Jaguars roster projection: Do Jags have the supporting cast to become AFC force?

Doug Pederson on Trevor Lawrence: “You can put the team on his back.”Why Jaguars will be the AFC’s No. 1 seed in 2023

Ben Arthur

AFC South Reporter

The Jaguars are expected to take a significant step forward as an AFC title contender in 2023, the second season under coach Doug Pederson, with Trevor Lawrence coming into his own and the addition of wide receiver Calvin Ridley to an already potent offense.

But what will the team look like around them?

Here’s a crack at Jacksonville’s initial 53-man roster, which must be set by 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday:

Quarterback (2): Trevor Lawrence, C.J. Beathard

No surprises here.

Lawrence emerged as a true franchise quarterback in the second half of last season, setting up excitement for what he can develop into in Year 3. Pederson confirmed that Beathard is QB2 after Jacksonville’s preseason victory over Detroit on Aug. 19, despite the flashes shown by former CFL star Nathan Rourke. Beathard has been a key sounding board and veteran presence in the quarterback room for Lawrence since he entered the NFL in 2021.

Wide receiver (6): Calvin Ridley, Christian Kirk, Zay Jones, Jamal Agnew, Parker Washington, Tim Jones

Beyond the four locks (Ridley, Kirk, Zay Jones, Agnew), Washington — a sixth-round rookie — has earned a spot as the No. 2 returner behind Agnew.

In a deep crop of backup receivers, Tim Jones makes a lot of sense for the sixth receiver spot because of his special teams value. He played in all 17 games for Jacksonville last season as a key special teamer (36% of snaps) and has been the team’s highest-graded special teamer this preseason, according to Pro Football Focus. He was also the team’s second-leading receiver in exhibition play with 122 receiving yards.

Doug Pederson on Trevor Lawrence: “You can put the team on his back.”

Running back (4): Travis Etienne Jr., Tank Bigsby, JaMycal Hasty, D’Ernest Johnson

Snoop Conner, a fifth-round pick last year, is a notable cut. But the Jaguars have had a long-established top four here this summer.

Bigsby, a third-round rookie, should be a nice complement to Etienne with his bruising style of running between the tackles. Etienne excels outside the tackles.

Tight end (4): Evan Engram, Brenton Strange, Gerrit Prince, Luke Farrell

No surprises here. Engram is TE1, and Strange could be the top option long-term as a second-round rookie.

Jaguars coaches and players have raved this summer about the development of Prince, an undrafted rookie last year.

Offensive line (9): Walker Little, Ben Bartch, Luke Fortner, Brandon Scherff, Anton Harrison, Tyler Shatley, Josh Wells, Blake Hance, Chandler Brewer

Reserve/Suspended (1): Cam Robinson
Reserve/Injured (1): Cooper Hodges

Harrison, a first-round rookie, is the Day 1 right tackle. And with Robinson suspended the first four games of the season for violating the NFL’s performance-enhancing drugs policy, Little will protect Lawrence’s blindside to start the year.

Hodges, a seventh-round rookie, is a candidate to start the season on injured reserve with a patella injury, which forced him to miss the end of training camp and the preseason. On IR, he’d have to miss the first four games of the season.

Why Jaguars will be the AFC’s No. 1 seed in 2023

Defensive line/outside linebacker (10): Folorunso Fatukasi, DaVon Hamilton, Roy Robertson-Harris, Josh Allen, Travon Walker, K’Lavon Chaisson, Tyler Lacy, Yasir Abdullah, Jeremiah Ledbetter, Adam Gotsis

Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform (1): Dawuane Smoot

Significant improvement from Walker, last year’s No. 1 overall pick, elevates the upside of the defensive front. He had just 3.5 sacks and an 8.9% pressure rate as a rookie.

The Jaguars figure to have stronger depth here than a year ago. Chaisson, a 2020 first-round pick who has had a slow start to his career, has impressed in training camp. Ledbetter and Abdullah, a fifth-round rookie, have flashed in the preseason.

Inside linebacker (5): Foyesade Oluokun, Devin Lloyd, Chad Muma, Caleb Johnson, Shaquille Quarterman

Oluokun is one of the better off-ball linebackers in the league, and Lloyd — a first-round pick last year — is expected to make major strides in Year 2.

With fourth-round rookie Ventrell Miller out for the season with an Achilles injury, Quarterman gets the fifth linebacker spot.

Secondary (10): Tyson Campbell, Rayshawn Jenkins, Andre Cisco, Darious Williams, Tre Herndon, Andrew Wingard, Antonio Johnson, Gregory Junior, Christian Braswell, Chris Claybrooks

The Jaguars are returning all of their starters here from a year ago, so this group should naturally continue ascending. Campbell is poised to establish himself as one of the best cornerbacks in the league — he’s been challenged in practice this summer by Ridley — and Cisco is entering his second season as a starter.

Johnson, a fifth-round rookie, flashed throughout the summer.

Specialists (3): Brandon McManus (PK), Logan Cooke (P), Ross Matiscik (LS)

Matiscik has been out battling a shoulder injury since the preseason opener against the Cowboys. If he’s not ready to start the season, he’ll go on injured reserve. The Jaguars have another long snapper on their roster, Tucker Addington, who can be a replacement for the short term.

Ben Arthur is the AFC South reporter for FOX Sports. He previously worked for The Tennessean/USA TODAY Network, where he was the Titans beat writer for a year and a half. He covered the Seattle Seahawks for SeattlePI.com for three seasons (2018-20) prior to moving to Tennessee. You can follow Ben on Twitter at @benyarthur.

FOLLOW Follow your favorites to personalize your FOX Sports experience