Jaguars Set For Preseason Opener Against Saints

The Jacksonville Jaguars have an actual game today. It may only be a preseason game, but Saturday's contest against the New Orleans Saints will give plenty of the Jaguars' reserves a chance to shine and prove they deserve a spot on the 53-man roster. Others are fighting for the very few starting jobs that may still be up for grabs. Players who haven't had great camps will get a chance to stand out in actual game action. Meanwhile, players who have had great camps can get knocked back down to earth quickly if they don't show up in the game. Rookie Watch Saturday's game against the Saints will give the Jaguars' rookies their first taste of real NFL game action. How will they perform with the bright lights on? With most starters getting their work in during the Jaguars' joint practice with the Saints, the rookies will be a major focus in the game. How will tight ends Nate Boerkircher and Tanner Koziol look? Koziol has been generating more buzz over the offseason, while the selection of Boerkircher was heavily criticized as a major reach. Can Boerkircher begin to silence his critics and show the reasons why Jacksonville was so excited to draft him? Jacksonville also has a trio of third-round selections looking to prove they deserve significant playing time as rookies. Guard Emmanuel Pregnon, defensive tackle Albert Regis, and safety Jalen Huskey will all get a chance to show their coaches what they can do. A pair of sixth-round rookie wide receivers, Josh Cameron and CJ Williams, are looking to build upon their strong camps and fight for the WR5 and possible WR6 jobs. Linebacker Competition With the competition between Ventrell Miller and Branson Combs neck-and-neck, we may get to see each get an opportunity to separate himself from the other for the job. A strong showing from either could give him a giant leg up with the regular season less than a month away. Udinski Calling Plays One of the most intriguing storylines in this game will be offensive coordinator Grant Udinski getting an opportunity to call plays. Udinski is on a fast track toward becoming a head coach, and showing his offensive genius with a strong debut as a play-caller will certainly add another notch to his belt. Others Fighting For Roster Spots There will be plenty of other Jaguars fighting for roster spots against the Saints. Cornerback Jabbar Muhammad will possibly get a look on Saturday after turning heads all offseason. Can he further cement his spot on the 53-man roster? Muhammad comes from a long family of defensive backs and is looking to make his own mark in the NFL. Quarterbacks Carter Bradley and undrafted rookie Joey Aguilar will also be competing for the Jaguars' QB3 role. Bradley has the experience advantage, while Aguilar may have higher upside and created some buzz earlier this offseason. Can either of them show enough to force Jacksonville into keeping a third quarterback behind Trevor Lawrence and backup Nick Mullens? Final Thoughts Everything that has happened over the first two weeks of training camp has been a buildup to real game action. Everyone fighting for playing time and/or roster spots now gets a chance to show what they are made of when the lights come on. Today will be the first taste many of these Jaguars are getting of NFL game action. They will be playing like their jobs depend on it because they do. How they perform in this game will go a long way in proving they belong.