Jaguars Stock Report: 3 Players Rising, Falling After Eagles Win ... Starting With Walker Little

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Jacksonville Jaguars' roster has taken some significant strides over the last two seasons, and those strides helped the Jaguars improve to 4-1 in Week 5.

It took a full team effort, of course, for the Jaguars to get past the Philadelpia Eagles on Sunday. but in the NFL, a win is a win. Thanks to the performances from the roster in the 19-17 win, several Jaguars saw their stocks rise -- while a few others saw theirs slip. We break it all down in this week's Jaguars Stock Report.

Stock Up: Walker Little

At times like these, it makes it clear why the Jaguars have put such an emphasis on their offensive line depth. The Jaguars faced a serious injury question in the third-quarter with Anton Harrison getting carted off the field with a knee injury. The Jaguars have one of the best backup offensive linemen in all of the NFL with former starting left tackle Walker Little, and he quickly proved his worth against a tough Eagles front.

Little allowed zero pressures on 18 pass blocking snaps according to Pro Football Focus, making it clear that the Jaguars' plans for the offensive line and preparing for the worst-case scenarios have paid off. Little has played good football before for the Jaguars, and they are lucky to have him in the event Harrison now misses time, starting with Week 6 against the Houston Texans and the Will Anderson/Danielle Hunter duo.

Stock Down: Brian Thomas Jr.

It just continues to feel like this season is slipping away for Brian Thomas Jr., who now ranks fourth in catches (9) and fith in yards (105) this season. He has fewer yards (105) than sixth-round rookie Josh Cameron (117). The connection just has not been there for him and Trevor Lawrence, with Thomas having the lowest catch rate of any of the Jaguars' primary skill players. Right now, he is on pace for 30 catches and 357 yards.

I still think this has much less to do with Thomas and his talent than it does with his role in the style of Coen's offense. Thomas did have Quinyon Mitchell beat on a deep route that Lawrence underthrew after being hit on the throw, but it just hasn't worked out in the offense. On Sunday, he was out-paced in the passing game by Nate Boerkircher, Travis Hunter, and Chris Rodriguez Jr. I do not know where they go from here.

Stock Up: Brenton Strange

Brenton Strange was once again a significant factor for the Jaguars' offense on Sunday. Over the last three weeks, Strange ranks sixth amongst all tight ends in catches and third in yards, as well as ranking only behind Brock Bowers in yards per route run. Strange has had some miscues, such as a drop on Sunday, but he has elevated his role in the passing game in a big way over the last several weeks.

Part of this could be due to matchups, with the Jaguars playing three teams in a row who struggle against tight ends in coverage. But there are more teams who struggle to slow down tight ends than there are teams who struggle to slow down receivers, and Strange could be an X-Factor of the offense moving forward.

Stock Down: Chris Rodriguez Jr.

It felt like some of the Jaguars' failed red-zone trips on Sunday featured Chris Rodriguez Jr. for one way or another. The sequence where he had a near fumble (after Jalen Carter wrecked the play) and then missed the block on Zack Baun on the failed fourth-down sweep to Bhayshul Tuten was a tough one, and it just felt too often like the thought of "why isn't Bhayshul Tuten in the game here?" crept up over the course of the game.

Overall, Rodriguez only got two carries for the Jaguars as they leaned on Bhayshul Tuten more and more. Part of this might have to do with the fact that the Jaguars knew they would need a running back to create before the line of scrimmage, but Rodriguez's role has just yet to be overly significant in any game.

Stock Up: Antonio Johnson

It feels like Antonio Johnson has been all over the place for the Jaguars over the last few weeks. He continued this on Sunday with some quality reps both against the run and in coverage, while also splitting a sack with Travon Walker. This was the first game in Johnson's career where he was the sole veteran voice at safety, and he certainly played his role well against the Eagles.

Johnson has stepped up for the Jaguars, and his game has improved even from his breakout season a year ago. Johnson is a key cog of this unit every week, but he is even more important now that the Jaguars are facing some injuries and having to play some backups at the safety spot next to him over the next few weeks.

Stock Down: Rayuan Lane

Sunday marked the first start of Rayuan Lane's career, and he did do some good things. He was an effective blitzer and made some nice run fits playing downhill, but he did have some issues when the Eagles were able to isolate him in space. Lane plays hard and competes on every snap, but Sunday made it hard to see him having much success as a full-time starter at safety. Maybe more and more reps help, but this did not feel like a great step in the right direction.