The Jacksonville Jaguars will look to avoid going winless in the preseason on Thursday when they take on the Atlanta Falcons for their season finale. More importantly, they will be looking to make their last evaluations on the last few unestablished positions on the field.
Based off what we’ve seen in the first three weeks of the preseason, here are the three position battles we think could come down to Week 4 as the Jags will have final cuts on Sunday:
A.J. Cann vs. Will Richardson for starting RG spot
This has arguably been the most important battle of the offseason and the staff still has yet to decide on who will be the starter. In last Thursday’s game against the Miami Dolphins, Will Richardson got the nod to start, however, he had multiple false start penalties which probably were due to nerves.
Eventually, Richardson was replace by Cann who also had a penalty on the night. Based off the comments of coach Doug Marrone this week, the staff will make a decision on a starter based of this week’s practice sessions, or perhaps the last preseason game.
That said, if both play against the Falcons, fans should watch them with a close eye because it probably will be the last test for both players in terms of evaluations.
C.J. Board vs. Tre McBride vs. Terrelle Pryor for No. 6 WR spot
This battle may just be C.J. Board’s to lose because he’s been the most consistent in the actual preseason games. Additionally, Terrelle Pryor has missed most of the preseason with hamstring issues, and with another hamstring injury occurring against the Dolphins, he’ll probably sit out against the Falcons. That leaves the door open for Board to further distance himself in the race.
As for Tre McBride, he may already be out of the race with the drops he’s had this preseason. That was an issue for the main roster last year, so simply put, the staff may be looking for a sure-handed player to be their No. 6. Still, McBride may have a small shot if he has a strong day, but it looks more like he’s set to be a strong practice squad candidate.
Breon Borders vs. Tae Hayes vs. Picasso Nelson for No. 5 CB spot
Right now, my guess is that Breon Borders has the slight edge in this battle for the simple fact that he’s a little more experienced than Tae Hayes and Picasso Nelson, who are rookies. Still, landing a roster spot isn’t a given for Borders because the race between these three is very close.
Hayes acquired the first pick of the Jags’ preseason and also is No. 20 on Pro Football Focus’ rookie grading scale for the first three weeks of the preseason with an 80.7 overall grade. Meanwhile, Nelson has a pick of his own with five tackles and a sack over the course of the preseason game. Clearly, he and Hayes are within striking range to make the final roster and won’t make it easy on Borders.
