The 7 Biggest Winners From the Jaguars' Preseason Loss to the Browns

The Jacksonville Jaguars fell 23-13 to the Cleveland Browns in their first preseason game of the season. But as young guys, fringe players and even starters saw action on the field for the first time, some performances stood out. Here are our biggest winners from Saturday night.

The Jacksonville Jaguars weren't able to give Head Coach Urban Meyer a win in his first NFL outing. The Jags fell 23-13 to the Cleveland Browns on Saturday night. Still, there were some winning performances. Young guys and fringe players received ample playing time, while starters impressed as well, even in limited roles. 

So, who impressed the most throughout the game and could see their stock rising as a result?

Shipley's Picks: 

Marvin Jones Jr. 

The veteran leader of the Jaguars' passing game, Marvin Jones was clearly Trevor Lawrence's security blanket in his first NFL action. Jones played only 13 snaps on Saturday (two drives), but he still saw four targets in Lawrence's 11 drop backs. He turned those targets into three catches for 52 yards, with the only incompletion due to a missed throw from Lawrence. One of the catches included a big third-and-10 conversion with the Jaguars backed up near their own end zone, while the other was a 35-yard contested catch from Lawrence, the biggest play of the night. 

Jones benefitted from the Jaguars' vanilla game preseason game plan and the fact that DJ Chark didn't play due to his hand injury, but it was clear through one preseason game that Jones is the receiver Lawrence is currently most comfortable targetting. That could clearly change as the preseason and regular season progress, but Saturday was a good night for Jones.

CJ Henderson

Is there any player who had a more important performance on Saturday than CJ Henderson? Henderson, the former No. 9 overall pick, has the least amount of on-field experience in the Jaguars' defensive scheme outside of all but one cornerback on the team, but he still had a dominant performance on Saturday. Despite practicing just four times in 13 training camp practices due, Henderson didn't miss a beat against the Browns outside of one missed tackle. 

Henderson was targeted four times in his 20 coverage snaps, allowing just two receptions for 15 yards and recording two pass breakups. This included a near-interception from the slot and a terrific downfield pass breakup on Donovan Peoples-Jones. Henderson could push for more and more snaps with the starting defense if he continues to show up in big moments. 

DaVon Hamilton

The Jaguars had a terrific performance in terms of run defense on Saturday, limiting the Browns' stable of backup running backs to just 41 yards on 26 carries, with no run longer than seven yards being allowed. DaVon Hamilton was a big part of that effort, giving up zero ground to the Browns' interior offensive line and consistently making things easier for the Jaguars' linebackers and edge defenders. 

Hamilton got the start at nose tackle for the Jaguars, kicking veteran defensive lineman Malcom Brown out to defensive end in the Jaguars' 3-4 base. The fact that Hamilton has already been given the honor of being the starting nose in the scheme is a major sign of what the new staff sees in the second-year defensive tackle.

Hill's Picks

Shaquill Griffin 

Griffin saw limited playing time, being pulled in the second series after making back-to-back stops. It was enough though to show why the Jaguars were so keen on signing the former Seattle Seahawk this offseason. Griffin wasn't credited with a pass defended, but he stayed around the play. The cover corner disrupted the game in other ways as well, with three tackles on his two drives. 

Wherever the ball was, Griffin was to be found. One couldn't help but watch as he chased down a play and kept everyone around him focused. He's been asked to be the leader of this secondary and at least in week one, he did just that. 

Chris Claybrooks 

Claybrooks led the entire defense in tackles with five, including one for loss. In his rookie season, Claybrooks was called upon to play corner more than intended for the Memphis alum, but ended up holding his own. While Saturday night was against Browns' backups, Claybrooks continued to show his potential as solid depth at corner. 

Where he really made an impact though was on special teams. Claybrooks was originally drafted to be a return man, but slippery hands as a rookie led to him being benched for Keelan Cole in that regard. The Jags signed Jamal Agnew in the offseason, and Meyer said he was pulled because "we invested quite a bit into that, so he's going to be with kid gloves until we get to Game 1, he's so valuable." 

So instead, Claybrooks received another shot at the spot. He was credited with two kick returns for 42 yards. But Claybrooks also had a fantastic return called back for offensive holding on Andrew Wingard. 

Before it was called back for a flag, Claybrooks (27) seemed to have given the Jags a spark on a return. © Bob Self/Florida Times-Unio

On the return that wasn't, Claybrooks came out of the endzone and grabbed the ball off the hop and made the risky move to go for it. He cut left, shook a wall of defenders and then took off. His speed and balance kept him going as he tight roped the sideline and returned the ball 76 yards. 

If he continues to perform well while Agnew is in bubble wrap, the question will arise if the two can split return responsibilities. 

Tavon Austin/Josh Hammond 

The two fringe receivers got extra attention with DJ Chark recovering from hand surgery and Marvin Jones coming out of the game after the second drive. Hammond spent last year on the practice squad and Austin was signed last week after spending the offseason at home. On Saturday night, with the extra snaps, they led the receivers with four receptions and 52 yards (Austin) and six receptions for 55 yards (Hammond). 

The two were huge on both of the Jaguars touchdown drives. On the first touchdown, CJ Beathard found Austin as the receiver ran an out at the goal line and hauled in the 5-yard touchdown pass. 

We’re on the board.

📺: #CLEvsJAX on NFLN pic.twitter.com/u0KkEKQfGr

— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) August 15, 2021

On the second touchdown drive, Hammond received back-to-back receptions for a total of 18 yards, getting the Jaguars into the red-zone where Jake Luton tossed the seven-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Davis. 

Said Meyer, "I loved [Josh] Hammond. I loved the -- Tavon Austin shows up in five days and he's all over the field. I like those guys. They just practice like that."