Inside AFC South: Who Are the Surprise Players in the Jaguars' Division?

Who are the most surprising players on each AFC South team through training camp and ahead of Week 1?

With Week 1 set to continue on Sunday, the entire AFC South is preparing to kick off the first games of the 2020 season. And in those kick offs, they are set to learn new things about countless players on their teams, including those who have stood out unexpectedly in camp.

So, which players stood out as surprises throughout the AFC South this fall who may not be known to the common fan? We speak with the AFC South publishers of The Maven network to determine the answer. 

Jacksonville

When the Jacksonville Jaguars left the 2020 NFL Draft without selecting a single running back, the thought to most was the team would give Leonard Fournette one last season as the team's lead back. All of that changed when the team surprisingly released Fournette last Monday, however, opening the door for any of the team's other running backs to step up and seize the role.

The running back who has impressed the Jaguars the most in terms of being Fournette's replacement has been maybe the most unheralded running back on the router entering training camp: new starting running back James Robinson. Robinson set rushing records in high school and college, but his small level of competition at Illinois State led to him going severely underlooked during the draft process and all the way up until when pads came on during training camp.

Thanks to his vision, burst and size, as well as the fact that he is one of only two of the team's four post-Fournette running backs are on the active roster, Robinson is slated to see a heavy workload on Week 1 vs. the Colts. Going from unknown rookie free agent to starting running back is no easy task in any situation, but Robinson was able to do it even without the benefit of preseason games, which is a testament to the confidence the Jaguars have in him.

Robinson may not be a known name outside of Jaguars and fantasy football just yet, but Week 1 could be when he begins to get on his way.

-- John Shipley, JaguarReport

Tennessee

In recent years the Titans routinely have taken some high-profile talent directly from the New England Patriots. There was Logan Ryan and Malcolm Butler and Dion Lewis. Just recently, kicker Stephen Gostkowski joined that list.

Wide receiver Cody Hollister does not have the name recognition (or the accomplishments) those others do, but his NFL roots reach back to New England as well. Undrafted out of Arkansas in 2017, Hollister spent two full seasons with the Patriots but never played in a game for them. He spent all of 2017 on the practice squad and all of 2018 on injured reserve due to a non-football injury.

The Titans signed him in May 2019, and he spent the first nine weeks of last season on the practice squad before he finally made his NFL debut Nov. 10 against Kansas City.

Hollister ultimately appeared in five games for Tennessee last season. He logged just six snaps with the offense, but on his first two (Dec. 1 at Indianapolis) the ball came his way – he made two receptions for 13 yards.

Through training camp, he was locked in a battle with Kalif Raymond and Cameron Batson for depth spots at wide receiver. Raymond and Batson are both established return men and have done more for the Titans than Hollister has. Yet, without the benefit of a preseason game, Hollister showed enough that he is on a Week 1 NFL roster for the first time.

Hollister never caught more than 13 passes in a season at college and missed most of his junior season with a broken foot, yet he has stuck around in the NFL. This time, he lasted through the final cuts.

-- David Boclair, AllTitans

Indianapolis

As the Colts have gradually improved their depth since general manager Chris Ballard was hired in 2017, it’s become increasingly difficult for long shots to make the 53-man roster.

If there’s one borderline surprise, it’s probably second-year wide receiver Ashton Dulin. The Colts had more experienced choices for a sixth wide receiver, most notably Marcus Johnson, who won a Super Bowl ring with Philadelphia and played parts of the past two years with the Colts. He had 23 receptions for 379 yards and three TDs for the Colts in a limited role since 2018.

But the Colts went with Dulin, who was undrafted out of Malone University in 2019, and after a short stint on the practice squad, joined the active roster and played in 13 games. Most Colts fans couldn’t be blamed for not knowing much about Dulin, considering he played his college ball at an NCAA Division II program in Canton, Ohio.

When Dulin made a special-teams tackle in his pro debut on Sept. 29 against the Oakland Raiders, he became the first Malone player to ever appear in an NFL game. He finished his rookie year with two receptions for 17 yards, three kickoff returns for 90 yards, and six special-teams tackles.

The Colts evidently favored his versatility as a reliable special-teams player, whether that’s making tackles or being able to step in as a returner. Rookie cornerback Isaiah Rodgers and third-year running back Nyheim Hines are expected to handle returns this season, but one never knows. Dulin could get another chance to bring back some kicks.

Five wide receivers, including rookies Michael Pittman Jr. (second-round pick) and Dezmon Patmon (sixth-round pick), are in front of Dulin when it comes to catching passes. But he’s come a long way to make it this far, and if the Colts get banged up again at the position, he might get chances there, too.

-- Phillip B. Wilson, AllColts

HOUSTON

The Texans secondary has needed to find depth and leadership at safety for some time now. What they didn’t expect, was for those things to come from a former undrafted free agent.

A.J. Moore always had the odds stacked against him. Coming out of high school as a two-star recruit, and standing just 5-foot-11 and weighing 202 pounds, yet he became a 4-year contributor in the SEC West with Ole Miss, starting all 12 games his senior season for the Rebels.

Moore then went undrafted in 2018 before signing with the Patriots, And was waived by New England after the preseason, before Houston claimed him off of waivers that September.

Moore parlayed that opportunity into success, appearing in all 16 games in his last two seasons, mostly on the special teams side.

Despite that, his roster spot was still never quite secure heading into 2020.

This season, however, Moore took a big leap, had a tremendous camp, and worked his way up to the point that he was named a defensive captain. Moore is now expected to be a major contributor on defense, as well as keep his typical role as a special teams dynamo.

Moore made the most of his opportunity in Thursday’s season-opener as well, making some key plays early on to keep Houston’s defense in the game, before Kansas City imposed its will and took things over.

The next, and final step for Moore, will be to use this chance to earn himself a full-time starting gig, followed by a new contract extension in the future.

-- Matt Galatzan, Texans Daily