JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (WCJB) – The Jacksonville Jaguars opened up the preseason showcasing depth in a dramatic 24-20 win over the Saints on Saturday.
Resting his starters, the second-year Head Coach Liam Coen said the end result wasn’t about the scoreboard. Numerous depth-position roster battles are occurring and Jacksonville needed to see positive strides from those developing players.
With a 14-point deficit heading into the second half. backup quarterback Nick Mullens struggled significantly against New Orleans backups. Mullens throwing a red-zone interception on Jacksonville’s opening drive and never looked comfortable. Mullens finished 3 of 7 for 33 yards.
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Carter Bradley came on in relief of Mullens and struggled until the half, but hit Hunter Long with a touchdown pass and a near-perfect throw to Trebor Pena. Bradley finishing 10 of 17 for 195 yards.
Missed tackles were a problem, but the defense did shine at times.
Yasir Abdullah is locked in a battle for one of the depth spots at linebacker and helped his case with an excellent afternoon on defense and special teams. Abdullah tracked down Barion Brown on a punt return and tackled him for a loss of 7 yards on the play. And he had a strip sack of Rattler late in the opening quarter.
Jacksonville returns home to host Carolina in the second preseason game on August 21, 2026.
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