Jacksonville Jaguars Depth Chart 2021: Predicting Week 1 starters in Trevor Lawrence's kingdom
The Jacksonville Jaguars had a dismal 1-15 record last season. With a new head coach at the helm in Urban Meyer, the Jaguars are once again aiming to be competitive in the AFC South.
The Jags used two first-round draft picks by drafting Clemson teammates, quarterback Trevor Lawrence and running back Travis Etienne. Meyer also signed his former Florida Gators quarterback Tim Tebow to the team as a tight end. How this all shapes out remains to be seen for the Jaguars this season.
Jacksonville Jaguars 2021 Depth Chart
Here is what the Jacksonville Jaguars' depth chart should look like entering week 1:
Offense
Quarterback: Trevor Lawrence, Gardner Minshew II, C.J. Beathard
Running Back: James Robinson, Travis Etienne, Carlos Hyde, Dare Ogunbowale
Wide Receiver: Laviska Shenault Jr., D.J. Chark, Marvin Jones, Phillip Dorsett
Tight End: Luke Farrell, Chris Manhertz, James O'Shaughnessy, Tim Tebow
Center: Brandon Linder
Left Guard: Andrew Norwell
Right Guard: A.J. Cann
Left Tackle: Cam Robinson
Right Tackle: Jawaan Taylor
Defense
Linebacker: Myles Jack, Joe Schobert, Leon Jacobs
Defensive Line: Josh Allen, Davon Hamilton, Taven Bryan
Corner: Tre Herndon, C.J. Henderson
Free Safety: Andrew Wingard
Strong Safety: Rudy Ford
Special Teams:
Kicker: Aldrick Rosas, Josh Lambo
Punter: Logan Cooke
Long Snapper: Ross Matiscik
Kick/ Punt Returner: Chris Claybrooks
Jacksonville Jaguars Depth Chart Analysis
Offense
Quarterback: The Jacksonville Jaguars drafted Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence with their first overall selection in the 2021 NFL Draft. Behind Lawrence is Gardner Minshew II, who was drafted by the Jags in 2019 and named the starter at the beginning of 2020.
After an impressive start to the season, Minshew began to struggle. Jake Luton and Mike Glennon then took turns starting the last few weeks of the season. The Jaguars now seem committed to Lawrence but have also signed C.J. Beathard, a free agent from the 49ers as added depth.
Running back: Although the Jaguars drafted Travis Etienne with their second first-round pick, there is some quality depth at the position. James Robinson was first on the depth chart in 2020 and was a solid back.
Veteran running back Dare Ogunbowale, although not a three-down back, is still a good option in the end zone. In March, the Jacksonville Jaguars also signed veteran running back Carlos Hyde to a two-year, $6,000,000 contract.
Wide Receiver: D.J. Chark has been with the Jacksonville Jaguars since being drafted in 2018. Laviska Shenault Jr. may not be a household name but quietly had a solid season in 2020 even with multiple quarterbacks throwing at him. With the stability of one quarterback starting, Shenault is primed to have a breakout season in 2021.
Tight end: The tight end position is one that provides a lot of question marks for the Jacksonville Jaguars. Veteran James O'Shaughnessy has been with the Jacksonville Jaguars since 2017 and is a reliable option, especially for a rookie quarterback.
The Jaguars signed Chris Manhertz to a two-year deal in March and then drafted Ohio State's Luke Farrell in the fifth-round of the NFL Draft about a month later. With Tim Tebow on the depth chart as the fourth tight end since being signed in May, it seems he will take on a different role.
It has been reported that Tebow will play a similar role as Taysom Hill does for the Saints. If so, there could be offensive packages that see Tebow taking the snap or even throwing the ball.
Offensive Line: The Jacksonville Jaguars' starting offensive line should look like the following: Center Brandon Linder, Left Guard Andrew Norwell, Left Tackle Cam Robinson, Right Guard A.J. Cann and Right Tackle Jawaan Taylor.
Also Check Out: 2021 NFL Depth Chart for all 32 teams
Defense
Defensive End: Josh Allen is one of the stars of the Jaguars' defense. He was drafted in 2019 and made the Pro Bowl his rookie season, making him the first rookie in franchise history to be named to the Pro Bowl. Allen suffered a season-ending knee injury in 2020 and will look to bounce back in 2021.
Defensive Line: Davon Hamilton is a nose tackle for the Jacksonville Jaguars and Taven Bryan is the defensive tackle set to play alongside Allen.
Linebacker: Myles Jack, a fierce weakside linebacker along with Josh Allen, is the leader of the defense. He plays tough and leads the linebacker core of Joe Schobert at middle linebacker, and Leon Jacobs at strongside.
Corner: At the right corner is Tre Herndon and covering the left corner is C.J. Henderson. Herndon was an undrafted rookie in 2018 out of Vanderbilt and became the starting corner after Jalen Ramsey was traded in 2019.
Safety: Rudy Ford, who signed as a free agent this offseason, will be a strong safety. Ford played with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2019 and 2020 after being traded by the Arizona Cardinals. Andrew Wingard, meanwhile, is a free safety who showed promise in his first two seasons.
Special Teams
Aldrick Rosas was signed as the kicker last season but was originally put on the practice squad. Rosas did see playing time in 2020, on and off, which included a suspension by the NFL for an off-field incident months earlier. Rosas, who re-signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars, also has Josh Lambo, who has mainly been a starter since 2017, but injuries have kept him off the field for a significant amount of time.
Punter Logan Cooke, who was signed by the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2017, signed a four-year deal this offseason to stay with the team. Ross Matiscik is the long snapper and Chris Claybrooks takes both kick and punt returns.