The Jacksonville Jaguars will probably hold a battle for the starting spot next to safety Eric Murray. Caleb Murray and Antonio Johnson should be in the mix, but don't discount Andrew Wingard just yet. The veteran is making it clear that he won't be left out with a strong outing on Day 4 of Organized Team Activities.
The Jags are holding OTAs in front of fans and the media, and Wingard isn't wasting the opportunity to remind everyone that he's still around. Early in practice, he picked off Trevor Lawrence, according to Jamal St. Cyr.
Earlier on OTAs, St. Cyr reported that Brian Thomas Jr. dropped a pass with Wingard lurking around. Granted, quarterbacks can't get hit, but the seventh-year safety is taking advantage of every single rep he's getting. That could come in handy in training camp and the preseason.
An undrafted free agent in 2019, Wingard made the 53-man roster as a rookie. He progressively earned playing time and joined the starting lineup full-time by 2021. The former Wyoming Cowboy was phased out in favor of Andre Cisco the following year but still proved to be a valuable backup piece and a key contributor on special teams.
On top of that, Wingard has become a respected locker room voice in the locker room. In fact, he was named team captain in 2023. Unfortunately, Dewey suffered a knee injury last year that forced him to miss significant time. He's now entering a contract year, so he'll surely be looking to boost his stock ahead of 2026.
Andrew Wingard will need to earn his roster spot with the Jaguars
The new regime made it clear in the offseason that it wanted to raise the roster floor and ceiling. That may not bode well for a few returning players who previously held starting jobs but will now have to earn them. Similarly, several veterans could be on the outside looking in after the preseason. Wingard could be one of them.
Eric Murray is virtually a lock to start. That leaves Wingard, Caleb Ransaw, and Antonio Johnson in a three-way battle for the other spot next to him. Daniel Thomas is also in the fold, but if he sticks around, it will likely be because of his special-teams play.
Circling back to the potential battle for the starting job next to Murray, Johnson is coming off an underwhelming season but flashed the previous year. On the other hand, Ransaw will be switching positions after mostly playing corner at Tulane. This means that he'll have to deal with a steep learning curve. That could, in turn, benefit Wingard.
Although everyone will probably be on equal footing, Wingard could have an edge by virtue of being the most experienced of the bunch. It doesn't hurt that he had a strong outing on Day 4 of OTAs.
At this point, it's hard to tell how the depth chart will look, but don't be surprised if Wingard works his way up in the summer.
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