Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Kansas City Chiefs: 5 Players to Watch

Which Jaguars should the focus be on this Saturday vs. the Chiefs?

Jacksonville Jaguars outside linebackers coach Bill Shuey coaches linebacker DJ Coleman (54) during an organized team activity Tuesday, May 28, 2024 at EverBank Stadium’s Miller Electric Center in Jacksonville, Fla. / Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Jacksonville Jaguars will finally have the chance for live competition on Saturday, with the squad set to play host to the Kansas City Chiefs.

So, which Jaguars do we think could be in line for revealing performances, and who could have the most on the line? We break it down below.

Mac Jones

While it appears Mac Jones has been in the driver's seat for the No. 2 quarterback role behind Trevor Lawrence and ahead of C.J. Beathard, he will not be the first quarterback to relieve Lawrence against the Chiefs. This could mean, though, that we get to see Jones for the entire second half, which would be our first extended look at his command of the offense.

"C.J. will go second in this game. Mac will go third. Again, you're hoping that each one, if C.J. is at the end of the first half, obviously, he gets maybe a two-minute drive," Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said on Thursday. "Mac, maybe at the end of the game, or a four-minute drive thing, some of the things we've worked on in practice. You can't control it as much, but that's going to be the rotation for this game.”

Jones' high spirits and energetic personality have endeared him to teammates and coaches alike since the Jaguars traded for him in March. But the most important factor of his fit in Jacksonville has always been about how well he could serve as Lawrence's replacement in the event of an injury. Saturday, Jones will give us a glimpse of what that may look like.

Christian Braswell

One of the best defensive backs in training camp has been second-year cornerback Christian Braswell, who is finally 100% after battling through injuries during his rookie year. Braswell has seemingly set himself in position to make the team thanks to his special teams value and ability to play in the slot, and Saturday could be an extended audition for Braswell as Darnell Savage's top backup in the nickel role.

With Savage set to miss Saturday's game for precautionary reasons, it will be interesting to see if Braswell takes starting slot reps over Jarrian Jones. Jones, the team's third-round pick, has mostly played outside cornerback in recent camp practices while Braswell has served as the No. 2 nickel cornerback. If this is the case Saturday, Braswell will prove he has a legit chance to make the roster.

D.J. Coleman

After spending his rookie season on the Jaguars' practice squad, second-year edge rusher D.J. Coleman has set himself apart from some of the other depth pieces in the Jaguars' pass-rush rotation. Coleman has been one of the most consistent performers among the Jaguars' defensive backups in camp, showing up both in the running game and as a pass-rusher during team drills and one-on-ones.

The best chance Coleman has to crack the 53-man roster will come in the preseason, with him competing against the likes of Yasir Abdullah, Breeland Speaks and Rasheem Green after De'Shaan Dixon's ACL injury. If Coleman shows some pass-rush juice this weekend, he could set himself up for a spot on the regular-season squad.

The backup receivers

The Jaguars have always had their top five receivers locked in with Christian Kirk, Gabe Davis, Brian Thomas Jr., Devin Duvernay, and Parker Washington. The next question is whether they will carry six or seven receivers and who those receivers might be, with the likes of Tim Jones, Elijah Cooks, Denzel Mims, and Josh Cephus being the leading contenders for the final two spots.

Perhaps each spot comes down the special teams. Perhaps the Jaguars think they have a developmental player on their hands that they can't part ways with. The preseason will help clear up what is one of the most contested roster spots on the entire team. Jones and Cooks are the likely leading candidates here, but the preseason can change things.

Tank Bigsby

This one is obvious. Other than Lawrence, there may not be a player on the offense with more pressure on him to perform this season than running back Tank Bigsby. The former third-round pick had a disastrous rookie season thanks to issues with turnovers, which subsequently led to a lack of playing time and trust from the coaching staff. Saturday will be Bigsby's biggest chance yet to turn the page on 2023.

Bigsby has been one of the Jaguars' standout performers in training camp, seemingly not having any issues with turnovers or drops during the team's 13 practices thus far. What matters though isn't practice, it is how Bigsby performs when the lights are one. The preseason may not be the real thing, but it will be a nice test to see just how much Bigsby has actually improved.

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