The 2026 Jacksonville Jaguars enter the summer season in a curious place as one of many AFC’s most intriguing rosters, combining postseason aspirations with a number of unsettled beginning place teams. And whereas many of the offseason consideration in Duval has been directed on the large receiver room and the route of the offense underneath Liam Coen, it’s the competitors within the trenches and elsewhere that may seemingly decide the ultimate playoff standings for the 2026 Jaguars.
Here’s a breakdown of the 5 most impactful place battles heading into 2026 Coaching Camp.
JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA – DECEMBER 7: Bhayshul Tuten #33 of the Jacksonville Jaguars runs the ball throughout an NFL 2025 sport in opposition to the Indianapolis Colts at Everbank Stadium on December 7, 2025 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Picture by Logan Bowles/Getty Pictures) Getty Pictures
Battle: Bhayshul Tuten vs. Chris Rodriguez Jr.
The departure of Travis Etienne to New Orleans created probably the most vital backfield void Jacksonville has confronted in years, and the competitors to fill it has been something however simple. Bhayshul Tuten enters camp firmly entrenched because the projected starter after taking on each significant offensive snap through the offseason program, with Chris Rodriguez’s Minicamp absence because of harm. In 2025, Tuten rushed for 307 yards and 5 touchdowns as a rookie in a part-time position.
The issues are actual, although. A 3.7 yards-per-carry common as a rookie, albeit on lower than 90 carries, whereas paired with a number of accidents isn’t a great welcome to the NFL. For a again being requested to hold a 17-game workload for the primary time, availability and beginning off sizzling early will likely be key in taking on the position.
In the meantime, Chris Rodriguez’s path to a beginning position was made extra difficult earlier than camp started, when he underwent left foot surgical procedure this summer season. Head coach Liam Coen publicly indicated Rodriguez is predicted to be a full participant subsequent week when camp opens. Nonetheless, his absence all through OTAs and minicamp solely widened the organizational hole between him and Tuten. When wholesome, nonetheless, Rodriguez brings a totally totally different factor to this backfield: a bodily punishing working model.
His 45.5 % speeding success price ranked among the many high ten within the NFL in 2025, and a 4.0 yards-after-contact common spotlights his capability to create on contested runs. His near-total absence from the passing sport, nonetheless, means Rodriguez’s actual worth to this offense is concentrated virtually fully in short-yardage conditions and the objective line, precisely the form of position that might quietly steal the touchdowns this backfield, whereas additionally leaving open a transparent path for Tuten to run via. The continued well being of Rodriguez’s foot when the pads go on, and his soccer conditioning, would be the defining questions of this competitors.
HOUSTON, TX – NOVEMBER 09: Patrick Mekari #65 of the Jacksonville Jaguars appears to be like on from the sphere throughout an NFL soccer sport in opposition to the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium on November 9, 2025 in Houston, Texas. (Picture by Cooper Neill/Getty Pictures) Getty Pictures
Battle: RG Patrick Mekari vs. Wyatt Milum and Emmanuel Pregnon
Wyatt Milum spent a lot of his rookie season on the sidelines after a knee harm disrupted his growth in coaching camp. The previous West Virginia standout settled into guard after taking part in left sort out in school, with 101 offensive snaps in 2025 at left guard, proper guard, and left sort out.
Oregon bulldozer Emmanuel Pregnon arrives because the freshest face on this competitors, a first-team All-American out of Oregon who many scouts believed was worthy of a second-round choice earlier than sliding to 88th total. His mixture of measurement, energy, and ending capability makes him a great match for the extra bodily, man-run ideas Coen could wish to increase to in 2026. Neither Milum nor Pregnon was drafted with the expectation of serving as a backup and Mekari might want to show, in camp, that the beginning job remains to be his to maintain. Per offensive coordinator Grant Udinski, in OTAs, Pregnon began his growth and studying solely on the left, based mostly on his previous expertise at left guard. Nevertheless, he famous that the crew would search for alternatives to cross-train linemen in a number of spots, as they did in 2025.
Aug 23, 2025; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars defensive finish Danny Striggow (92) tackles Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) through the first quarter at Arduous Rock Stadium. Necessary Credit score: Sam Navarro-Imagn Pictures Sam Navarro-Imagn Pictures
Battle: Danny Striggow vs Wesley Williams, Zach Durfee, and B.J. Inexperienced II
Behind defensive ends Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker, the depth of the Edge room is likely one of the most vital place competitions in all of Jacksonville’s coaching camp. The departures of Dawuane Smoot and Emmanuel Ogbah this offseason opened up a major variety of rotational snaps, creating a real alternative for a youthful participant to step right into a significant position. The variety of potential candidates is plentiful, sufficient that nothing is assured for anybody.
