JACKSONVILLE – Let's get to it …
Ken from Jacksonville
I really appreciated this "…and talk to people who know more football than I do…" and I think that mentality is in part what makes you such a great writer and certainly so knowledgeable on the game. In that vein: Can you recall a player (or players) in the past you did not realize the value of what they were doing until after it was pointed out to you what makes them special or different? Put another way, is there a player you unknowingly undervalued until you were shown something that could only be observed with a trained eye? Thanks O!
The smartest people I know are the people who don't believe they are the smartest people I know, and the quickest way to prove you do not know all that much about the NFL – or most things, for that matter – is to act like you know a lot about the NFL. There are myriad players I have covered whose value I underestimated before more knowledgeable people shared their knowledge. Special teams players, tight ends, interior defensive linemen, most offensive linemen, and so on. A Hall of Fame "football guy" once told me that he rarely could say with confidence whose "fault" most mistakes were until he had spoken to coaches and watched film knowing what the coaches knew. It is why coaches and players usually say they have to watch film before knowing what happened on a given play. Football is a complex game with a lot of moving parts. To confidently say you know exactly what is happening in real time isn't a way of showing you are a brilliant football mind. It is usually the opposite.
JK from NY & Fernandina Beach, FL
Hey, John. In 2025, Nick Mullens played a total of 36 offensive snaps across five games. Not much of a sample size to evaluate. Mullens was brought into Jax because of his knowledge of the McVay offensive system, less so for his on-the-field skills. There has been some buzz over the summer about Carter Bradley, and Joey Aguilar had some nice moments for Tennessee and great stats at Appalachian State. Is there an actual competition in training camp for the QB2 position, or are the Jags going to stay with Mullens? Thanks and Go Jags!
Competition under this regime is real. Competition at backup quarterback will be real in 2026 Jaguars Training Camp. I expect Mullens will be the backup quarterback in 2026. The Jaguars know why they signed Mullens and know what he is as a player however many snaps he played last season.
Bradley from Death Valley, CA
I am sure this is a very easy question to answer, but I don't know the answer. Why are there different reporting dates for teams? Also: I seem to recall holdout veterans, typically stars of some degree, pretty much sitting out the entire preseason and then performing at peak level immediately – even quarterbacks. Do star veterans even really need training camp?
Most questions are easy if you know the answer and I am in this case fortunate that I do know the answer. Most NFL teams begin training camp based on the date of their regular-season opener, which is why the teams in the September 9 NFL regular-season opener – the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots – reported their entire teams July 24. The San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams open the regular season September 10 in Melbourne, Australia, and therefore reported their entire teams July 25. Most other teams reported their entire teams July 28, with the exception being the teams participating in the NFL/Hall of Fame Game on August 6. Those teams, the Carolina Panthers and Arizona Cardinals, reported July 22. As for veterans needing training camp … this varies on the individual and a bit the position. Pass rushers and offensive linemen, for example, can often play at a high level with minimal training camp. Elite and high-functioning players can, too. Quarterbacks are trickier because the entire offense needs them in training camp for timing, chemistry, etc. Bottom line: Veteran presence is sometimes more important for chemistry and continuity with the entire roster than individual performance, but it matters on some level for most players.
Kenneth from Jacksonville
Who's the best player in Jaguars history to don No. 87?
Possibilities here include wide receiver Jarrett Dillard (2009-2011), wide receiver Keenan McCardell (1996-2001), tight end Neal Sterling (2015-2016) and tight end George Wrightster (2003-2008). Discussion here is a bit silly. One fer McCardell, who also should be in the Pride of the Jaguars.
Bill from Jacksonville
Gotta be Keenan, right?
Without question. McCardell from this view belongs on any list of the best players in franchise history. The 1990s run of success doesn't happen without him. His importance to the franchise should not be overlooked.
Kaydie from Riverside, Jacksonville
Each cornerback currently listed on the Jaguars' roster has a listed weight of 200 pounds or less and nearly every one of them is between 5-feet-10 and 6-0. This struck me as curious since, over the last few decades, it seems to me there has been a prevalence of cornerbacks at 6-0 to 6-3 and 200 pounds plus. Travis Hunter would be the only outlier at 6-1, 185 pounds. The safety position isn't far off, either, with Devin Neal being the only one at 200-pounds plus. Is there anything to this in terms of an indication for body type preferences of the current regime or is it mere circumstance?
A little of this, a little of that – more the latter than the former.
Lane from Winter Garden, FL
Fans don't realize how good DaVon Hamilton is because he doesn't show up in the stats in terms of sacks. Everybody expects every defensive tackle to be Aaron Donald and get double-digit sacks which isn't realistic. A good interior defensive tackle will eat up blocks and play the run will and occasionally push the pocket when rushing the quarterback.
Good eye, and I fear this one is a bit "on me." When discussing Jaguars nose tackle DaVon Hamilton in recent O-Zones, it slipped my mind that there remain those who see the NFL only through the lens of sacks. The regular season is a month and a half away. I expect I will have no trouble remembering this a game or two after that.
Gary from St. Augustine, FL
Even with training camp beginning, you still suck.
The first practice of Jaguars 2026 Training Camp will be held Wednesday morning at the Miller Electric Center.
Art from just shy of the ditch
Excited for the future, Big O! Interested that Jay Jones is revisiting the Jags and our already loaded wide receiver/tight end scenario ... think he has a chance? To me, that shows a level of NFL player respect and admiration for our chances, makeup, organization not often seen before? Ready for it all to start!
Former Jaguars wide receiver Zay Jones – a.k.a., Zay Jones – visited the Jaguars this week. He has not signed with the team. If he signs with the team, he will have a chance. I don't know that Jones visiting the Jaguars is as much a symbol of respect and admiration as much as it is a symbol of Jones perhaps wanting a chance to continue playing, but he is precisely the sort of smart, veteran player who makes sense as a pre-camp signing.
Mike from Eagan, MN
Since we're still kind of Dead Zone-y, I had a question from Tuesday's article about the 2026 "The Jaguars Will..." article. I noticed that both you and J.P. Shadrick did not have capitalized titles. I know why you don't capitalize for Shadrick (don't want his head to get too big) but why not yours? Stylistically, "jaguars.com" is all lower case, but you are the Senior Writer. Why don't you make your editor follow industry standard? I mean, you guys even capitalize Culligan Girl!
Our team is on the floor.
Nicholas from Fort Hood, TX
KOAF: Sitting at a bar in Texas and I hear the people next to me say, "Did you hear what they said about the Jaguars, they are predicting them to be 14-2?" Which elicited a laugh. "Have the Jaguars ever been good or above 0.500?" "Maybe for a season or two." The decade and a half of mediocrity is a powerful stench. However, your loyal readers (and he knows who he is), knows that struggles in decades past and even seasons past matter not a whit when predicting success for a season and that you never know how good a team will be before week four. See. I have been paying attention to you.
The Jaguars have been to three AFC Championship Games in franchise history. This fact doesn't matter a whit when it comes to the 2026 season, though it might be useful the next time you're in your bar.
Brother Dave from Orlando
Zone, are we there yet???
Yes.
