Jacksonville Jaguars set to use Ace Sanders on punt returns

Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Ace Sanders (18) warms up before the start of the the game against the Kansas City Chiefs at EverBank Field. Mandatory Credit: Melina Vastola-USA TODAY Sports

Jacksonville Jaguars slot receiver Ace Sanders has a lot of dynamic, playmaking ability, and he was a staple on returns for the South Carolina Gamecocks in college. Sanders has been demoted out of starting in two-wide sets, as Stephen Burton started above Sanders last week against the Seattle Seahawks and received three times more targets than Sanders. However, the 5’7″, 173 pound wideout does have ten catches for 103 yards through three games this season, so he has done a solid job as a fourth-round receiver.

According to the Florida Times Union, the Jacksonville Jaguars will be trying to take advantage of Sanders’s lightning-in-a-bottle returning ability on punt returns, as head coach Gus Bradley stated that Sanders will “likely” handle punt returns against the Indianapolis Colts this week. Sanders, per Bradley, has a 90% chance of being the team’s starting punt returner, and he has 23 kick-off return yards on the season but only returned that one kick in Week 1.

As a receiver, Ace Sanders should continue to do a quality job in the slot, and I think he’ll play over Burton as a slot receiver once Justin Blackmon returns from suspension in Week 5 against the St. Louis Rams. It’s great to hear that the Jaguars are planning on using Sanders as a punt returner, because he’s a pretty exciting player to watch and could break off a couple of big ones for the Jaguars.

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