Will Joshua Cephus Carve Out a Role With Jaguars?

Following the conclusion of the Jacksonville Jaguars' offseason program, it is hard to say there is a room with more competition inside of it than the Jaguars' wide receiver unit.

"That whole group is, I don’t want to say swimming, but at times they’re going to be. There’s so much when these guys come in post-draft, especially later on, in an install of a whole new system," Jaguars head coach Liam Coen said during the early portions of the OTA program.

"Our vets and these guys have been in an offense for let's call it a month and a half, and now these guys get put into it right in the middle of an install. So, it’s really hard to judge some of that, but I think they’ve done a nice job of trying to handle it in the heat, with the elements, doing a lot of running. So, we’ll see how those guys end up competing in training camp.”

After the departures of most of last year's receiver room with Christian Kirk, Devin Duvernay, Josh Reynolds, and Gabe Davis, the Jaguars made sure to add to the room with Dyami Brown and Travis Hunter. But beyond that duo and the incumbents of Brian Thomas Jr. and Parker Washington, the Jaguars' depth chart looks wide open.

Could second-year receiver Joshua Cephus be the one who claims one of the open spots? He certainly looks to be trending toward that direction after a strong offseason program that saw Coen himself highlight him.

Cephus spent last year on the Jaguars' practice squad, appearing in one game after a dominant college career.

Cephus was one of college football's most productive receivers over his last three years of college, racking up 2,939 receiving yards, 176 catches, and 22 touchdowns in that span. And he didn't do it against no-name schools. He did against D1 schools, with his final season coming in the AAC.

During Cephus' time at UTSA, he became the school’s all-time leader in catches (313), receiving yards (3,639) and starts (56).

Cephus has produced in his past years in football and has done so against good competition. He also has a year of NFL training and tutelage under his belt, something most of the receivers he is competing with do not.

After a solid offseason program, it might finally be Cephus' time on the 53-man roster.