Danny Striggow and B.J. Inexperienced II arrive because the closest issues to veterans on this competitors, having each earned their means onto the roster as undrafted free brokers in 2025 and made sufficient of an affect within the second half of the season to generate confidence of their ground. Striggow, arguably, enters camp with the within observe to the third defensive finish spot, based mostly on 2025 manufacturing. Wesley Williams (Spherical 4, Duke) and Zach Durfee (Spherical 7, Washington) each arrive as this 12 months’s drafted additions to the room. Williams has the athleticism and flexibility to make an early push, with vital expertise attending to the quarterback utilizing stunts.
In the meantime, Durfee, tabbed as ESPN’s 2026 Prospect X, brings a respectable pass-rush profile that produced 6.5 sacks, 35 pressures, and an Eleventh-ranked pass-rush win price amongst all defensive ends in his remaining school season at Washington. Each rookies face a steep uphill climb with skilled competitors already on the roster. But Jacksonville is a franchise that has just lately confirmed it should reward manufacturing no matter how a participant arrived. That opens the door.
JACKSONVILLE, FL – JUNE 09: Caleb Ransaw #27 of the Jacksonville Jaguars goes via work out drills throughout Necessary Veteran Minicamp at Miller Electrical Heart on June 9, 2026 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Picture by Don Juan Moore/Getty Pictures) Getty Pictures
Battle: Caleb Ransaw vs Jalen Huskey
Antonio Johnson and Eric Murray are broadly anticipated to enter the season because the beginning security tandem, and the competitors at this place is primarily targeted on who fills the third security position, a spot that carries real worth given Anthony Campanile’s well-documented choice for three-safety defensive packages. With the explosion of 13 personnel throughout the NFL, an accompanying improve in three-safety, ‘Big Nickel’ defenses will naturally comply with for a lot of franchises.
The second-year Ransaw, out of Tulane, misplaced his whole rookie season to a foot harm earlier than even taking part in a single regular-season snap, however he has, notably, turned heads in OTAs and minicamp with the form of athleticism and instincts that prompted the Jaguars to spend a third-round choose on him a 12 months in the past. Jalen Huskey arrives because the 2026 third-round funding on the place, and seemingly the identical position. Huskey, a 6-foot-1, 196-pound ballhawk from Maryland, would require a coaching camp efficiency that turns heads from the primary padded follow to grab the third security position. With each gamers, in some ways, being first-year gamers on the sphere, this competitors might come right down to early data of the playbook. That edge ought to, theoretically, go to Ransaw, who had a season of studying the defensive playbook whereas injured.
Travis Register-Imagn Pictures
Battle: Josh Cameron, CJ Williams, J’Mari Taylor, LeQuint Allen, and Others
The kick return competitors could be the least mentioned and most genuinely open battle on your entire roster. In 2025, Bhayshul Tuten and LeQuint Allen mixed to deal with the majority of the kick return duties. With Tuten entering into an expanded offensive position in 2026, the group faces an actual query about who absorbs the return duties and, crucially, who can achieve this at a excessive sufficient degree to take care of the sphere place benefit that was a significant a part of Jacksonville’s 13-4 season.
Josh Cameron, the sixth-round choice out of Baylor, returned from a calf harm in time for necessary minicamp and wasted no time making an impression in his offensive debut. Offensive coordinator Grant Udinski praised each Cameron and fellow sixth-round receiver CJ Williams publicly following minicamp. With Jacksonville having one of many deepest receiver rooms in soccer, particular groups could present the simplest path to cracking the 53-man roster for each.
Undrafted rookie J’Mari Taylor provides one other dimension to this dialog. The NFL’s new dynamic kickoff model has resulted in additional working backs and bulkier large receiver-types being tagged for the brand new kick return duties. With many gamers on the roster having school expertise returning kicks and the present NFL returns being extra within the model of a run play, this could possibly be the realm the place both of those three rookies makes a compelling case to hitch LeQuint Allen again deep and even push him for the position.
Which camp battle do you see having the most important affect on this 2026 Jacksonville Jaguars season? Tell us your ideas within the feedback!
