The Jacksonville Jaguars will have a lot of work to do on the offensive end this offseason after the struggles they endured in 2018. Unlike on their defense, the unit has holes everywhere and multiple new starters will have to be named within the group. Here are five of those positions and some options for the Jags, who will be looking to give offensive coordinator John DeFilippo something to work with in 2019:
Quarterback
Unfortunately, only one year removed from extending Blake Bortles’ contract, the Jags will be moving on and have once again found themselves on the quarterback market. Simply put, injuries occurred on the offense and Bortles never elevated his play to the level most had hoped for, which resulted in head coach Doug Marrone giving Cody Kessler a brief shot as the No. 1 quarterback. Of course, that proved to be just as ineffective and resulted in the team turning back to Bortles mid-way through Week 16’s game against the Miami Dolphins. Afterward, he was also given the nod to start in the Jags’ season finale against the Houston Texans, which ended in a 20-3 loss.
Bortles or Kessler proved that they weren’t starting caliber quarterbacks, which means the Jags will need to find their guy this offseason. The biggest name associated with the team, of course, is Nick Foles, who will reportedly be franchised and traded by the Philadelphia Eagles in the near future. But in order to get him, the team will need to get in the positive then clear out upwards of $20 million to acquire Foles — it’s possible, but it’ll be far from easy.
Other notable veterans who could be on the market include Joe Flacco, who will reportedly be traded, Ryan Tannehill (expected to be released), Tyrod Taylor and Teddy Bridgewater. Of the group, Taylor and Tannehill could be affordable options for the Jags and make sense as stop gap options to pair a rookie with.
As for the draft, Dwayne Haskins and Kyler Murray are the two players who have the ability to start immediately or year one, while Drew Lock, Will Grier and Tyree Jackson are guys who have the potential to be starters in the long-term.
Split end/ X receiver
Since the departure of Allen Robinson, the Jags have been looking for an answer at the split end position and have yet to find one. They brought in Donte Moncrief who has similar abilities, but he proved to be a free agent bust who likely won’t re-sign with the team this offseason. That said, finding a receiver with solid measurables and the ability to go up and pluck 50-50 balls from the air will be a priority for the team since they already have compliments to the position at the Y receiver and slot positions with Dede Westbrook and Marqise Lee.
Being that the 2019 free agent class isn’t the strongest with split end receivers, a player like Devin Funchess is a name to watch on the open market who could come at an affordable rate.
The draft would be a better option for the Jags and consists of players like N’Keal Harry, David Sills and J.J Arcega-Whiteside, all of whom would be good fits. With the combine coming up, I’d definitely recommend fans watch all three with a close eye because the Jags may come away impressed enough to pull the trigger on one of the standouts.
Tight end
The Jags picked up Austin Seferian-Jenkins last offseason to be the team’s No. 1 tight end, but he insinuated that his second-year option was declined last month and he would be departing from Jacksonville. Additionally, the team’s No. 2, James O’Shaughnessy, is set to be a free agent as well, so it’s clear the Jags need to make some additions at the position.
Luckily the 2019 draft has a deep tight end class that the Jags could take advantage of in order to find an in-line blocker. One player that does that as well as anyone in the upcoming draft class is Louisiana State tight end Foster Moreau, who the Jags met at the Senior Bowl and is a solid candidate for a third to fourth round selection. There are others like Irv Smith Jr., Caleb Wilson and Noah Fant, too, who would be excellent receiving tight ends under DeFilippo as he made Kyle Rudolph a valuable part of his scheme while in Minnesota.
Right guard
Most Jags fans would agree that A.J. Cann’s days are numbered at the right guard position, and a replacement is definitely needed as he didn’t quite develop into the starter they had hoped for. That’s exactly why it wouldn’t be a shocker if the Jags grabbed his replacement in the draft as the crop of free agents at the position is unimpressive.
The Jags got a preview at several plug and play options at the guard position during the Senior Bowl, including Boston College’s Chris Lindstrom, Wisconsin’s Michael Deiter and Northern Illinois’ Max Scharping, to name a few. With head coach Doug Marrone being an offensive line coach himself, fans should look for the team to go with a young option to develop and start over a veteran to replace Cann.
Right tackle
Jeremy Parnell is set to be a $6 million cap hit for the Jags in 2018, which is a huge number for a team that’s currently over the cap by $4.3 million. And while the Jags could work out a deal to keep him for cheaper, they have a player in Will Richardson waiting in the wings. Add in the fact that Parnell seems to be on the decline at 32 years of age, and it appears his chances to stick around aren’t high.
With Richardson on the roster, the Jags are likely to look to add a cheap veteran or late round backup. Elon’s Oli Udoh, who attended the Shrine Game and Senior Bowl, is a player we’ve mentioned in the past who would be a great developmental tackle for the Jags, and he’s someone they could land late in the draft. As for the free agent market, Buccaneers left tackle Donovan Smith is an affordable player I could see the Jags having interest in since current Jags offensive line coach George Warhop was his coach in Tampa Bay. The second-round selection never really panned out as a run blocker while with the Bucs, however, he was a solid pass protector. That said, maybe the Jags could insert him into the left tackle position in their lineup and move Cam Robinson to right tackle.
