Jaguars release official 2023 depth chart ahead of Week 1 opener
The Jacksonville Jaguars locked in their initial 53-man roster last week, making a flurry of roster moves to slice and dice a 90-man group down below the regular season limit.
On Tuesday, the Jaguars made their Week 1 lineup official with their first depth chart after the cut down.
There aren’t many, if any, surprises on the chart, as the team made most of its tough decisions last week, like keeping seven wide receivers and three tight ends. Still, the team peeled back the curtain just a bit further to show what the 2023 Jaguars will look like on the field.
Here’s the team’s first regular season depth chart with a Week 1 game against the Indianapolis Colts less than a week away:
Quarterback
Lawrence threw 25 touchdowns and eight interceptions in 2022 and earned Pro Bowl honors for the first time in his career.
The Jaguars re-signed Beathard in the offseason to continue to be Lawrence’s backup.
Running back
Travis Etienne Jr.
D’Ernest Johnson OR JaMycal Hasty
There was no mystery about the top two spots after Etienne emerged as a starting running back in 2022 and Bigsby quickly showed enough to be the No. 2 back.
It seemed Johnson earned the third place on the totem pole with a strong August, but the Jaguars listed both Johnson and Hasty side-by-side in the third column on the depth chart.
Wide receiver
The Jaguars split the wide receiver position into three columns on their depth chart. It’s clear that Ridley, Zay Jones, and Kirk will get the lion’s share of the targets, but it’s not obvious how they’ll work in the other four receivers.
Washington is in a bottom tier of his own, but that’s more of a consequence of Kirk filling starting slot receiver duties and Agnew backing him up.
Tight end
Evan Engram, Luke Farrell
Both Engram and Farrell are listed with the first-team offense, but it’s likely that all three tight ends will see snaps in 2023 with Engram getting the vast majority of the receiving targets.
Offensive line
Left tackle
Left guard
Center
Right guard
Right tackle
After missing most of 2022 due to a knee injury, Bartch returned to the starting lineup in the Jaguars’ last preseason game. But his role as the starting left guard wasn’t reflected in any of the August depth charts.
Behind the starting five are Hance, Shatley, and Van Lanen, three players with versatility to slot in just about anywhere if called upon.
Defensive line
Roy Robertson-Harris (DE), Folorunso Fatukasi (NT), Adam Gotsis (DE)
Angelo Blackson (DE), Jeremiah Ledbetter (NT), Tyler Lacy (DE)
Fatukasi and Ledbetter were listed as defensive ends last year and throughout camp and preseason this August, but both are slotting in as nose tackles with DaVon Hamilton out of action.
The expectation early in the season is that Robertson-Harris, Fatukasi, Gotsis, and Ledbetter will rotate snaps in a defensive line that should be able to show a lot of different looks.
Outside linebacker
WILL
SAM
K’Lavon Chaisson
Any mystery surrounding the players at this position ended when Jordan Smith was waived at the end of August. It was always clear top 10 draft picks Allen and Walker would be the starting duo. Now it’s just a question of how often Chaisson and Abdullah will see the field.
Inside linebacker
Caleb Johnson
The Jaguars have high hopes for Lloyd, a 2022 first-round pick who had an up-and-down rookie year. He’ll be alongside Oluokun, the back-to-back NFL tackling champ.
Muma is the clear-cut No. 3 linebacker if the team needs to dig into its reserves. Johnson is on the roster due to his special teams prowess.
Cornerback
Tyson Campbell, Darious Williams, Tre Herndon III (slot)
Campbell is an emerging star and Williams secured his role last year after thriving on the outside in the place of Shaquill Griffin.
Herndon held off the hard-charging Junior in August, but the latter would likely be the first of the second-team trio to see snaps if the Jaguars employ dime packages.
Safety
Free safety
Daniel Thomas
Antonio Johnson
Strong safety
Cisco and Jenkins emerged as a reliable duo in 2022 and Wingard has settled into a valuable role as a rotational piece in the secondary.
While Johnson is listed behind Thomas on the depth chart, the Jaguars may not wait too long to start working the rookie — who has experience covering in the slot — into the lineup.
Specialists
Kicker: Brandon McManus
Holder: Logan Cooke
Long snapper: Ross Matiscik
Punter: Logan Cooke
Returner:
Jamal Agnew
Parker Washington
The Jaguars are enthused about Washington’s future as a potential return threat, but as long as Agnew is in Jacksonville, that job isn’t up for grabs.
