Jaguars Vs. Browns: 5 Things to Watch in Preseason Opener
Football is finally here -- sort of.
The Jacksonville Jaguars will kick off the 2021 preseason, and the Trevor Lawrence/Urban Meyer era, on Saturday as they host the Cleveland Browns at TIAA Bank Field at 7 p.m., giving fans their first-ever look at each new face Meyer and the Jaguars added this offseason.
So, what are the biggest storylines to track throughout the night? From Lawrence to defensive roles, we break down the top five things to watch in Saturday's preseason opener.
How many series does Trevor Lawrence see?
This is the ultimate question. All eyes will be on No. 16 from the first second he touches the field for pre-game warmups to the last time he steps off the field before descending back into the locker room at the end of the 60-minute exhibition. Trevor Lawrence isn't just the No. 1 overall pick, he is the Jaguars' most important player in 2021 and beyond. While Saturday's bout against the Browns won't be an official game, it will be the debut of Jacksonville's new greatest hope at football success. Now, we just have to find out how much he will actually play.
Urban Meyer and the Jaguars have yet to indicate whether Lawrence or Gardner Minshew II will start the game, though it wouldn't be a shock to see the Jaguars' veteran offensive coaching staff giving the preseason start to the third-year veteran. Lawrence is going to play Saturday, but how many drives do the Jaguars give him? If he doesn't get the first snap, then how long will fans have to wait to see him on the field? How many reps will he get behind the first-team offensive line and with the first-team receivers? These are all things the Jaguars have to sort out ahead of kickoff.
The linebacker play without Joe Schobert in the middle
The Jaguars made their biggest move since April's draft on Thursday night, agreeing to trade veteran linebacker Joe Schobert to the Pittsburgh Steelers. The trade came a few hours after the Jaguars' final practice ahead of Saturday -- a practice that Schobert was a full participant in -- which means the Jaguars' deployment of their middle linebackers is going to be fairly fresh against the Browns. Schobert started all 16 games for the Jaguars in 2020 but the Jaguars had other plans for 2021. On Saturday, we get a first look at those other plans.
First there is veteran Damien Wilson, who the Jaguars added this offseason after several years as Kansas City's starting middle linebacker. Wilson is a physical presence who has stood out throughout camp for his toughness and ability to deliver a big hit. On Saturday, we get to see exactly what kind of role the Jaguars have in mind for Wilson and why they think he is a better fit for the defense than Schobert.
Then there is second-year linebacker Shaquille Quarterman. A fourth-round pick last year, Quarterman only played on special teams as a rookie due to Schobert playing nearly every single defensive snap for the Jaguars' 2020 defense. Due to COVID-19, Quarterman never got a chance to play in a preseason, either. This will essentially be the first extended exposure to him as a pure defender at the NFL level, which will be important to track since he is now a key backup.
Can a receiver separate himself from the pack?
There seems to be a very real chance to Jaguars carry seven receivers because, well, what else do you do when a different receiver is stealing the show each day? The preseason will be key in determining exactly how some of these roster spots will shake out considering just how many players the Jaguars have in the running for the 53-man roster. Jacksonville has had multiple receivers hurt throughout training camp, so the depth at the position and who the Jaguars opt to keep as backups is vital.
It is clear the Jaguars will have roster spots for DJ Chark, Marvin Jones, Laviska Shenault, and Jamal Agnew. The question of who to keep then extends to players who have impressed in camp such as Laquon Treadwell and Collin Johnson, a speedy but injured veteran in Phillip Dorsett, a sixth-round rookie with a high ceiling in Jalen Camp, and a street free agent who has dominated recent practices in Tavon Austin. The safe bet right now is that Treadwell, Johnson and Dorsett will be the ones fighting for legitimate contributing roles in the offense, but Saturday will be a big step forward to determine exactly how the bottom of the receiver depth chart may shake out.
Rookie debuts
The first chance to see Lawrence don the Jaguars' black and teal inside TIAA Bank Field is obviously the biggest reason people will flock to Downtown Jacksonville on Saturday, but he isn't the only exciting rookie set to make a debut. The Jaguars made nine picks in April and have had some major contributions from their draft class in the early stages of training camp.
No. 25 overall pick Travis Etienne will likely play with the second-team offense, but how much do the Jaguars get him involved to get him used to NFL speed? How many targets does he see in the passing game in his limited snaps? As for No. 33 overall pick Tyson Campbell, we get a chance to see how close to a starting role he is and if the Jaguars think his home is on the inside or the outside.
No. 45 overall pick Walker Little will be the second left tackle to check into the game after Cam Robinson, but Saturday will still be the first chance we get to see him against an NFL pass-rusher who isn't on Jacksonville's roster. No. 65 overall pick Andre Cisco, fourth-rounders Jay Tufele and Jordan Smith, fifth-rounder Luke Farrell and Camp, a sixth-round pick, should all be expected to play significant snaps with the backups as well.
How much run does CJ Henderson get?
One of the biggest storylines of the Jaguars' training camp has been CJ Henderson, the No. 9 overall pick of the 2020 NFL Draft. Henderson has missed most of the team's training camp practices, practicing four times in 13 opportunities. With that said, three of those four practices have been this week as he has practiced consecutively for the first time in camp, practicing on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
Henderson is behind the rest of the defense (sans Taven Bryan) in terms of on-field practice reps, so there is plenty of catching up to do. Whether the Jaguars opt to help him catch up by taking it slow with him or by feeding him a consistent amount of snaps remains to be determined, but the latter option seems the most likely. The Jaguars need to see what they have in Henderson, and Saturday provides a good chance to do so.
