MORSE: Week 7 Preview of the Jacksonville Jaguars and Morse’s Morsels
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The Jaguars come into this game with an equal record to the Patriots at 1-5. The Jags Offense is ranked #19 with 329.5 yards per game per Fox Sports. Trevor Lawrence has been a disappointment, having been drafted #1 overall in the 2021 draft. He was considered to be a generational talent. A curious stat is that when Lawrence has time to pass his stats are actually worse. The Ringer has him ranked as the #13 QB this season. Overall, they are healthy with the exception of Travis Etienne.
Offense
| Starter | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | |
| QB | Trevor Lawrence | Mac Jones | – | – |
| RB | Travis Etienne D | Tank Bigsby | D’Ernest Johnson | Keilan Robinson IR |
| WR | Christian Kirk | Parker Washington | David White IR | |
| WR | Brian Thomas | Tim Jones | – | – |
| WR | Gabe Davis | Devin Duvernay IR | ||
| TE | Evan Engram | Brenton Strange | Luke Farrell | Josiah Deguara |
| LT | Cam Robinson | Walker Little | Javon Foster | – |
| LG | Ezra Cleveland | – | ||
| C | Mitch Morse | Luke Fortner | ||
| RG | Brandon Scherff | Cooper Hodges | ||
| RT | Anton Harrison | Cole Van Lanen |
Warren Sharp posted on X that Tank Bigsby has outplayed Etienne and the only ones that don’t know that are the Jaguars coaches. Etienne is listed as Doubtful with a Hamstring injury suffered in week 6 loss to the Bears. Bigsby is a threat running with a 7.2 average on 297 yards and 2 TDs. He is not a threat to catch the ball out of the backfield with just 1 catch. D’Ernest Johnson the former Cleveland Brown back will be the backup and has 4 catches. Lawrence has 14 carries for 82 yards so keeping him in the pocket will be a priority.
Brian Thomas was drafted as their 1st Round pick (#23). The LSU product is 6’3”, 203 pounds and ran a 4.33 40-yard dash at the combine. He has 25 catches on 40 targets for 424 yards, a 17.0 yards per catch and 3 TDs. When Calvin Ridley signed with Tennessee, it was priority to get a big play receiver. Christian Kirk has disappointed. The 2018 2nd round selection (47) out of Texas A&M has 24 catches for 296 yards and 1 TD. He is still a threat. Gabe Davis was brought in as the #3 WR in Free Agency from Buffalo. He has 17 catches for 204 yards and 2 TDs. The 25-year-old was a 2020 4th round pick (#128) by Buffalo. At 6’2”, 225 pounds he is another big receiver to match up against our smaller CBs.
Evan Engram has missed 3 games at TE, but still has 11 catches for 104 yards. Last week he was targeted 10 times and was perfect 10 for 10 for 102 yards. The matchup with Marte Mapu should be a good one to watch. Brenton Strange had 11 catches in Engram’s absence. Luke Farrell chipped in with 5 receptions on 7 targets.
The O-line is led by Cam Robinson at Left Tackle. The former 2017 2nd round selection (#34) by Jacksonville, out of Alabama, is the difference maker on the line. As good as Robinson has been, playing in and starting all 85 games for Jacksonville, he has never received any all-league honors either from the Pro Bowl or All Pro voting. Robinson stands 6’6”, 335 pounds, and ran a 5.15 40-dash at the combine. That is pretty damn good for a man of that size.
So far in 2024 Robinson has received a 69.2 rating from Pro Football Focus (PFF), good for #34 amongst Tackles. In comparison, Patriots 3rd year OL Zach Thomas is ranked #40. Ezra Cleveland is 6’6”, 318-pound Guard and ran an impressive 4.93 40-yard dash at the combine. In the 2020 draft, Cleveland was selected by Minnesota in the 2nd round (#58) out of Boise State. His PFF rank is 17th with a 73.0 overall rating. Cleveland was acquired from the Vikings in 2023 for just a 6th round draft pick. Minnesota should count their fingers after this trade because Jacksonville stole him.
