Fans of the Jacksonville Jaguars have reason to be excited with their hiring of Doug Pederson to be the team’s head coach. He brings maturity, expertise on offense, and plenty of experience, including a Super Bowl victory. Now the biggest task will be helping Trevor Lawrence reach his potential.
With the top pick in the 2022 NFL Draft in addition to nearly $60 million in cap space, they have the opportunity to drastically improve in Duval.
Here are three moves the Jacksonville Jaguars need to make now that they’ve secured their head coach.
Jacksonville Jaguars need to land No. 1 receiver for Trevor Lawrence
As the great Leonardo DiCaprio boasted in the movie, The Wolf of Wall Street, “I ask them to judge me on my losers because I have so few“. For the Jacksonville Jaguars, that simply wasn’t true in 2021, but they’re looking to make some big changes. One of those improvements includes providing Lawrence with a receiver who has elite game-breaking ability.
There are a number of free agents who could immediately become the top option for Lawrence in Jacksonville, but they may not be true No. 1 receivers unless they can find a way to convince Davante Adams to take a wheelbarrow of money, but he may pursue a more immediate championship contender or stay paired with Aaron Rodgers, if possible.
This leaves Chris Godwin, Allen Robinson, or possibly the most intriguing of them all, Odell Beckham Jr.
Since landing with the Los Angeles Rams, OBJ has reinvigorated his career and is averaging 78.6 yards per game in the playoffs. Set for unrestricted free agency, the star receiver returning to L.A. is no sure thing. We’ll see if he gets a ring from the Super Bowl, but if not, he may pursue another winning opportunity, yet the allure of playing with the 2021 No. 1 overall pick in Lawrence could be just as appealing.
Unfortunately, adding just one receiver won’t be enough for this corps to take a leap in 2022. The Jags have a desperate need for a capable tight end, and if they can convince Rob Gronkowski to stick around a little longer in Florida, he’d probably have some fun in Duval. Perhaps a more realistic option is Zach Ertz reuniting with Doug Pederson, of the additions listed here, he might give them the best chance.
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Jacksonville Jaguars strengthen the trenches around Lawrence
In 2021, the Jacksonville Jaguars offense was atrocious anywhere you looked. They were ineffective when running, and not at all explosive through the air. Trevor Lawrence will only get better and getting Travis Etienne on the field will provide some improvement from within, but the best way to bolster both approaches is by continuing to build the trenches.
Left tackle Cam Robinson is set for free agency, and the Jags have 2021 second-round pick Walker Little who can likely replace his production with ease. Same thing at left guard, Andrew Norwell, while possibly their best lineman, may not be worth top dollar in free agency since he’s not elite. To be honest, no job on the Jaguars line should be safe, but Little and Ben Bartch can be serviceable starters and still offer more potential to build on their performances.
One of their top targets in free agency should be former Washington guard Brandon Scherff. Receiving the franchise tag each of the past two seasons, he’s expected to finally land a long-term contract and could be looking to get paid in a big way. Scherff would help strengthen the interior and provide a good all-around option both when running or passing. In 2021, Scherff didn’t allow a single sack across 697 snaps.
In the end, whether they pursue Scherff or Terron Armstead, or someone else, the Jaguars need to add at least two offensive line starters this offseason.
Fixing the Jacksonville Jaguars’ pass rush
No one wants to land the top selection in back-to-back drafts, but here we are. Believe it or not, despite their 2021 record, the Jacksonville Jaguars enter the offseason in an envious position for teams around the league. Hiring Doug Pederson to replace Urban Meyer is likely already a major improvement, yet they enter the draft having already secured their quarterback of the future and have few other pieces that should be considered untouchable.
The Jags will likely put the top overall pick on the trade block, if a team sees a must-have prospect, general manager Trent Baalke, or Rick Spielman, whoever makes the calls will have an opportunity to name their price. While there are still two months to go until the draft, as of now there are several prospects who are viewed as top-five picks with no true consensus.
This allows the Jaguars to take the best player available. Luckily, whether they trade down or not, there are a number of players who fit their needs.
At the top, there’s Oregon pass-rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux, Michigan edge-rusher Aidan Hutchinson, and Notre Dame safety Kyle Hamilton, among others. Reasonably, all three could land in the top five. However, as good as Hamilton may be, there has never been a safety taken No. 1 overall. Meanwhile, pass-rushers frequently go first overall, which is a big need of the Jaguars.
If they don’t trade down to collect more draft capital, the Jaguars shouldn’t hesitate to select Thibodeaux. He’s a 6-foot-5 explosive defensive end with athletism and strength. Across three seasons with Oregon, Thibodeaux tallied 19 sacks and racked up 35.5 tackles for loss.
While he didn’t quite live up to the gigantic expectations in college, dealing with some minor injuries and inconsistency expected of a young player, he already appears NFL ready and could be primed to make an impact for the next ten years as a plus pass-rusher and good run-stopper. Thibs would not only help the secondary by making their coverage job easier, but he’d also help take some pressure off existing pass-rushers Josh Allen and Dawaune Smoot.
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