This week's edition of the Jaguars Mailbag features questions about the defensive line, the quarterback position and more.
@YoJoeCool on Twitter asks: What position on the line do you ultimately see Taven Bryan playing?
Mike Kaye: Bryan will end up playing multiple positions this season, which is a very good thing for the Jaguars. Jacksonville has two very highly paid veteran pass rushers who are getting up there in age and Bryan can serve as the heir apparent for either. Right now, the Jaguars are using Bryan as the backup to Calais Campbell at the strong-side end position. Bryan is a good enough athlete to play on the outside, as his burst off the line is one of the things that appealed to the Jaguars in the first place.
Many thought Bryan would be a natural three-technique for the Jaguars behind Malik Jackson. He could still rotate into that role, similar to how Campbell did last season. By drafting Bryan, the Jaguars have a potential rover pass rusher who can take over that traveling job from Campbell once the veteran retires or heads elsewhere.
As a rookie, Bryan will probably be asked to play three-technique and strong-side end for the Jaguars. He has the ability to play nose tackle on obvious passing downs and weak-side end in big line looks, but it'd probably be more advantageous to have Bryan develop at his two main positions before learning others. Bryan is a dynamic lineman who will allow the Jaguars' to create multiple looks - and platoons - along the defensive line.
Reid Zeh ask: Should we feel comfortable with Cody Kessler as the primary backup quarterback? Will they be scanning the waiver wire for a more experienced quarterback?
MK: While some may disagree, I believe Kessler is starting to find his rhythm within the Jaguars' offense. He posted a pretty strong conclusion to organized team activities and his work during mandatory minicamp should inspire some confidence.
The Jaguars used Chad Henne in the full-time backup role for three seasons and he played just 24 snaps during that time period. Blake Bortles is among the most durable quarterbacks of the last four years and the logic behind a backup quarterback - for the most part - is that if a starter goes down for a long stretch of time, his teammates should probably look forward to trips to Lowe's or Best Buy on Sundays in January.
Kessler is ideally meant for a West Coast offense, as his downfield accuracy isn't a strength. He is very accurate on throws of 20 yards or less and some starting quarterbacks make a fairly good living off that style of play (Kirk Cousins, Alex Smith). Kessler can handle two games of work and I think he is probably the best option for the Jaguars right now, outside of Colin Kaepernick (who the team has no interest in) and Matt Moore. Sure, Derek Anderson is out there, but he would cost the minimum salary for a 14-year veteran, which is significantly more expensive than the $758,098 that Kessler is receiving this season.
Kessler is cheap, somewhat experienced (eight starts in 2016) and a solid, if not spectacular fit for Nathaniel Hackett's offense. Also, Kessler was significantly more impressive than sixth-round rookie Tanner Lee during the offseason program and he's developed pretty good chemistry with the team's future No. 1 wide receiver.
If you're hoping to add a quarterback from the waiver wire after final cuts, you're probably in trouble. It's not easy to learn a playbook on the fly and cutting a quarterback who knows the playbook for another misinformed one seems pretty foolish. The Jaguars could potentially add a third quarterback after that player is waived during final cuts, but they would still probably hang on to Kessler as that new player learned the play calls. The team is open to keeping three quarterbacks but the talent elsewhere on the roster may discourage them from doing so.
Jeff Albaneze asks: What’s your prediction for right guard? Is AJ Cann being handed the position?
MK: Cann is not being handed the position. The team has made it clear that the position will be involved in a competition and I have no reason to believe that to be inaccurate, given the comments made by both head coach Doug Marrone and offensive line coach Pat Flaherty during the offseason program.
While Cann will get the first crack at the position as the incumbent starter - which is customary in the NFL - he won't avoid being tested. The issue for the Jaguars with potentially demoting Cann is that once he is dropped on the depth chart, it will be hard to re-insert him if one of his less-experienced competitors wins the job and then stinks up the joint when it matters.
Cann's competition also isn't filled with notable names. He will be challenged by the likes of Josh Walker (zero starts in 15 games), Tyler Shatley (zero starts at right guard), KC McDermott (undrafted rookie), Sean Hickey (never played in an NFL game) and Will Poehls (see Hickey). While it's not impossible for Cann to nosedive on the depth chart, it's highly unlikely. Despite the Marrone and Flaherty comments, I am under the impression the three-year starter is appreciated quite a bit by the coaching staff.
While some fans may want to see fourth-round pick Will Richardson in the right guard role, context clues point to him learning the right tackle position. He has never played guard, so altering his position while he learns his first NFL playbook would seem less than ideal when he could realistically be the favorite for the swing tackle job. The Jaguars would also - probably - prefer to have an experienced NFL right guard play the position as opposed to a rookie who is converting to a spot that he's never played at before. With that logic in mind, Cann seems like the most favorable option to start in Week 1.
Follow Mike Kaye on Twitter: @Mike_E_Kaye.