Coming into the 2019 season, it was clear the Jacksonville Jaguars’ front office needed to upgrade the team’s offense as the unit wasn’t where in needed to be to continue their playoff hopes. That said, they highlighted their offseason by investing a lot of money into the most important position on the field and acquiring Nick Foles, who has been a dominant force in the last two postseasons.
Afterward, with a tricky cap situation, they added help around him to the best of their abilities and also boosted the offense with some early selections in the draft in offensive tackle Jawaan Taylor and tight end Josh Oliver.
Now, with their most important acquisitions already made, lets take a look at the offensive group as a whole to compare their Week 1 starters from 2018 to the players they’re projected to start in 2019:
Quarterback
2018: Blake Bortles
2019: Nick Foles
Man, this position is proof of how things can change in such a short amount of time.
It wasn’t that long ago that some Jags fans were celebrating the contract Blake Bortles received from the front office, who emphasized the message that he was their future quarterback going forward. There were also some, like ourselves, who were skeptical on the deal because even in 2017 Bortles never truly found consistency. In the end, those were the fans who ended up being right about Bortles as the front office decided to part ways with him although there were plenty of issues around the young quarterback in 2018, too.
Now, a season later, the Jags have brought in a new signal-caller in Foles, who will be coming off two postseason runs with the Philadelphia Eagles. Clearly, it appears the reason for that was experience as Foles is three years older than Bortles and has played for multiple teams.
As we’ve said in the past, Foles is probably an upgrade over Bortles but the bigger question is whether or not he’s worth almost double the amount of guaranteed money that Bortles was. Simply put, if he brings consistency to the offense and can make teams respect the Jags’ passing game the answer to that is, yes. Foles is more than capable of that, however, I would’ve probably gone with Dwayne Haskins for the sake of his upside and the cap relief he’d provide for the future.
Still, it appears the Jags have found an upgrade in Foles, and if the team can stay healthy around him, he gives them a good chance to make the postseason.
Running back
2018: Leonard Fournette
2019: Leonard Fournette
With the Jags committing a first-round pick to Fournette, it was clear Tom Coughlin would hold on to him another year despite his incidents on and off the field in 2018-19 because it would simply look bad for the front office. However, there is no disputing the young tailback’s talent when healthy.
The good news for Fournette is that it appears he’ll be given a shot to once again become the featured weapon of the offense as offensive coordinator John DeFilippo basically came out to say it last week. If he can meet those expectations with similar stats to his 2017 campaign, or better, there is no reason the Jags can’t compete for first place in the AFC South, or acquire a wildcard playoff berth.
One thing is for sure, Fournette now has an offensive mind in DeFilippo and a serviceable quarterback in Foles who can alleviate the pressure off him. If he doesn’t take advantage of it in 2019, then he ultimately would have nobody to blame but himself as the team has given him ample opportunities.
Tight end
2018: Austin Seferian-Jenkins
2019: Geoff Swaim
There were many fans who thought the Jags should’ve picked up Austin Seferian-Jenkins’ contract option this offseason, but they ultimately decided to move on. He’ll now look to fill the shoes of Rob Gronkowski as best as he can, while the Jags look to crown a new No. 1 tight end in training camp.
With the Jags signing Geoff Swaim in March, then adding Oliver in the draft, it’s clear the battle for Seferian-Jenkins’ spot will come down to one of the two. Simply put, Swaim is a better in-line blocker, which should be the reason the Jags technically name him the “starter” at the position if they want to make Fournette the primary weapon.
Personally, when healthy I think Seferian-Jenkins would’ve been a better option than Swaim, and he’s a player that I could see DeFilippo getting more production out of than Swaim. For that reason, I don’t believe the Jags got better at the tight end position from the standpoint of finding a starter, but the group looks to be better than 2018’s group as a whole, which doesn’t necessarily say a lot.
Offensive line
2018: Cam Robinson, Andrew Norwell, Brandon Linder, A.J. Cann, Jermey Parnell
2019: Cam Robinson, Andrew Norwell, Brandon Linder, A.J. Cann, Jawaan Taylor
The Jags were riddled with injuries all around their offensive line last season, and it turned out to be a key reason they were only able to register five wins. To start the season, they lost Cam Robinson Week 2 against the New England Patriots, and mid-way through the season, Andrew Norwell and Brandon Linder ended up joining him on injured reserve, too. Jermey Parnell later joined the trio in December, leaving A.J. Cann as the lone Week 1 starter to finish the season.
Now, all of the linemen who went on IR will be returning except Parnell, who the team released. To replace him, the Jags drafted arguably the best right tackle and run blocker in the draft with the selection of Taylor. Needless to say, it was a huge move that some thought would require a first-round selection, but the Jags were fortunate that he fell in their laps in the second-round.
Sure, it’s going to take Taylor some time to learn the game, but at the end of the day, he gives the Jags a solid (and cheaper) option to replace someone who was their oldest player. For that reason, I’d definitely say the Jags made an upgrade on their offensive line this season.
Wide receiver
2018: Dede Westbrook, Keelan Cole, DJ Chark, Donte Moncrief, Rashad Greene Sr., Jaydon Mickens
2019: Chris Conley, Dede Westbrook, DJ Chark, Marqise Lee, Keelan Cole, Tyre Brady
Injuries also hurt this group last season as Marqise Lee was on IR with a severe knee injury before the regular season could start. This forced Keelan Cole into an increased role, which proved to be too much for him in some ways. DJ Chark, a rookie at the time, also struggled as a receiver, while Donte Moncrief also didn’t prove to be No. 1 or No. 2 receiver material either. That left Dede Westbrook an opportunity to flourish, and he did just that as the lone bright spot of the group.
This season, many have voiced their displeasure with the Jags’ not adding any notable help aside from Chris Conley, but those same fans are missing the biggest point of the Jags’ offseason. Simply put, the front office all but admitted that they believed the quarterback position was more of an issue than receiver, and by fixing that, they clearly believe the unit they have can flourish. After all, why else would you pay Foles the biggest free-agent contract in team history despite still owing Bortles?
That said, by upgrading quarterbacks I believe they’ve upgraded their receiving corps. Additionally, the group has talented pieces in Chark and Westbrook who should only get better after the experience they got last season. Foles should only help them live up to their first-round type potential, which should improve the passing game from an overall standpoint.
Overall
Clearly, the Jags’ offense is better than it was in 2018 with solid upgrades being made to the quarterback position and the offensive line. It’s also possible they’ve found a dark horse starter in Conley, who has athletic traits through the roof.
At the tailback position, the Jags were able to get solid options behind Fournette if he has to miss games, while Oliver could be a big-time weapon under DeFilippo’s scheme despite the tight end group as a whole being questionable.
The biggest question, of course, will be how significantly better Foles makes the unit. If they don’t make the playoffs and his cast is predominantly healthy around him, it’s safe to say they probably were wrong to pay him the expensive contract that they did. However, if they do make the playoffs and the offense can be a top-12 unit, then fans could definitely label this offseason’s additions a success.
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