How Jaguars rookies performed in preseason opener vs. Saints

The Jacksonville Jaguars emerged victorious in a hard-fought preseason game against the New Orleans Saints , which largely featured strong performances from their rookies. This includes the 2026 draft class and the undrafted free agents (UDFAs) fighting to earn a roster spot.

Let's take a closer look at how each of these players performed.

TE Nate Boerkircher and Tanner Koziol

Both saw action early on in this game, though only Koziol was targeted, and he ended the game without any receptions. Boerkircher again filled a blocking-first role.

WR Josh Cameron and CJ Williams

Cameron and Williams turned in solid performances. Cameron contributed on special teams, which included a 25-yard kick return, and caught one pass for 17 yards. Williams had two receptions for 28 yards. Combined, they caught 3-of-8 passes.

DL Albert Regis

Regis was very disruptive, most notably with a monster sack of Zach Wilson that led to a 14-yard loss. He also had a tackle for loss in the run game.

RB J'Mari Taylor

Taylor was the clear standout performer of the game, contributing both to the run game and in pass protection. He was a key part of the Jaguars ' turnaround performance in the second half, and ended the game with 22 carries for 78 yards — the most rushing yards by far for both teams -- while scoring a touchdown.

S Jalen Huskey

Huskey had a good day, with five total tackles. Most notably, he was the one to chase down Ty Chandler on the 10-yard line to stop an 86-yard kickoff return from becoming a touchdown.

QB Joey Aguilar

Aguilar didn't have a very large sample size to work with, but he did throw one major pass, the 43-yarder to wide receiver Trebor Pena , who turned in a strong performance of his own. Pena ended the day with three catches for 58 yards, plus an eight-yard run.

DE Bryan Thomas Jr.

Thomas Jr. had one of the strongest performances of the game, with a sack, two quarterback hits, and a tackle for loss.

DE Wesley Williams

Another rookie defensive end who flashed tonight was Wesley Williams, who contributed to the strip sack of Spencer Rattler and kept the pressure up throughout the game, while also impacting the run game.

WR Brady Boyd, Michael Wortham

Boyd was only targeted once, but caught the pass for 19 yards. Wortham was similarly targeted once, and registered nine receiving yards.

LB Parker Hughes

Hughes had a less-than-stellar debut. While the opening kickoff return by the Saints was a product of the entire Jaguars' kick coverage unit, Hughes did appear to misjudge his tackle angle, which helped lead to an 86-yard kickoff return.

OL Emmanuel Pregnon

Pregnon ended up with a heavy workload. He gave a relatively encouraging performance, doing well in both pass protection and run blocking, despite having missed practice time due to injury recently.

This article originally appeared on Jaguars Wire: How Jaguars rookies performed in preseason opener vs. Saints

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