5 Jaguars Who Helped Their Roster Chances the Most During Training Camp

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5 Jaguars Who Helped Their Roster Chances the Most During Training Camp

Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen, right, talks with General Manager of the Jacksonville Jaguars James Gladstone, left and executive vice president of football operations Tony Boselli after the second day of minicamp at the Miller Electric Center, Wednesday, June 10, 2026, in Jacksonville. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union] | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

John Shipley

Thu, Aug 27, 2026 ·

7 min read

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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Training camp is officially over for the Jacksonville Jaguars , and the roster is not far from being set.

The Jaguars still have a preseason finale against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after a pair of joint practices this week, and then the roster must be set by Sunday afternoon.

The Jaguars have a number of difficult decisions they will have to make by then, and those decisions will be made even more difficult by the impact of a few training camp sleepers who have stood out. So, which Jaguars helped their roster chances the most in camp? We break it down below.

RB Ameer Abdullah

After the way Ameer Abdullah played last week against the Carolina Panthers , it feels safe to say that he is slotted for the No. 4 running back spot. With LeQuint Allen Jr. injured, that also likely means a spot on the 53-man roster for the 12th-year running back. Abdullah shined all camp and started to get more and more reps with the first-team offense over the course of training camp, and it is clear that he will help the Jaguars in some facet this season.

"Ameer's been awesome to be around. I was fortunate enough to be around him briefly in Carolina and it's like time has stood still," Jaguars offensive coordinator Grant Udinski said on Wednesday.

"I mean, he hasn't changed at all. He works so hard at it. He's one of the first guys in the building taking care of his body, doing all the extra work ... But he's such a pro about it, his approach from the off-field stuff, taking care of his body and that carries over the same way he prepares in the classroom, in the meeting room, film study, all that stuff."

LB Jahlani Tavai

With the injuries the Jaguars have faced at linebacker since the start of training camp, it feels like things are setting up for Jahlani Tavai to start the year on the active roster. It remains to be seen when Jack Kiser will return after he missed all of camp with a knee injury that he sustained on the first day of practice, and Tavai was signed not long after. The veteran linebacker has flashed as a run-defender and blitzer, and the Jaguars' staff has had a lot of praise for him.

"He's a great dude. I thought he played physical in the game. He's a communicator. He's a team guy. He's a four-core special teams type guy," Jaguars head coach Liam Coen said earlier in training camp. "He's had to come in and take a lot of reps in a hurry. There's no flinch to him. There's no looking like a deer in headlights, even though he just got here. He's a pro. He's a pros pro. He knows how to handle himself. He's been in some of these situations before. Hopeful that he's going to be able to continue to help us."

CB Jabbar Muhammad

Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Jabbar Muhammad (37) runs out of the tunnel while being introduced before the game against the Carolina Panthers at EverBank Stadium in the second preseason game on Friday night, August 21, 2026 in Jacksonville, Fla. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union] | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

While Jabbar Muhammad clearly had an excellent spring for the Jaguars in the offseason program, he still needed to come out and have a strong training camp for the Jaguars to ensure his spot on the 53-man roster moving forward. To Muhammad's credit, he has been able to do exactly that, and he leaves camp as one of the Jaguars' summer leaders in both pass breakups and interceptions.

Muhammad was strong in joint practices with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and feels like he is on track to be the Jaguars' No. 5 cornerback. Not many people would have predicted that when the 2025 season ended, but Muhammad has earned the spot with his performances over the course of the spring and summer.

DE Bryan Thomas Jr.

It will be tough for any undrafted rookie to make the Jaguars' 53-man roster this time around, though I do think defensive end Bryan Thomas Jr. has a chance. He has simply done nothing but flash since the pads have come on, and he whas been one of the most disruptive players on the entire field in both preseason games.

For Thomas to make the roster, he will likely have to beat out seventh-rounder Zach Durfee for the sixth spot. Two undrafted rookie defensive ends made the roster last year in Danny Striggow and B.J. Green, and Thomas could easily be the next one after the type of camp that he had.

"He definitely has shown me some things. He's played explosively in the games, and I think he's jumped out," Jaguars defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile said a few days ago. "His play style, his effort, that's jumped out. And that's what we saw in him watching his tape at South Carolina. He was a guy that was going to run and hit. He was going to play his ass off every play. That's what, honestly, we really liked about him and we were fired up to get him in here for that reason. He's proven to do that here in the summer and since the spring, since he's been here."

DL Matt Dickerson

The final name on here is one who within the Jaguars' building was likely never a sleeper. But when it comes to outside perceptions, Matt Dickerson seemed like an afterthought behind Ruke Orhorhoro entering training camp. After the last month, you won't find anyone who does not consider Dickerson not only a lock for the roster, but a lock for the Jaguars' No. 3 defensive tackle spot.

Dickerson had an impressive training camp both against the run and as a pass-rusher, and he even recorded a pick-six of Trevor Lawrence on an athletic play against a screen during the final week of practice. Dickerson is entrenched when it comes to the Jaguars' defensive tackle rotation.

"Shout out to Matt, man. He's been having a heck of a camp," Jaguars defensive end Josh Hines-Allen said earlier this week. "I'm excited for him. I think we're going to be as stout as ever upfront. I can't wait to get going again."

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This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/jaguars/onsi as 5 Jaguars Who Helped Their Roster Chances the Most During Training Camp .

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