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Winners and Losers of Jaguars' Week 1 Roster
Jacksonville Jaguars general manager James Gladstone laughs during a press conference at Miller Electric Center Tuesday, April 15, 2025 in Jacksonville, Fla. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Jacksonville Jaguars have their roster locked and loaded for Week 1 against the Carolina Panthers.

When looking at the 53-man roster, who stands out as the biggest benefactors and who potentially got some bad news? We break down the winners and the losers below.

Winners

Trevor Lawrence

Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence is a big winner from the 53-man roster simply because he now has the most complete receiver room of his career. The 2022 room lacked a game-changer, the 2023 room lacked consitency, the 2021 room was developmental league-level, and the 2024 room had zero depth. Now, Lawrence has a mix of veteran experience, youthful upside, size and speed.

James Gladstone

One of the biggest winners of the first cut day of James Gladstone's career as a general manager was the first-year executive himself. He made a number of trades during training camp that bolstered key position groups such as defensive tackle and wide receiver, and his construction of the offensive line gave him the flexibility and ability to dump Fred Johnson for picks.

Losers

Rookie RBs

The Jaguars kept four running backs on their 53-man roster, which was always expected if they were unable to pull off a trade with one of their veteran running backs. But with four running backs on the roster, it now seems like a forgone conclusion that at least one of Bhayshul Tuten and LeQuint Allen Jr. will be inactive each week.

Trent Baalke

Three of the players the Jaguars waived who were Trent Baalke draft picks got claimed, so it is not as if Baalke was a bad drafter and nothing else. But the Jaguars completely demolished key pieces of his 2022, 2023 and 2024 draft classes, signalling either that they were not fits or that his choices simply were not good enough.

Fans Wanting a Backup QB Change

Jaguars fans were frequently asking me via social media about a backup quarterback change and folks ... it was never happening. Nick Mullens was not signed to a multi-year deal because he is the most talented backup in the league. He knows the offense and can be a resource for Trevor Lawrence. If Lawrence goes down, nobody is saving them -- a lesson fans should have learned last season.

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This article first appeared on Jacksonville Jaguars on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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