The Jacksonville Jaguars haven’t fared all that well when looking at their divisional record over the last two years, and if they have another bad season, the gap will only get larger between them and their divisional rivals. If the Jags have a solid 2020 offseason, however, they could close that gap which means a productive run in free agency is a must.
When looking at the players who could be on the open market this spring, some of the best players are in the Jags’ own division. Here are three free agents from each divisional rival who would be a great addition to their roster if available:
DT, D.J. Reader (Houston Texans)
Much like the Indianapolis Colts, the Houston Texans will be in the top-10 in terms of cap space with a little over $64.2 million available, so they have plenty of money to keep a lot of their noteworthy talent. It’s also worth noting that Deshaun Watson will be eligible for an extension, but even with the type of extension he’d get, the Texans have some wiggle room.
When looking at the needs the Jags have and the players who have expiring contracts on the Texans’ end, the player who particularly looks interesting is defensive tackle D.J. Reader. As many are aware, Marcell Dareus will likely be released in the coming weeks and if the Jags don’t show interest in re-signing him afterward, that would be a sign they want to get younger at defensive tackle.
At 25 years of age, that’s where Reader would come in. Like Dareus, the former Clemson Tiger is a force against the run and acquired an overall Pro Football Focus grade of 86.7. While there is something to be desired as a pass rusher, Reader would still help the team tremendously as they were abysmal against the run (ranking 28th) in 2019. Pairing him in the interior with Calais Campbell, Taven Bryan, and maybe a draft pick like Derrick Brown or Javon Kinlaw would bring the Jags’ interior back to dominance and give them a scary front. It also would be a big hit to the Texans as Reader is a favorite of head coach Bill O’Brien and would potentially make it easier to run on them during the regular season if they don’t replace him.
TE, MyCole Pruitt (Tennessee Titans)
The Tennessee Titans have a lot of the more interesting names in general who are set to hit the market. Quarterbacks Ryan Tannehill and Marcus Mariota, running back Derrick Henry, right tackle Jack Conklin, receiver Tajae Sharpe, and cornerback Logan Ryan are just a few notables with expiring contracts.
The easy answer here would’ve been Henry. By taking him from the Titans, the Jags would be removing a player who has embarrassed them on several occasions and they would be gaining someone who fits their philosophy of physical play. Unfortunately, the only issue is that Henry is set for a four to five-year deal guaranteeing around $50 million. Simply put, that’s a hefty price to pay especially for the Jags.
Instead, I went with a significantly cheaper option in tight end MyCole Pruitt. Most would list tight end as a top-2 need for the Jags and Pruitt, who is coming off a career year (102 yard and two touchdowns), should cost the Jags a minimal amount of money to add depth to a position where the Jags had a slew of injuries.
TE Eric Ebron (Indianapolis Colts)
This was an easy one considering we’ve mentioned Eric Ebron several times already in our offseason articles. He isn’t that far removed from a career season in which he victimized the Jags and had 750 yards (and 13 touchdowns) total in 2018.
Due to injury, he wasn’t able to mirror that success in 2019 and the Colts have come out to say they probably will part ways with Ebron. If he’s healthy after season-ending ankle surgery, the Jags should definitely consider him.
Rookie quarterback Gardner Minshew II was his best when he had tight end James O’Shaughnessy. Unfortunately, the veteran tight end will be returning from an ACL tear in 2020. Additionally, he’s not the true No. 1 tight end that Ebron could be, especially when paired with a creative offensive coordinator like Jay Gruden.
