The Jacksonville Jaguars will take the field for their first home preseason game Thursday night as the Philadelphia Eagles are coming into town. Per coach Doug Marrone, some starters will play, but most are expecting the marquee names like Nick Foles, Jalen Ramsey, Leonard Fournette, Calais Campbell and several others to sit. That said, fans should expect a game full of reserves (even early) similar to what we saw Week 1 against the Baltimore Ravens.
Nonetheless, here are some defensive players to watch Thursday night for the Jags’ home opener:
DL Dawuane Smoot
It seems as though it’s every year that we’re discussing Dawuane Smoot in the preseason as someone who needs to flash — and so far he’s done just that in 2019. In fact, he was a player Marrone singled out after Week 1’s loss to the Baltimore Ravens as Smoot was very active and had two tackles, one of which was for loss.
With him being relatively ineffective in his first three seasons, Smoot took a different approach in 2019 and added some weight and is currently playing at around 285 pounds. During organized team activities he revealed that he had been receiving snaps in the interior in addition to on the edge, and it appears he’s caught on despite the change.
Part of the third-year player’s improvement could be a result of seeing rookie defensive end Josh Allen flourish ahead of him on the unofficial depth chart. Regardless, he needs to let whatever it is that has fueled him to continue to do so because he could give the Jags a strong rotation on the edge at the rate he’s playing.
DE Datone Jones
With Taven Bryan having a quiet summer in the eyes of most fans, there is room for someone to potentially leap him on the depth chart. Tony Wiggins of Locked on Jags has mentioned Datone Jones as that person on several occasions as he had an under-the-radar camp.
Like Bryan, Jones is a former first-round pick (for the Green Bay Packers) and he’s hungry to latch on to a team and redeem himself after falling short of expectations. And while he only registered one tackle against the Ravens, outshining Bryan against the Eagles could be all he needs to at least solidify a roster spot, so it wouldn’t be a shocker to see him bring it Thursday.
CB Breon Borders
Breon Borders had some momentum going into the preseason, but had a couple pass interference penalties in Week 1’s game against the Ravens. However, one of the calls were iffy, but as a competitor Borders probably wasn’t happy with how Week 1 ended, especially when considering players like Tae Hayes and Picasso Nelson are gaining ground on him.
One thing that is in Borders’ favor is that the staff is familiar with him as he was on practice squad last season and they are well aware of his talent as opposed to some of the newer corners. Additionally, he’s produced three interceptions in camp so one would think he has a shot for the Jags’ No. 5 cornerback spot, it’s just a matter of performing when the lights are on.
LB Najee Goode
Najee Goode has mostly worked out at weak-side linebacker in practice, but the Jags love his versatility. He started at MIKE linebacker against the Ravens (accumulating three tackles) with Myles Jack out and might have to do the same again against his former team in the Eagles.
With the Jags being thin and inexperienced at linebacker, Goode has pretty much made the team at this point. However, with him knowing the Eagles’ system very well, it wouldn’t be a shocker to see him lead the team in tackles, which would be a huge boost of confidence for the fans as the Jags may need him to start at weak-side linebacker to begin the regular season.
