The Jacksonville Jaguars are ready to get their season rolling and see what 2024 has in store for them. As we have said one million times already by now, whether it be in our ' how to watch' series , or training camp coverage , the Jaguars underperformed last year after a great 2022 season, and are looking to get back to the postseason.
If they weren't they wouldn't have made the big splashy moves they made. They brought in Arik Armstead , the defensive tackle from the San Francisco 49ers. They made sure to keep Josh Allen-Hines around long-term, and brought on Gabe Davis with some draftees, too.
This first preseason game will tell a lot of this team this season, from their depth, to how the rookies will get started, to plenty of other things as well. So, there will be plenty to watch in this first preseason game against the Kansas City Chiefs. Let's get into it.
Three things to watch in Jaguars vs. Chiefs
How do the rookies respond to their first football action?
The Jaguars drafted what they feel is a very strong rookie class that can compete on this roster right away. And, they need that. last year, they didn't have many rookies helping them win games. This year, this class has the potential to be really good, but it's all about potential. They haven't shown anything in the NFL yet.
Right off the bat, I'll be looking at rookie wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr., who is expected to be one of the best wide receivers in this class. However, we didn't hear too much about him during training camp, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. We will also want to see what guys like Maason Smith do -- a guy this front office is extremely high on.
And lastly, I'll be looking at how Jarrian Jones plays. He was a third-round pick by the Jaguars but is listed pretty far down on the Jaguars' initial, and unofficial, depth chart. Let's see what he can do to potentially change that, or if that is even true. There are currently six cornerbacks listed above him.
Jaguars' key depth pieces
The most important part of the preseason is seeing who are the bubble roster guys that can make the roster better overall. Believe it or not, that is pretty much what the preseason is about. It's all about those second or third stringers proving they belong, and even the fourth stringers. it's also for the players that, maybe can't make this roster, but are showing out to make another roster around the league.
Look for guys like Montaric Brown to make big-time plays because he is young, yes, but got thrown into the fire a bit last year. He knows how to play, and while he isn't a starter, he will get tested a lot on Saturday. Seeing how the backups respond in certain situations will be key, too, especially with a team like the Jaguars who will use their backups a lot. We saw that last year with how many injuries they had.
Seeing how Press Taylor calls plays
Last season was a disaster in the play-calling department. While we aren't really sure who will call the plays in the future for the regular season yet, it was announced that Taylor will call plays during the regular season. Now, that could be bad, or good, we really don't know. But, I'm interested in seeing how he does, and I'm interested in seeing how the guys respond to him.
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