The Jacksonville Jaguars are one step closer to Week 1, finishing Week 2 of the preseason with a 17-17 tie vs. the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.
So, which players stood out in the tie -- whether for positive or negative reasons? We break it down below.
Calling Parker Washington the Jaguars' No. 4 receiver seems a bit unfair at this point. Washington has shined for the Jaguars time and time again, whether in training camp or the preseason. He made two nice grabs against the Saints and also showed up in the return game. One way or another, the Jaguars need to find ways to get him on the field more and more. He has shown off starter traits and did it again on Sunday vs. the Saints.
It was a not-so-great day for Chad Muma vs. the Saints. He was beat downfield for one explosive pass play and was very up-and-down against the run. Ventrell Miller has seemingly entrenched himself as the No. 3 linebacker, and it is worth wondering just how far Muma is ahead of rookie linebacker Jack Kiser, who turned in a solid performance vs. the Saints after an uneven scrimmage earlier in training camp during the week.
Bhayshul Tuten's stat line (10 carries for 35yards) may not look like much, but his two best runs came in short-yardage scenarios. The first was on his three-yard touchdown, a run where his displayed great downhill instincts and toughness to find the end-zone. On another must-have short-yardage run, Tuten absorbed the initial contact shy of the down marker but was able to generate enough yards of contact to get a key first down.
It sure seems like Brenton Strange will be a key part of the passing game this season. The volume is still to be determined, but Strange has now made three big first downs in three chances over the last two weeks and it appears Trevor Lawrence has a lot of trust in him. He had yet another good outing against the Saints.
There was some good and some bad from Nick Mullens on Sunday; he finished the game 14-of-17 for 112 yards and showed good toughness in the pocket. With that said, he was bailed out on a few inaccurate passes and had a bad intercepton. If he ever has to step in for Trevor Lawrence, it will likely be a bit of a rollercoaster.
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