Mitch Morse was signed away from Buffalo. The 32-year-old is entering his 10th season since being drafted in 2015 by Kansas City in the 2nd round (#49). The Missouri grad was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2022. Morse is a solid veteran who was ranked by PFF as the #14 Center with a 66.0 grade. Morse has played 128 games and started all of them.
Brandon Scherff mans the Right Guard position. The 2015 1st round pick (#5) by Washington played collegiately at Iowa and was taken as a Tackle. The 6’5”, 315-pound guard is big for the position. He made All Pro in 2022 and has been selected to 5 Pro Bowl teams. Another older veteran entering his 10th season in the league. Scherff is ranked 36th at Guard with a grade of 66.5.
Anton Harrison is the starter at Right Tackle. He played college football at Oklahoma and was selected by the Jaguars in the first round (#27) of the 2023 NFL draft. The 6’4” 315-pound Tackle ran a 4.98 40-yard dash at the combine. His ranking is 85th with a grade of 55.2 by PFF.
Defense
| Starter | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | |
| LDE | Josh Hines-Allen | Esezi Otomewo | De’Shaan Dixon IR | – |
| LDT | DaVon Hamilton | Jeremiah Ledbetter | Tyler Lacy | Jordan Jefferson |
| RDT | Arik Armstead | Maason Smith | ||
| RDE | Travon Walker | Myles Cole | ||
| WLB | Ventrell Miller | Foyesade Oluokun IR | ||
| MLB | Devin Lloyd | Caleb Johnson | ||
| SLB | Chad Muma | Yasir Abdullah | ||
| LCB | Tyson Campbell Q | Montaric Brown | De’Antre Prince | Tre Flowers |
| SS | Andre Cisco | Daniel Thomas | Tashaun Gipson SUSP | |
| FS | Antonio Johnson | Darnell Savage Q | Andrew Wingard IR | |
| RCB | Ronald Darby | – | ||
| NB | Jarrian Jones |
The Jaguars Defense is ranked 31st in the league giving up 390 yards per game. Their Pass Defense is dead last giving up 276.7 yards a game. The Jags Run Defense has improved to 11th in the league allowing 113.3 yards per game. All team rankings provided by Fox Sports.
Travon Walker is a beast at RDE. The 2022 1st overall selection out of Georgia had 10 sacks last year and already has 5 in 6 games this season. At 6’5” 272 pounds he ran a blistering 4.53 40-yard dash and 6.89 3-cone drill at the combine. Those are WR numbers. He can beat you with speed or strength. Arik Armstead is the RDT. The 30-year-old is entering his 1oth season in the league. In the 2015 draft he was a 1st Round (#17) selection out of Oregon by San Francisco. He signed with Jacksonville this season and has been one of the reasons the run defense is so much better. Armstead contributed 5 sacks last season and has one so far this year. DaVon Hamilton is the LDT. The 2020 3rd Round pick (#73) out of Ohio State ran a 5.14 40-yard dash and hoisted the 225# weights 33 times at the combine. He is a space eater. Josh Hines-Allen is the LDE. Hines-Allen is the best player you have never heard of. The 1st round pick by Jacksonville (#7) out of Kentucky stands 6’5”. 255 pounds and ran a 4.63 40-yard dash at the combine. He was selected to the 2019 and 2023 Pro Bowl teams. Hines-Allen received the Franchise Tag this year and eventually signed a 5 year, $150M contract with $88M in guarantees. Last season he had 17.5 sacks. This season he has just 15 tackles in 6 games with 2.5 sacks.
The Linebackers are led by Devin Lloyd in the Middle. The former 2022 1st round pick (#27) by Jacksonville stands 6’3”, 235 pounds and runs a 4.66 40-yard dash. He played collegiately at Utah. In his 2 seasons of Pro ball he has amassed 242 tackles.
