Finally, the Jacksonville Jaguars have good depth on the offense and that includes the wide receiver position. The starters did not play in week two of the preseason, but it did not matter as they dominated the Detroit Lions. The second and third strings performed well and there are going to be some major decisions for Trent Balke and Doug Pederson. Unlike years before there will be serious talent that other teams will poach off the practice squad. Let’s take a look at the 2023 Jacksonville Jaguars WR depth chart.
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Who Makes the Cut in the Crowded Jaguars Wide Receiver Unit
The Offense Under Pederson
Pederson brought stability to a franchise that needed it and made the offense into an explosive unit. According to Team Rankings, the Jaguars were 12th in pass play percentage and ninth in pass attempts with over 35 a game. There were only four receivers to get significant targets last year. With the improvement of the room, there should be more rotations and players getting meaningful snaps.
Guaranteed Spots
This group is improved from last year with the addition of Calvin Ridley. He will be the new number one and all reports from camp are he is looking great with Trevor Lawrence. The second receiver is Christian Kirk who had a breakout year last year with over 1,100 yards and eight touchdowns. It is important to note that in two wide receiver sets it has been Ridley and Zay Jones. With this trio, the Jaguars should be in 11 and 20 personnel quite a bit this year. These are the top guys and not much competition to get knocked off by the rest of the depth chart.
Next for most people is Jamal Agnew who has transitioned well from defense to offense. He has been great in the return game his whole career. With the Jaguars, Agnew has shown he is much more than a returner. In 2021, he was a pleasant surprise and the only real deep-threat Jaguars wide receiver. He was on his way to smashing his previous year’s totals in 2o22 before injury. Agnew played 14 games and had 30 targets and three touchdowns.
Competition for the final spots
Tim Jones
Tim Jones has been good in preseason the last couple of years and has been able to keep his roster spot on the team. He was drafted in 2021 and received some regular season time last year but only had four targets and 145 total snaps at wide receiver. He has been able to keep a spot because of his ability to play on special teams but his potential in making an impact on the offensive side is very limited.
Parker Washington
Parker Washington was a player many were excited about coming into the 2022 college season. He had shown very good things in 2021 with over 800 yards and looked to take over for Jahan Dotson at Penn State. Injuries and inconsistent quarterback play caused him to fall to the sixth round. Pederson has been impressed with Washington saying “The size, the speed, his athleticism…stretching the field. Being behind a guy like Christian will be great for Parker.” Says he has the ability to create plays and gives the team another weapon, another target for Lawrence. Washington received only a few targets so far but scored on a nice play against the Lions. As Pederson said, he can help in four or five receiver packages but down the line, he may take over for Kirk in a couple of years
Jacob Harris/ Elijah Cooks
The last two receivers are both big receivers that are over six-foot-four and could give the Jaguars a lot of flexibility, especially in the red zone. The Jaguars struggled at times in the red zone, but the addition of Jacob Harris and Elijah Cooks could help that this season. The Rams were high on Harris but he was never able to make an impact with the team. Both players have shown the ability to make big plays and use their frames to shield defenders.
The odd man out could finally be Tim Jones. The Jaguars wide receiver depth chart has a good mix of smaller quick receivers and bigger-body receivers to help down the field and in the red zone. Washington, Harris, and Cooks could all make the team and help the Jaguars to win. The bigger picture is they could improve and learn in the next year or two and be ready to replace the receivers ahead of them as they get older.
Main Image: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
