Free agency started this week with the tampering period beginning on Monday and the new league year beginning Wednesday. With it now being Friday, fans can now officially say the first set of roster moves are in the books though there is plenty of work left to be done.
Things started rather slowly for the Jacksonville Jaguars this week, who didn’t make a sound during the first day of the tampering period. However, when Day 2 rolled around they made a splash signing by adding middle linebacker Joe Schobert to their defense and also potentially added a starter at cornerback in Darqueze Dennard.
The next day they followed that up with another big move by trading veteran quarterback Nick Foles to the Chicago Bears for a compensatory fourth-round pick. While the move was a subtraction as opposed to a signing, many fans were happy with the fact that the Jags were able to unload some of his contract and free up future expenses to rebuild with.
As a result of their moves this week which will be pivotal to a rebuild, they’ve received good marks around the web. Our comrades at Touchdown Wire handed out grades for all 32 franchises this week, and the Jags earned a B grade.
Here’s what was said about the job the Jags’ front office has done so far:
Linebacker Joe Schobert is growing into one of the league’s better all-around linebackers, and with a need at the second level of their defense, Schobert’s signing is very logical. However, he comes at a steep price, given his five-year $54.75 million dollar contract. Darqueze Dennard is a bit of a risk at cornerback, but he can provide some depth in the secondary. But what boosts Jacksonville’s grade, even given what they’ve lost this off-season (Calais Campbell, A.J. Bouye and in all likelihood Yannick Ngakoue) is the fact they unloaded Nick Foles and his contract to the Chicago Bears, and got an asset in return. Even a fourth-round selection is better than nothing.
Of course, Schobert’s signing came up as the focal point being that he was the most expensive. Even with his contract being steep, it will have a minimal impact on the Jags financially because of the decisions to get Calais Campbell, A.J. Bouye, and Marcell Dareus off the books.
As mentioned, general manager Dave Caldwell deserves props for getting something in return for each veteran. He especially deserves praise for getting the Bears to bail him out of Foles’ big contract (though the Jags will eat a hefty cap hit) and getting a draft pick for him in return.
With the new wave of moves coming up this weekend and the marquee names being signed, the Jags probably will have a hard time finding starters but it’s not impossible. There are still names out there like defensive tackles Shelby Harris and Damon Harrison who would help significantly and the Jags have the draft compensation to make a trade or two before the draft.
