The Jacksonville Jaguars went into halftime with the same score as they did against the New Orleans Saints. This week, it was a very different story. The Jaguars fell to the Carolina Panthers 34-17 in a game where Jacksonville looked sloppy from the opening kickoff. Even so, there were a few players who did wonders for their stock heading into the final week of preseason games, and others who may be looking for an exit route. Here are five Jaguars players whose stocks rose or fell after Jacksonville’s Week 2 contest against the Panthers.
Nick Mullens
After an abysmal showing against the Saints, Mullens came back and delivered a phenomenal performance. Mullens went six-for-seven for 65 yards with his only incompletion being a dropped angle route for a would-be touchdown to Ameer Abdullah.
Mullens showed the poise and timing that made him such a sought-after backup for Coen and company, and made it an easy decision to sit him after his first drive.
Stock: Rise
Christian Braswell
Braswell was picked on numerous times against the Panthers, and he needed a good showing after a woeful outing against the Saints. The cornerback position is all but wrapped up with Buster Brown, Jarrian Jones, Travis Hunter, Jourdan Lewis and Jabbar Muhammad. With Hunter playing both ways, the hope was that his versatility would open the door for either another receiver or another cornerback spot. With the way Braswell and the others played on that side of the ball today, it’s looking like Hunter’s versatility will do more for the receiver room this season.
Stock: Falling
Rookie WRs
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CJ Williams and Josh Cameron were both having amazing training camps, with Coen praising them in the postgame presser about their approach to developing their game. Both receivers also had games that accentuated their skill sets and showcased their potential contributions to the stat sheet if they were to make the roster. Cameron hauled in both of his targets and was tied for second in receiving yards with 41, with two explosive (15+ yard) receptions. CJ Williams hauled in all four of his targets for 22 yards and was an impact blocker in the run game.
Coen also praised Trebor Pena and Michael Wortham on their performances; Pena led all receivers with 72 yards and the lone touchdown of the day. Wortham was an explosive force, tying for 2nd with 41 yards on three receptions, showing off some real game-breaking speed.
There are only so many spots on a 53-man roster, but the Jaguars receiving room looks to be filled with unique talent.
Stock: Rise
Intangibles
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The Jaguars finished the game with two turnovers: a Carter Bradley interception after he was late over the middle, and a Deejay Dallas fumble, which ended a promising start to a 2nd-half drive that put the Jaguars into enemy territory.
On top of that, Jacksonville had nine penalties that cost them 60 yards worth of field position. This has to be cleaned up before the beginning of the regular season.
Stock: Falling
Ameer Abdullah
Outside of dropping a sure-fire touchdown, nobody came to play as much as Ameer Abdullah. He finished the day with 45 yards on six carries, including a 23-yard scamper where he made a grown man touch nothing but air. Abdullah showed off his hands as well, hauling in the other three targets for 37 yards.
While the Jaguars offense was mostly a non-factor in the first half, Abdullah answered the bell.
