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3 Jaguars positioned to play larger roles in 2026 after free agency
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- 3 Jaguars positioned to play larger roles in 2026 after free agency
Following the initial waves of NFL free agency , along with signing running back Chris Rodriguez , the Jacksonville Jaguars have seen a few departures from last year's team as well.
With Devin Lloyd and Travis Etienne , in particular, playing elsewhere, those roles now have to be filled, which means more opportunities for others.
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Here are three players currently positioned to shoulder a much larger workload in 2026.
RB Bhayshul Tuten
With Etienne in New Orleans , Tuten is the next man up at the running back position. He brings impressive speed to the position, along with the ability to create. As a rookie, Tuten carried the ball 87 times, averaging 4.1 yards per attempt with five rushing touchdowns.
Now, the entire running back workload won't fall only on Tuten's shoulders. Rodriguez will be a part of the equation, while we will continue to see LeQuint Allen on the field during passing downs.
LB Ventrell Miller
When GM James Gladstone was discussing how the Jaguars will make up for not having Lloyd anymore, the first player he mentioned was Miller.
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"I think we can look at our own that we still have as people that can step in and have stepped in over the course of their rookie contracts in Ventrell Miller," Gladstone said. "He started multiple games at linebacker for us and did so even last year."
A fourth-round pick by Jacksonville in 2023, Miller has made 11 starts in his career. During training camp last summer, Miller was seeing some first-team linebacker reps as well. Lloyd filled a number of different roles within Anthony Campanile's defense and impacted the game in a variety of ways.
IDL Matt Dickerson
Things could change at this position with there still being free agent defensive tackle options available and the draft not having taken place yet. But as of now, Dickerson might be the third defensive tackle option on the roster for the Jaguars.
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Dickerson's role expanded during the second half of last season, with him emerging as a regular member of the defensive tackle rotation. Dickerson finished the year with four quarterback pressures, and he graded out well against the run by PFF's metrics .
This article originally appeared on Jaguars Wire: NFL free agency: 3 Jaguars taking on larger roles in 2026
