Jacksonville Jaguars
2019 Record: (6-10) 4th
AFC South
2019 Season Recap:
Offense
Points: 18.8 (26th)
Yards: 341.8 (20th)
Pass Yards: 235.0 (16th)
Rush Yards: 106.8 (17th)
Defense
Points: 24.8 (21st)
Yards: 375.4 (24th)
Pass Yards: 236.1 (16th)
Rush Yards: 139.3 (28th)
Looking back at what transpired for the Jacksonville Jaguars this
past season, disappointment can be the only appropriate term. Signing Nick Foles
from the Eagles in hopes to correct the quarterback position was the thought
process, but one that we knew wouldn’t turn out in their favor. We’ve seen what
goes down when Foles leaves Philadelphia in search for that starting role in
the past, and the same outcome came to pass in Jacksonville. Granted, Foles did
suffer an injury which sidelined him for half the season, but over paying him
to that enormous contract was a time bomb waiting to go off.
Fortunately for the Jags, they found good fortune in their rookie
passer Gardner Minshew who showed great poise and performance in many contests
he played in. Throwing Foles back into the starter role once deemed healthy to
return (in week 11), he managed to play in three games before the plug was again
pulled.
Aside from the movement at the quarterback position, there were
some positives from this offense that can be spoken openly. Leonard Fournette
took his game to levels we haven’t seen in his young tenure reaching career
highs in many categories. Leading the team in receptions was a welcomed surprise
and provided credibility to him being that elite three down back. With that, having
little success in finding the endzone was confusing to say the least. Adding to
more positives, the Jags truly found something special in second year wide
receiver D.J Chark, as he showcased his supreme ability. Cracking the 1000-yard
receiving mark while finding the endzone a healthy eight times, we have nothing
but shining endorsements to throw his way.
For the negatives, Jacksonville took massive steps in the wrong direction
in terms of overall team play with a losing record and falling sharply in team
rankings. This defense continued to be dismantled and a mid season trade of their
star defensive back Jalen Ramsey occurred. Its difficult to predict how this club
could be corrected as we hold zero faith in coach Doug Marrone. Perhaps a sound
off-season will change our minds and provide a more optimistic outlook.
2020 Offseason
WorkBook:
The Offense
Diving into this offense and what could become of them in 2020,
first and foremost is the choice of who will be the starting quarterback. Signing
Foles to that massive contract would typically force the hand of any organization
to play him regardless of output. However, with the talent shown from Minshew,
more success could be drawn if greater supportive pieces were added to his offensive
line. Jacksonville passers hit the turf a whopping 42 times in 2019 and should
be an area of focus to help either of these quarterbacks play better. For our appetite,
we’ve seen the Foles experiment go wrong in the past, and the future will look
bright with the mustache leading the way.
In terms of what will be of Fournette on this offense moving forward,
we’ve heard many rumors suggesting coach Marrone would be more than happy to
move in another direction. Playing out the final year of his rookie deal, the fifth-year
option will be on the table for him to return the following season. With full disclosure,
we are giant supports of Fournette and believe letting him walk to another club
would be a catastrophic mistake. As for the depth behind their star runner,
Ryquell Armstead is a talented player but nothing to get overly excited about.
More talent should be added to this group and potentially the replacement for
Fournette is on the horizon.
As we mentioned above, our infatuation for the up and coming star
in this league (D.J Chark), we have nothing but gleaming reviews for his
overall game. Believing he will take yet another huge leap in his progression,
we could see a top 10 receiver come from Jacksonville. As for the supportive pieces
in the room, Dede Westbrook and Marqise Lee are more than reliable while seeing
Chris Conley and Keelan Cole waiting in the wings. There are ample amounts of
talent on this core and we should see a much better showing with further chemistry
development this off-season – once a starting pivot is announced of course.
As for the tight end position, we did have some level of hope that
Josh Oliver would’ve turned into a player in his rookie campaign – but nothing substantial
materialized. Losing basically the entire year to injury, we can only hope he
will come back strong and show what we believe he can be. Speaking of his
teammate James O’Shaughnessy, it appeared he was quickly developing a rapport
with Minshew but was also lost after five games to a season ending injury. With
these two potentially coming back to full health, we could see something special
brewing at the position.
