Jacksonville Jaguars 2023 Training Camp Preview
The Jacksonville Jaguars burst onto the scene in 2022. After going into their Week 11 bye week with a 3-7 record, Jacksonville won six of their next seven games to win the AFC South. The Jaguars won their wild-card matchup with an epic comeback against the Los Angeles Chargers and held their own in a loss to the eventual Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence looked much more comfortable this past season than his rookie season. To be fair, that might have something to do with the hiring of Doug Pederson. There are big expectations for Jacksonville this year. How far can they go? Let’s take a peek at your 2023 Jacksonville Jaguars.
Three Position Battles To Watch
Left Guard: Ben Bartch vs Tyler Shatley
Bartch did not have a great start to the season but seemed to be turning things around before dislocating his knee in week 5. Shatley stepped in and gave up 25 total pressures and three sacks for the remainder of the season. Better O-Line play played a huge part in Jacksonville’s push for the division and Shatley deserves some credit for that. Will be interesting to see the two battle it out for the starting spot.
Left Inside Linebacker: Devin Lloyd vs Chad Muma
A similar story to the Left Guard battle, Lloyd was the Week 1 starter last season and started off hot with two interceptions within the first three weeks. However, he started struggling and was later benched in favor of Muma. Muma remained the starter until he was hurt and Lloyd entered the picture again. The talent is there with Lloyd, but Muma really started to turn a corner before his injury. Whoever gets the start might just come down to a “who’s hot who’s not” situation.
Running Back: Tank Bigsby vs D’Ernest Johnson
While Travis Etienne will hold down the starting spot (well, maybe not for long) Bigsby and Johnson will fight over the RB2 spot. Etienne wasn’t great in short-yardage situations last season. Pederson decided to go full Patton and bring in the tank in the draft. I honestly believe this is a battle that is Bigsby’s to lose.
Rookie Watch: Tank Bigsby
Is it cheating to have Bigsby on here twice? Maybe, but it’s hard to not see how Bigsby can’t step in and have an impact in Week 1. Look for his usage to ramp up during the season, to the point where he might even start to challenge Etienne for his job.
Fantasy Sleeper: Calvin Ridley
Adding Calvin Ridley to this squad is almost a cheat code. Ridley fits into the sleeper category because after serving his year-long suspension, no one really knows what they’re getting in drafting him. If Ridley can tap into what he was doing in Atlanta, the Jacksonville Jaguars will have an amazing WR duo on their hands. I think Ridley might even give Christian Kirk a run for his money as WR1.
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