams unit will make for a better net gain. Anger gets plenty of hangtime and distance, but he needs help from the coverage.

Carson Tinker will be longsnapping to Anger and Myers and will hope to continue a relatively mistake-free career in his third year.

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 @evanreier.