Ventrell Miller is the Weakside Linebacker. The 2023 4th round pick (#121) of Jacksonville played college ball at Florida. The slightly under 6’ 220-pound backer is a little undersized. He did not run at the combine or Pro Day, trying to hide his slow 40 time 4.71 (per NFL DraftBuzz). PFF has him with the 100th rank amongst LBs. With his lack of height and speed he can be exploited by backs and TEs. Chad Muma is the Strong Side backer and a player I was looking at for the Pats. He was ranked 91st by PFF. The 6’3” 239 pound linebacker played at Wyoming and was taken in the 3rd Round (#70) by Jacksonville in the 2022 draft. He ran a 4.63 40-yard dash and hoisted 27 reps at 225# at the combine.
The secondary is weak but may have a key player returning this week. Tyson Campbell has started practicing and is eligible to come off IR and added to the 53-man roster this week. He is listed as Limited in the Thursday Injury Report, and I do expect him to return to Left Cornerback. Campbell was a 2021 2nd Round pick (#33) out of Florida. He ran a 4.36 40-yard dash at the combine. Last season Campbell missed 6 games. He signed a massive contract extension this offseason (4 years $76.5M with $54M guaranteed). Andre Cisco is the starting Strong Safety. The 2021 3rd Round pick (#65) from Syracuse has a ranking of 101st by PFF. Over the course of three plus seasons he does have 8 Interceptions.
Antonio Johnson is the Free Safety. The 2023 5th Round pick (#160) out of Texas A&M ran a 4.52 40-yard dash. PFF has him ranked as the #125 Safety with a 45.0 grade. Safeties are the weakness of this Defense. The Right Cornerback is Ronald Darby. The 9-year veteran was drafted in 2015 by Buffalo in the 2nd round (#50). At 5’ 11”, 193-pound Florida State product has bounced around and is on his 6th NFL team. PFF had him ranked 106th with a 60.2 rating. Jarrian Jones is the Nickel back. He was Jacksonville’s 3rd round pick (#96) in this years draft. He has filled in for Tyson Campbell, and not very well. The 6’ 190-pound rookie out of Mississippi State is ranked 102nd and rated 60.2 by PFF.
Special Teams
| Starter | 2nd | 3rd | |
| PK | Cam Little | – | – |
| P | Logan Cooke | – | – |
| H | Logan Cooke | – | – |
| PR | Parker Washington | Devin Duvernay IR | – |
| KR | Parker Washington | Tank Bigsby | Devin Duvernay IR |
| LS | Ross Matiscik |
Logan Cooke is the Punter and he averages 51.1 yards per punt which is 7th best in the league. His net yardage is 46.1 good for 11th place and his punts inside the 20-yard line is 10, for 45.5% ranked 13th.
Cam Little is the Kicker and has made 10 of 11 FG kicks and 11 for 11 in extra points. His longest kick is 53 yards, and he is ranked 11th with a 90.9% FG percentage.
Parker Washington is both the Kickoff and Punt Returner. Parker is ranked 34th as a Punt Returner and 60th as a Kickoff returner. They badly miss Devin Duvernay since he was put on IR. Although he wasn’t doing much better than Washington. I think the Pats should have a big advantage in the Special Teams game.
Morse’s Morsels
Comings and Goings
Lecitus Smith OL – The Patriots quickly replaced Nick Leverett with Smith. The 26-year-old was plucked from the Green Bay Practice Squad. As such, he must remain on the 53-man roster for three weeks. The 6’3” 314-pound lineman played exclusively at Guard in College. In the 2022 draft he was selected by Arizona in the 6th round (#215) out of Virginia Tech. Arizona converted him to Center, and he made the 53-man roster, played in 10 games and started 2 of them. He was cut at the final cutdown in 2023 and signed onto the Houston Practice Squad, released, and signed by Philadelphia on their PS for the remainder of 2023. In 2024 he signed with Green Bay. In training camp with the Packer he played 123 snaps, 81 at either Guard spot and 41 at Center. He was cut but signed back to their Practice Squad. Smith was a High School TE and played his 1st season at Virginia Tech at TE before being converted to OG. At VT he started an impressive 38 games and left school with a year of eligibility remaining. This what NFL Draftbuzz had to say about Smith: “Good initial quickness to seal defenders, with powerful hands to jar with an initial punch. Flashes a mean streak and enjoys the physicality of the game. Above-average football smarts and general intelligence. Plays with a nasty streak. Solid character and work ethic. Has the natural agility of a blocking tight end after he played that position in high school – playing at 250 lbs”. Look for him to be the third blocking TE.
