Projecting the Jacksonville Jaguars' starting lineup entering NFL training camp
Even though the Jacksonville Jaguars finished 1-15 last season, there's still a decent amount of optimism around the franchise. The reason for that optimism is simple: Trevor Lawrence is now the starting quarterback. Jacksonville is harboring hope that Lawrence, with the help of Urban Meyer, will turn Jacksonville into a winning organization.
The Jaguars won't be an easy fix though, as they still have multiple weak spots on their roster. It's not all bad for the Jaguars. They have some promising young talent and a few proven veterans on the roster as well.
Realistically, the Jaguars' 2021 season isn't solely about winning games. The goal this season will be to build a foundation that will set the Jaguars up for success in future seasons.
With Jaguars training camp nearing and several starting spots up for grabs, such as running back and tight end, there's no better time than now to predict Jacksonville's 2021 starting lineup.
Jacksonville Jaguars projected 2021 starting lineup
Quarterback - Trevor Lawrence
You don't draft Trevor Lawrence number one overall in the 2021 nfl-draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">NFL Draft to sit him on the bench. Lawrence will start Week 1 and he should have a good amount of success, too.
The former Clemson quarterback has all the tools necessary to be a franchise quarterback.
Running back - James Robinson
The Jaguars will need training camp and maybe even pre-season to settle on a starting running back.
James Robinson is the prediction here, and for good reason. In his rookie season, Robinson rushed for 1,070 yards. He also caught 49 catches for 344 yards.
Jacksonville selecting Travis Etienne in the first round means Etienne is likely to split snaps with Robinson, but Robinson will still be the bell-cow back, at least to start the 2021 season.
Wide receivers - Marvin Jones Jr., D.J. Chark, Laviska Shenault Jr.
The Jaguars' starters at wide receiver are pretty straightforward. D.J. Chark and Laviska Shenault Jr. are exciting young wideouts who have the potential to grow with Lawrence for years to come.
Marvin Jones Jr. is the veteran of the group. He'll provide valuable leadership and a safety net for Lawrence in the passing game.
All in all, this is a quality starting wide receiver trio. The depth at wideout is solid, too.
Tight end - James O'Shaughnessy
James O'Shaughnessy is not the ideal starting tight end for an NFL team, but he'll have to do for Jacksonville. The only other options are 2021 fifth-round pick Luke Farrell, blocking tight end Chris Manhertz and Tim Tebow.
O'Shaughnessy's 28 catches for 262 yards in 2020 may not be impressive compared to other starting tight ends around the league, but compared to what the Jaguars have at tight end, he's a no-brainer starter.
The only caveat here is if Farrell steps up in training camp and shows potential. The issue is that the learning curve at tight end is extremely steep and throwing Farrell out there as a starter in Week 1 might be doing him a disservice.
Offensive line - LT Cam Robinson, LG Andrew Norwell, C Brandon Linder, RG A.J. Cann, RT Jawaan Taylor
The Jaguars' starting offensive line is pretty well set in stone. In fact, they're returning all five starters from last season.
Unfortunately, the group did have its fair share of struggles. The Jacksonville offensive line gave up 44 sacks in 2020. They'll need to be much better if they want to give Lawrence a chance to succeed this upcoming season.
Despite the concerns up front, the Jaguars have five solid starting offensive linemen. It's fair to assume they have a good chance of improving in 2021.
Defensive line - Roy Robertson-Harris, Malcom Brown, Doug Costin
Roy Robertson-Harris and Malcom Brown were both acquired this offseason and both should be starting right away. Robertson-Harris is a nice piece who's yet to fully break out, but he's been a good contributor with the Chicago Bears the last four seasons.
Brown has had more NFL success than Robertson-Harris. He's an excellent run defender. Right off the bat, he'll make the Jaguars much more formidable against the run.
The third starting spot on the defensive line is up in the air. Doug Costin, Adam Gotsis, Dawuane Smoot, Davon Hamilton and Jay Tufele are all potential starters. Costin gets the nod because he showed nice promise as a rookie last season.
Edge - K'Lavon Chaisson, Josh Allen
If K'Lavon Chaisson pans out, then the Jaguars have got themselves a pair of promising young edge rushers. Unfortunately, Chaisson struggled in his rookie season. However, that's no reason to give up on the former LSU Tiger. He's still got a lot of football ahead of him.
Josh Allen will be looking to get back out onto the field after he missed a chunk of the 2020 season with an injury. Back in 2019, Allen's rookie season, he showcased his elite potential when he racked up 10.5 sacks. The Jaguars will need more of that in 2021 to win more games.
Linebackers - Myles Jack, Joe Schobert
Myles Jack and Joe Schobert are fairly easy picks to start at linebacker. Jack finished the 2020 season with 118 total tackles, while Schobert had 141.
Jacksonville doesn't have a lot of playable depth behind these two, so it's imperative they stay healthy and play well this season.
Cornerback - C.J. Henderson, Shaquill Griffin
C.J. Henderson struggled in his rookie season, but he'll be given a chance to turn it around in year two. Shaquill Griffin, on the other hand, was brought in from the Seattle Seahawks to help stabilize a corner group that has had its fair share of bad play in recent years.
Tre Herndon and rookie Tyson Campbell will also get their fair share of snaps at corner in sub-packages.
Safety - FS Jarrod Wilson, SS Rayshawn Jenkins
Like the corner position, the safety position also wasn't up to par last season. The Jaguars addressed that weakness by acquiring Rayshawn Jenkins, a former Charger who's good in coverage and against the run. He'll have a big role in the Jaguars' 2021 defense.
At free safety, the Jaguars will have to decide between Jarrod Wilson and Andre Cisco. This may end up as a situation in which the veteran, Wilson, starts the season and the rookie, Cisco, ends the season with the job.
Only time will tell, as training camp will be the place Cisco or Wilson takes control of the starting job.
Special teams - K Josh Lambo, P Logan Cooke, LS Ross Matiscik
The only question here is whether Josh Lambo or Aldrick Rosas wins the kicking job. Lambo is the choice here as he's been an excellent kicker throughout his care