Jacksonville Jaguars general manager James Gladstone spoke to the local media on Wednesday, marking the franchise’s first comments since the 53-man roster was formed.
Gladstoke spoke on a wide-ranging group of topics, from the toughest cuts to make to his first time being in the general manager seat for cut-down day.
So, what were our biggest takeaways from Gladstone’s comments? We break it down below.
Gladstone Embracing Youth
Gladstone was not afraid to point out the value of having youth on the Jaguars’ roster. Nine of the players on the 53-man roster are rookies, with two of them being undrafted rookies in BJ Green and Danny Striggow. There is value in being a haven for rookies, and Gladstone learned this easily in Los Angeles.
Simply put, future rookie free agents will see the Jaguars’ roster and know that their leadership will make a concentrated effort to give them a chance to make the roster. Gladstone and the Jaguars have fully embraced the youth effort.
Travis Hunter Is a Game-Day Cheat Code
The Jaguars have no plans to adjust their plans for Travis Hunter, Gladstone noted on Wednesday. And it clear to see why; despite an upper body injury that forced him to miss the last two preseason games, the value Hunter will bring to game day and to the 53-man roster as a whole is large.
Gladstone noted that the 48-player active roster on game days is when Hunter will truly change the math, making it easy to see why the Jaguars are all-in on him majoring in both offense and defense. If he does both effectively, they will essentially be getting an extra free active roster spot each and every game. That is a true cheat code.
Optimism For Lawrence
It has been some time since a front office executive in Jacksonville talked about Trevor Lawrence the way Gladstone did on Wednesday. Lawrence was always spoken about in a positive light in the past, but there was never gushing like Gladstone did on Wednesday. And considering how intentional the Jaguars have been about their messaging, it is clear Gladstone wasn’t just giving empty words.
Lawrence truly seems to have left a positive impression on the Jaguars’ new regime after his first training camp under them. Lawrence had as good of a preseason as he has ever had, and it seems like the momentum has truly been built entering his critical fifth-season.
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