Evaluating Jaguars position battles entering final week of preseason

Following the Jacksonville Jaguars' second preseason game with the Carolina Panthers, let's take a temperature check on where several key positional battles now stand.

Over the next week, the Jaguars still have a joint practice and a preseason game with Tampa Bay on the schedule, giving players an opportunity to further improve their stock.

That said, two joint practices and two preseason games have already taken place as well, along with a number of training camp practices. Given what we know now, here is a look at where each positional battle stands.

Joey Aguilar certainly had the better outing over Carter Bradley against Carolina. However, based on playing time through two weeks, Bradley seems to have the advantage -- although that could change this week. With practice squad spots, teams often look to roster players with more upside, which Aguilar seems to have. That said, the QB3 role is often tasked with running the scout team, and Bradley's experience could give him the upper hand in that regard.

Could Ameer Abdullah earn a roster spot as the fourth running back? The Jaguars showed us last year that they are willing to roster that many at this position. Abdullah had a very good performance against Carolina and could fill that passing-down role while LeQuint Allen is sidelined. J'Mari Taylor is a prime candidate for the practice squad.

Will the Jaguars roster a fourth tight end? I'm not so sure, but if they do, it's between Quintin Morris and Tanner Koziol for that spot. I'll stick to my original offseason addition, which is that Morris earns that role because of his ability as a blocker and to contribute on special teams.

We have yet to see what the current iteration of the right guard competition will look like, but once Cole Van Lanen returns to 11-on-11 work, presumably it will be Walker, Little, Wyatt Milum, and Daniel Faalele competing for the starting job in Patrick Mekari's absence.

We know that Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker will lead the way, and it looks like BJ Green and Danny Striggow will be the next two players up in this rotation. Also, I would think that Zach Durfee has flashed enough to earn a roster spot, but this will be an important week for him.

The longer the competition between Ventrell Miller and Branson Combs goes on, the more I think the Jaguars will utilize a rotation between the two in-season. On early running downs, we could see Miller more, while on passing downs we see Combs.

Also, has Jahlani Tavai put himself in the mix for a roster spot? If the Jaguars keep six linebackers as they did last year, then Tavai, Yasir Abdullah, and Jalen McLeod are likely competing for one spot. Tavai was very good as a blitzer against Carolina and has special teams experience. Abdullah had a very good showing against New Orleans, but was up and down in the most recent contest.

Jabbar Muhammad seems to be the fifth option on the depth chart at cornerback. Christian Braswell is likely the sixth, but with Braswell's play up to this point, it's not given that he makes the team either.

This article originally appeared on Jaguars Wire: Evaluating Jaguars position battles entering final week of preseason