Category: Jaguars

Jacksonville Jaguars 2019 Team Needs

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The Jacksonville Jaguars were just minutes away from the Super Bowl a year ago and had nearly the entire roster returning, yet somehow managed to stumble to a 5-11 record in 2018.

Injuries, a slight regression on defense and awful quarterback play led to the surprising decline. All of the issues appear to be relatively easy fixes however, so the team should still approach this offseason as though they’re contenders.

In fact, it’s hard to even come up with four glaring issues that need to be addressnzed on the roster. If they can just stay healthy and solve the No. 1 issue on this list, Jacksonville should be playing meaningful games in January 2020.

 

Quarterback

After five years of attempting to develop Blake Bortles, it appears as though the Jaguars are throwing in the towel. By benching him for Cody Kessler—a perfectly fine backup, who excels at protecting the ball—it signaled a desire to finally rid the team of Bortles’ constant mistakes.

Bortles is the classic example of a quarterback who has all the physical tools needed to succeed, but he just doesn’t process the game fast enough to make good decisions. Even in a clean pocket, Bortles has been unable to avoid mistakes, finishing with 3.3 percent interception rate this past season, the third worst mark in the league.

Jacksonville still has a defense capable of carrying the team deep into the playoffs, so the smart move may be to sign or trade for a veteran free agent. That wouldn’t necessarily rule out the possibility of them drafting a quarterback, however, especially on Day 2.

 

Right Guard/Right Tackle

In addition to replacing Bortles, the Jaguars can upgrade their passing game by improving the offensive line.

Cam Robinson, coming off a torn ACL, will return to left tackle and Andrew Norwell is locked in at left guard. Brandon Linder is also under contract through 2022 and will return at center. The right side of the offensive line, however, has the potential for change.

A.J. Cann struggled at right guard and is an unrestricted free agent. According to Sports Info Solution, he ranked 35th out of 48 guards in adjusted blown block rate.

Right tackle Jeremy Parnell is still under contract, but has no guaranteed money remaining on the deal. He’s a strong candidate to be cut at some point this offseason to free up some cap space.

 

Tight End

Ben Koyack, who has 24 receptions in three years, is the Jaguars only tight end under contract.

Even with James O’Shaughnessy and Austin Seferian-Jenkins on the roster in 2018, Jacksonville picked up just 15.4 percent of its passing yards with tight ends, the fifth lowest percentage in the league.

This is a talented draft class at the tight end position, and the Jaguars should strongly consider adding a new weapon to the offense in the second or third round.

 

Cornerback/Safety

The Jaguars return their entire defense with the exception of cornerback Tyler Patmon, who saw limited action in a reserve role, making just a few spot starts. So there aren’t any obvious holes on the defensive side of the ball that need to be filled immediately. However, with so many rookie contracts on the offensive side of the ball, Jacksonville has been spending freely on the defensive side, and that’s about to catch up with them.

According to Spotrac, the Jaguars have $45M wrapped up in the secondary this season, the most expensive position group on the roster. That’s fine for now, but if they don’t plan ahead, they’ll go through some growing pains in 2020 and 2021.

Jalen Ramsey is due for a significant pay increase in 2020 when the team picks up his fifth-year team option, and then an even bigger raise the following season when he hits free agency. If they’re going to re-sign Ramsey, that likely means parting with some of the other expensive pieces of the secondary such as A.J. Bouye or D.J. Hayden.

Jacksonville would be wise to add some rookie contracts to the defense now, so they can start developing some cheaper players in the secondary now so that they can transition away from their high-priced defense.

Jaguars select Luke Joeckel, Grade B

Joeckel was arguable the best player on the board, but was he the best for the Jaguars?

The Jaguars have a dominant left tackle in Eugene Monroe and a serious lack of a pass-rusher. In the short-term, this doesn’t help the Jaguars at all.

Monroe is a free agent at the end of the year, so I understand the thought process. But if you want Monroe, just sign him. Left tackles are worth paying. If they choose to let Monroe walk because they have Joeckel, this is basically a wasted pick.

Luke Joeckel Scouting Report

Justin Blackmon continues to struggle

Jacksonville Jaguars 1st-round pick Justin Blackmon has just three catches through his first two games, and was shut out on Sunday against the Texans.

Blackmon was on the field for 24 pass plays and was targeted three times, but failed to come down with a catch.

The issue for Blackmon is his route running and it really shouldn’t come as a surprise. Oklahoma State ran a fairly basic offense, which required very little of Blackmon other than to go deep. He was bigger, stronger and faster than most Big 12 defensive backs and wasn’t forced to refine his route running skills. He has the ability to develop into an elite receiver, but it will clearly take time.

Breaking down Justin Blackmon’s debut

Jacksonville Jaguars 1st-round pick Justin Blackmon had an inauspicious debut against the Vikings on Sunday.

Blackmon was supposed to give the Jaguars a serious downfield threat, but just one of the five balls thrown his direction was more than 10 yards down the field.  Blaine Gabbert may be partly to blame for the lack of success, but it was also clear that Blackmon was struggling to get open.

Blackmon was primarily matched up with Vikings rookie Josh Robinson, a matchup which should have worked in Blackmon’s favor.

It won’t get any easier for Blackmon next week, as the Jaguars host the Texans.

Mike Brewster not expected to make Jaguars roster

Daniel Lewis of CBS Sports predicts the Jacksonville Jaguars final 53-man roster. Not on the list is undrafted free agent center Mike Brewster.

This would conclude a long fall from grace for Brewster, who was ranked by many as among the best centers in the country and a potential 1st-round pick. After a sub-par senior year at Ohio State he was still expected to be a mid-round pick, but managed to slip through the cracks and signed with the Jaguars as a free agent.

He will likely get a shot somewhere, possibly on the Jaguars practice squad. But it certainly appears as if he was one of the big misses by those of us who rated him highly in the early stages of the 2012 draft process.