Miles Battle CB – The 24-year-old was signed to the Practice Squad. The 6-foot-3, 197-pound UDFA, was released by Kansas City on Aug. 26, 2024. He has outstanding physical talent, running a 4.37 40-yard dash and a 6.84 3-cone drill. Battle played one season at Utah (2023) after beginning his college career at Mississippi (2018-22). He played in all 13 games with two starts last season at Utah and finished with 32 total tackles, 1 pass defended and 1 interception. Battle began his college career as a wide receiver before being moved to cornerback midway through the 2020 season. I wonder if the Patriots see him as a raw Wide Receiver candidate rather than a DB. He has little college experience at either position. Battle also scored a 9.5 Relative Athletic Score, that was good for 125 out of 2,473 DBs from 1987 to 2024. According to an article in the Deseret Times by Joe Cole he quoted Utah coach Kyle Whittingham saying “He was primarily a receiver in his career … and I think he’s made a very nice transition and has played good football for us this year. Proud of him. “I’ve seen his knowledge of our system grow exponentially, and it’s been quick,” defensive backs coach Sharrieff Shah said. “Miles studies, he likes film. He enjoys being critiqued and wants to know how he can get better. So, whether you’re sending him snapshots of coverages, videos, whatever it is, he’s going to digest it. I love that he’s a consummate student.”
Sincere Haynesworth C – was released from the Practice Squad to make room for Battle.
Changes to be Made
Jerod Mayo has stated that there will be changes in the starting lineup. Given that Vederian Lowe didn’t practice on Wednesday and Caeden Wallace is on IR, this means changes on the O-line. Expect a 7th different starting lineup in 7 games among the five O-lineman. Here is what I would project as the best starting 5 of the available players for Sunday. Zach Thomas played reasonably well on Sunday despite giving up a sack to Will Anderson. I blame Alex Van Pelt for leaving the 3rd year OT on an island against one of the better pass rushers and Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2023. Thomas received a 36th ranking from PFF. In comparison, Jacksonville LT Cam Robinson was 34th. At LG I expect Michael Jordan to play. His ranking is 73rd, but he has probably been the best of a very poor Offensive Line. Ben Brown played remarkably well for only having 4 practices before the game. His ranking was a team best 36th. Sidy Sow will move back to his more familiar RG position. His ranking is 99th, but that was based on his extremely poor 1st game in which he played hurt. This means that Michael Onwenu will move back to Right Tackle. His PFF ranking is 44th, not what we expected for a player who has been given a contract worth a starting Tackle. He needs to play better. He had his worst rate of giving up pressure (7.9%) that he has ever had in his career. Would Jerod Mayo try for the daily double and press newly signed Lecitus Smith into the lineup at Guard? Smith replaced Nick Leverett who was ranked dead last amongst Centers by PFF. Will we see a line of Thomas LT, Jordan LG, Brown C, Sow RG and Onwenu RT?
Expect to see more of Kayshon Boutte. He has earned the increased playing time. This may be at the expense of Ja’Lynn Polk who has had trouble holding onto the football. Kendrick Bourne should have his playing time increased as he works back into the lineup coming off an ACL tear.
It appears that Rhamondre Stevenson may not play as he missed practice on Wednesday. I wasn’t impressed with Terrell Jennings and would like to see Kevin Harris elevated from the Practice Squad for those short yardage, got to have yards.
Do you realize that only 6 Offensive Linemen remain on the team that actually practiced in the off-season and Training Camp (Lowe, Jordan, Wallace, Robinson, Sow, Onwenu). Two are rookies. Onwenu is the only one that hasn’t been hurt this season.
I praised Jaquelin Roy after the game for a making a few plays, but what I didn’t realize until after I watched the game again, it was Roy who missed the tackle on Dameon Pierce’s big 54-yard run. The Patriots must improve against the run if they want to win this game. That may mean replacing Raekwon McMillan in the starting lineup. Look for Marte Mapu or Kyle Dugger to play more in the box safety.
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