Looking in on Saturday's open scrimmage at EverBank Field, many eyes were looking dead on the progression of the Jacksonville Jaguars offense and Blake Bortles. However, the start of the practice did not look well for the first team in its first two attempts. In two separate situations for the first-team offense, in their own 20 yard line and deep in their own territory at the one yard line, the offensive line seemed to lose ground on a well-rounded defensive line, with Jared Odrick leading the way with one virtual sack and kept penetrating the offensive line to dispute the play.
However, when the Jaguars were in the defense's territory during the scrimmage, Bortles showed composure and leadership during the simulation and made two very good passes down the sideline for touchdowns with the first to Allen Robinson, and the second to new acquisition Julius Thomas, both on seam routes.
There was an injury scare during scrimmage when the second team was getting reps in red zone territory when expected starting running back T.J. Yeldon walked off scrimmage holding his hand in pain. After being checked in the locker room for evaluation, it was relatively relieving news for the team as he did not break any bones in his hand and that he only came away with a sprained finger.
With the Jaguars fans finally getting to see the new product on the field for 2015, there was some players who shined and players who may in danger of being dropped in the depth chart, or even cut by the time the preseason ends. Who stood out tonight?
Winners:
LB Telvin Smith - The Florida State product was swarming all over the field for the defense last night. He was everywhere disrupting runs and making plays all over the field for the scrimmage. Jaguars fans already knew of his talents going into the offseason, finishing last season with 10 tackles plus in the last four games for the team and he will now look to introduce himself to the big stage coming into the 2015 season.
WR Tony Washington - There could have been former 2010 second round selection Arrelious Benn on this list of winners, but Tony Washington intrigued us last night. The undrafted rookie out of Appalachian State made plays with the second team where he was blanketed with coverage to make some pretty tough catches. He made reasons to contest for a late roster spot last night for a potential sixth wide receiver spot or maybe a valuable practice squad selection with potential injuries for the Jags this coming season.
Losers:
OG Zane Beadles - With the left side of the offensive line looking bad, there had to be somebody responsible, and that man was Zane Beadles. He was beaten inside on many occasions Saturday night and it will not look good to fans who know there's 2015 third round pick A.J. Cann as his current back-up. If he allows the defense to give Bortles or Yeldon easy shots in the backfield early on in the preseason, it should not come to a surprise to fans who want Bortles protected to make a change for Cann over Beadles in the new gap blocking scheme the Jaguars in 2015.
WR Neal Sterling - The seventh round pick out of Monmouth (NJ) had an ugly drop in the second half of practice that showed some flaws in his game. In some plays with the second team, he also looked to lack a motor in plays where he was schemed to block or be a secondary receiver on the play and did not find separation from his defender once during the scrimmage. If players like Benn and Washington continue to shine for the preseason, Neal Sterling could be demoted to the practice squad during the regular season.
With the preseason starting five days from today, the team seems to be taking shape in what head coach Gus Bradley wants to see in his team come September. Who will look to make the cut? Here's an early prediction on what the 53-man roster may look like after the four games of preseason take place:
Quarterbacks (2): Blake Bortles, Chad Henne
Running Backs (5): T.J. Yeldon, Denard Robinson, Toby Gerhart, Bernard Pierce, Corey Grant
Wide Receivers (6): Allen Robinson, Marqise Lee, Rashad Greene, Allen Hurns, Arrelious Benn, Tony Washington
Tight Ends (4): Julius Thomas, Marcedes Lewis, Clay Harbor, Ben Koyack
Offensive Linemen (9): Luke Joeckel, A.J. Cann, Stefan Wisniewski, Brandon Linder, Jermey Parnell, Josh Wells, Zane Beadles, Luke Bowanko, Austin Pasztor
Defensive Linemen (9): Chris Clemons, Sen'Derrick Marks, Roy Miller, Jared Odrick, Ryan Davis, Tyson Alualu, Michael Bennett, Ziggy Hood, Chris Smith
Linebackers (5): Dan Skuta, Paul Posluszny, Telvin Smith, Khairi Fortt, Jeremiah George
Cornerbacks (5): Demetrius McCray, Davon House, Aaron Colvin, Dwayne Gratz, Nick Marshall
Safeties (5): Sergio Brown, Johnathan Cyprien, James Sample, Josh Evans, Craig Loston
Special Teams (3): Josh Scobee, Bryan Anger, Carson Tinker
After watching the scrimmage, this could be a good look on who the Jaguars will have on their main roster for their September 13 season opener against the Carolina Panthers. There are an ambitious few on this roster to make the cut for the prediction, including three undrafted rookies from this year's draft class, in running back Corey Grant, wideout Tony Washington, and quarterback turned cornerback Nick Marshall.
With the preseason opener on Friday, it will be an intriguing cast of players to look for in the team, as many are trying to secure future in the NFL. We will see after September 3 on who will make the cut and who will be looking for jobs elsewhere in the league. As the NFL kicks off today in Canton, there's excitement everywhere around the league, as well as here in Jacksonville for the players, coaches, and fans to achieve something special in the 50th season following the NFL-AFL merger.