3 Position Battles to Watch Ahead of Jaguars OTAs

The Jacksonville Jaguars are set to kick off OTAs today, which means an eventful several weeks before the Jaguars break later this summer ahead of training camp.

We have already examined what we will be watching for during OTAs, as well as the biggest questions facing the team ahead of the offseason practices.

Now, we will take a look at what the Jaguars' biggest and most intriquing positional battles are entering the stretch of practices.

Left Guard

Judging off the pictures the Jaguars released on social media last week, it seems like Ezra Cleveland is currently the starter at left guard if the Jaguars were to play a game today. But the Jaguars still have many months untol a meaningful game is played, which means things could swing to Wyatt Milum's favor as training camp drags on later this summer.

Or, of course, Cleveland's experience and familiarity with members of the coaching staff from his days with the Minnesota Vikings could help him enter Week 1 as the starter. It seems like three offensive line positions are up for grabs, but this one might be the most closely contested.

No. 5 WR

The Jaguars' have their top four wide receivers clearly locked in: Brian Thomas Jr., Travis Hunter, Dyami Brown, and Parker Washington. The question is who will slot in as the No. 5 wide receiver, with the Jaguars having an number of young and unproven options who can step into the role with a strong performance.

Joshua Cephus is a holdover from the last regime who was the prize of their undrafted free agency haul in 2024. Then there are six undrafted wide receivers who were signed to the roster following the draft, each of whom will be given a shot. Eli Pancol from Duke might have the best chance of the six based on his measurements.

No. 1 RB

It remains to be seen exactly what the Jaguars' plan is at the running back position, but it is clear they saw it as a major offseason need. Had the Jaguars stuck at the No. 5 pick, they almost assuredly would have taken Ashton Jeanty. And head coach Liam Coen reportedly wanted UCF running back RJ Harvey at No. 70 before the Denver Broncos took him earlier.

Travis Etienne and Tank Bigsby are the veteran holdovers from the last regime, while Bhayshul Tuten and LeQuint Allen were selected in the fourth- and seventh-rounds respectively to join the running back room. It will take some time for this battle to shake out, but it will clearly be an impactful one.