We’ve almost reached the one-week mark of the tampering period and the Jacksonville Jaguars have made several key moves in terms of rebuilding their franchise. Of course, there is still a lot of work to be done and more moves will follow, but before we get to that point, we figured we’d reflect on who came out as winners from this week’s moves:
GM Dave Caldwell
There was a lot of damage done to the Jags’ organization with the addition of Tom Coughlin (and before his arrival, too), and though general manager Dave Caldwell hasn’t fixed the team by any means, the future is one fans can somewhat be excited about.
In the beginning, it may not have been clear to fans exactly what Caldwell was doing or why he was breaking up what remained from 2017, but it is now and it’s the right move. It has long felt like the Jags’ organization was living in the past trying to hold on to what happened in 2017, but the fact of the matter was they overachieved that year and lost way too many key parts from that unit to begin with. The Jags were without notables Paul Posluszny, Telvin Smith, Tashaun Gipson, Barry Church and Malik Jackson in 2019 to name a few, and they needed to face reality then.
They’ve now finally realized that a rebuild is right, and though strong cases can be made that it should be without Caldwell, he’s almost knocked the early 2020 process out of the park. He moved on from pricey players like Calais Campbell, A.J. Bouye and got fifth and fourth-round selections, respectively, for them. While they both were talented, the Jags likely weren’t going to be good by the time their contracts ended. That said, to get draft picks out of both is great.
However, Caldwell’s best move came this past week when he managed to trade quarterback Nick Foles and somewhat get away from his bad contract. To make things even better, he was even able to get something in return (a 2020 fourth-round pick) when maybe it should’ve been the other way around. That gave the Jags 12 draft picks and now they are in a situation where their starting quarterback, Gardner Minshew II, is on a sixth-round pick salary for two years.
If Minshew is good in 2020, that’s awesome. If he isn’t, he’ll lead them into a top selection to land his successor. That’s a win-win situation and one in which Jags fans should give props to Caldwell for — whether they like him or not.
QB Gardner Minshew II
Speaking of Minshew, he’s been given (well, actually he earned) the Jags’ QB1 job. Caldwell and coach Marrone already had been giving him praise in the offseason and the decision to move on from Foles was the icing on the cake.
Now, he has 2020 to prove if he’s a franchise quarterback. Jags Wire contributor Phil Smith and I discussed the kind of season Minshew must have to do that in our last episode of “Bleav in the Jags,” which can be heard above.
Minshew was the starter in all of the Jags’ wins last season and flashed some eye-opening traits in the process like the ability to come from behind and impressive deep ball accuracy. He also had some games where the Jags struggled to move the ball as defenses like the New Orleans Saints made him play from the confines of the pocket.
Clearly, he’ll need to show more consistency heading forward because players like Trevor Lawrence and Justin Fields are lurking in the minds of Jags fans and probably the teams scouting department, too. Look for the Jags to add weapons around him in the upcoming draft to put him in the best position to flourish and leave no doubts.
Edge-rusher Josh Allen
The Jags are likely going to take the field without their top two veteran pass-rushers in Yannick Ngakoue and Calais Campbell in 2020, which means Josh Allen is undoubtedly going to start. It appears he’s all but been crowned a leader for the franchise (maybe by default), too.
The rookie set the league on fire and did things no other Jags rookie has done in 2019, further proving he should’ve been a top-5 selection. He managed to accumulate 10.5 sacks as a part-time player and found himself in the Pro Bowl as a result. Those two achievements alone should make him well-respected in a locker room that is young and needs someone with success to guide them.
LB Myles Jack
Myles Jack is one of the last remaining players from the 2017 defensive roster aside from Abry Jones and Ngakoue, however, he didn’t have the 2019 season most had hoped for at MIKE linebacker. It was clear a change was needed after he was named the successor to Paul Posluszny and credit to Caldwell and Marrone for realizing that by adding veteran linebacker Joe Schobert this past week.
Now, with Schobert in the mix, Jack can move to the weak-side linebacker spot where he’s more suited to play and fill the void left by Telvin Smith. From this position, he could probably lead the team in tackles and give them significantly better play near the line of scrimmage.
Free agent additions Joe Schobert and Rodney Gunter
Schobert may be coming to a defense that isn’t nearly as talented as the Cleveland Browns, but in time, he could be a part of something special. He’ll immediately be deemed the defense’s field general, and when looking at the Jags’ history with MIKE linebackers (Posluszny, Daryl Smith, Mike Peterson), one has to like his chances to succeed.
The Jags’ other notable addition in free agency, Rodney Gunter, will be given a grand opportunity as well. He’ll be filling the role of Calais Campbell according to Marrone, who said he’ll play both defensive end and defensive tackle. His deal is a three-year deal worth over $11 million in guarantees, but if he flourishes due to moving from a 3-4 to 4-3, he’ll likely get a payday after his second season.
