The Jacksonville Jaguars‘ special teams unit will have a slightly different look this season.

Wide receiver/punt returner Ace Sanders, a fourth-round pick by the team in the 2013 NFL Draft, was released Friday, creating an opportunity at the team’s punt return spot.

Sanders impressed as a rookie, hauling in 51 receptions for 484 yards and a touchdown. However, he was unable to carry that momentum into his second season. Suspended the first four games of last season for an undisclosed league violation, he returned to find himself near the bottom of the depth chart, having been passed over by second-round draft picks Allen Robinson and Marqise Lee, as well as undrafted rookie Allen Hurns. He finished the season with just six receptions for 55 yards in 12 games.

Sanders became the first draft pick of the Dave Caldwell era to be released by the team. Drafted primarily as a punt returner, Sanders’ ultimate demise stemmed from his inability to make an impact in the return game. In two seasons, he averaged just 6.4 yards on 57 returns.

With his release the door is now wide open for a number of players to emerge for the punt return job. The leading candidates appear to be Tandon Doss, Bryan Walters, Rashad Greene and Corey Grant.

Doss is the likely leader in the clubhouse so to speak. Despite missing last season with a foot injury, he averaged a league-best 15.6 yards per punt return in 2013 with the Baltimore Ravens. Walters, signed as a free agent from the Seattle Seahawks this offseason, has averaged 7.2 yards on 35 punt returns in his career.

Greene, a fifth-round pick in this year’s draft, returned 38 punts for a 12.2-yard average in his collegiate career at Florida State. Grant, an undrafted rookie out of Auburn, caught the attention of the coaching staff during organized team activities with his blazing speed. He is a candidate to return kicks and could now work his way into the punt return competition.

With the release of Sanders, it’s safe to say the competition for the punt return job has officially begun.

K.J. Momberg is the Jacksonville Jaguars Beat Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @kjmomberg.