Compared to last year’s initial 53-man roster, the Jacksonville Jaguars have a number of newcomers on this year's initial 53.
The first change is at the quarterback position, with Quinn Ewers now listed as the backup, whereas last season it was Nick Mullens. With the departure of Travis Etienne Jr, the running back room has also changed with additions Chris Rodriguez and Ameer Abdullah.
At wide receiver, Jakobi Meyers was not on the initial roster last season because Jacksonville traded for him mid-season. Besides Meyers, there are two other additions in the wide receiver room - CJ Williams and Josh Cameron. Williams and Cameron are both rookies the Jaguars drafted in the sixth round.
The tight end position is also much different. Jacksonville
had three tight ends last year, and Brenton Strange is the only one of those three who is still on the roster. The Jaguars now have four tight ends, with their three new additions being Nate Boerkircher, Tanner Koziel, and Quintin Morris. Boerkircher was the Jaguars’ second-round pick in this most recent draft, while Koziel was a fifth-rounder. Morris started last season on Jacksonville’s practice squad but was later elevated to the active roster and played in 14 games last season.
On the offensive line, there are two new additions - rookie third-round pick Emmanuel Pregnon, who is expected to be the starting left guard, and Daniel Faalele, who spent the past four years with the Baltimore Ravens and is expected to be a depth piece for the Jaguars.
Defensively, there are no new cornerbacks on Jacksonville’s roster. However, they have two new safeties in Caleb Ransaw and Jalen Huskey. Ransaw was a third-round pick back in 2025 but spent the entire season on injured reserve and therefore did not make the Jaguars’ initial 53-man roster as an active player. Huskey was a third-round pick in this year’s draft.
At linebacker, Jacksonville decided to carry five linebackers this year instead of the six they had in 2025. Among their linebackers are two new players - Branson Combs and Jahlani Tavai. Like tight end Quintin Morris, Combs started last season on the practice squad before being elevated to the active roster during the season. Tavai is going into his eighth season in the NFL after spending the first two years with the Detroit Lions and the past five seasons with the New England Patriots.
On the defensive line, there are five new players on Jacksonville’s initial 53-man roster - Bryan Thomas Jr, Albert Regis, Wesley Williams, Ruke Orhorhoro and Matt Dickerson.
Thomas Jr is the only undrafted rookie to make the Jaguars’ initial 53-man roster. Williams was Jacksonville’s fourth-round pick while Regis was a third-round pick. The Jaguars traded for third-year defensive lineman Orhorhoro back in April. Dickerson is the third player on this active roster who was on Jacksonville’s practice squad last year before being elevated to the active roster mid-season.
This article originally appeared on Jaguars Wire: List of newcomers to Jacksonville Jaguars 2026 initial 53-man roster