The Defense
When it comes to a defense that was so dominating just two seasons
prior, its unfathomable how a downtrend could take place so quickly. Removing
vast amounts of star talent and not replacing them with appropriate pieces, the
result was as we witness this past season - failure.
Beginning with the defensive front, the Jags still have very sound
talent with Calais Campbell, Yannick Ngakoue and Josh Allen. With Marcell Dareus
released from the club, we are hearing rumbles they intend to bring him back at
a lower rate. Dawuane Smoot is another player we are intrigued with, but would
like to witness more production before we can provide a sound evaluation. At
this point, this line is the strength of this unit and could become even
stronger with more depth added, especially if Ngakoue is resigned or franchise
tagged in the coming days.
Jumping into the line backers which used to be a fierce and dominating
duo – Myles Jack is all that remains of a once fabulously put tighter tandem.
When Telvin Smith announced he would be taking time off from playing in the NFL,
the writing was on the wall for far less execution and productivity. Becoming a
clear formality, Jack was left to fend for himself with little support while reaching
career lows since his rookie campaign. Granted, Jack did miss time to injury as
well, but the absolute requirement is to add another play-maker and should be a
top priority.
Moving right along to the defensive backs which at one point provided
vast amounts of fear for the opposition - now have been reduced to rubble with
nothing tangible to consider. With Jalen Ramsey having new digs in Los Angeles,
and a recent trade which shipped AJ Bouye to the Broncos, massive holes are
left for the front office to correct. While we can see line backer a potential
greater concern, this unit will again be cooked all season long if a plan isn’t
in place to correct its shortcomings.
At this point, we could give far better encouragement for the
Jaguars offense than for the defense – didn’t think that would happen in a span
of two years.
Team Free Agents / Team Salary Cap
Typically, when reviewing the books for a club that went 6-10 the
previous season and removed so many pieces from the roster, Jacksonville holds
an average 33.7 million in free cap space. With that said, the list of team
free agents isn’t overly concerning outside of Yannick Ngakoue. He is the top commodity
to bring back to the team, but we’ve also heard suggestions that a franchise
tag and trade could be in the works. We shall see which direction they plan to
take with this impressive pass rusher.
For how we operate in terms of trying to improve clubs in these evaluations,
it all begins in removing bad contracts which exist on the roster. With the
sheer amount of talent held on the receiving core, Marqise Lee should be a
consideration to be a cap casualty. Holding a cap hit of 8.75 million, his release
would push a mere 3.5 million to the dead cap. Losing Lee would be of no consequence
given the emergence of other talent. DJ Hayden is another player that is
grossly overpaid and could be a consideration to be cut, but that could be
difficult given the weaknesses they already hold on the secondary. Nevertheless,
cutting Hayden and his 7.6-million-dollar cap hit, its virtually all savings as
1.6 would head to dead funds.
There is room on this roster to find extra money, and it will be
needed to supplant the terrible deal given to Nick Foles last off-season.
The NFL Draft
So, looking ahead to the NFL draft and the league offering
compensatory picks to all teams, the Jaguars find themselves in an advantageous
position with nine picks on their board. Holding two first round picks, and two
sixth round picks – Jacksonville does have sufficient ammunition to navigate
the draft room in late April.
In conclusion of the season, a 6-10 record was good enough to hold
the ninth overall selection in the first round. Having that second first round
pick via the Rams in that Ramsey deal, adding another top tier talent isn’t out
of the question. Looking to spend their capital on the defensive side to rebuild
– we could see a player like Isaiah Simmons be a fantastic addition. Simmons
proved to be that athletic freak in combine drills, but reviewing his college
game film is equally as impressive.
If that is indeed how the Jaguars plan to move at pick nine,
following that up at pick 20 with a top defensive back would be icing on the
cake. Adding two dynamic play-makers on the defensive side would be the most beneficial
in getting back a unit that held so much fortitude. With having options with
the rest of their selections, a turnaround could be forthcoming faster than we anticipate
bringing good news to this fan base.
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