The good news is that the Jaguars have two major things going for them. They have a strong run game as well as a strong run defense. However, the NFL is a passing game, and with some injuries on both sides of the ball, the Jaguars weren’t going anywhere in the 2011 season.
Jacksonville still has a long way to go before they can be a competitive football team. While the improvement of Blaine Gabbart would help the team more than anything, there are a number of other positions that the Jaguars can address in free agency and get some instant upgrades. They have shown in the past that they aren’t afraid to make free agent additions. On defense alone they’ve added Matt Roth, Paul Posluszny, Clint Session, Dawan Landry and Dwight Lowery last year. We could see the makeover continue in the coming months. There are still improvements that can be made on the defensive side of the ball, as well as help in the passing game.
Primary Need: Wide Receiver
In 2010 the Jaguars had Mike Sims-Walker (+3.5) and Mike Thomas (+4.9) leading the way and things were acceptable. However, they let Sims-Walker go and Thomas (-4.8) wasn’t as successful as the number one receiver in 2011. Thomas had caught two thirds of the passes thrown his way in 2010, but dropped to 51.2% this past year. For much of the year Jason Hill was the other starting receiver, but the Jaguars gave up on him mid-season. Jarett Dillard (-7.7) took over the starting job took over the starting job and didn’t look any better with just 1.6 yards per catch after contact and four dropped passes. While they added Brian Robiskie mid-season it was after the playmaker needy Browns released him and the Jags still need a true number one receiver.
The Jaguars could throw a lot of money at any of the big name receivers. While it might be hard to find someone who wants to catch balls from Blaine Gabbart, one name that might work out is Robert Meachem (+4.2). He never caught more than five passes in a game in 2011 and could be looking for a big pay day where he can be “the guy” rather than “one of the guys”. He had 15.9 yards per catch, and is a deep threat that the Jaguars are currently lacking.
Secondary Need: Defensive End
In 2008, the Jaguars reached for defensive end Derrick Harvey in the first round to try fixing their defensive end needs. Whenever a first round pick doesn’t make it four years with the team that drafted him, he is a bust. One solution has been Jeremy Mincey (+19.9), who is definitely a free agent that the Jaguars should re-sign. The Jaguars brought in Aaron Kampman who hasn’t been able to stay healthy, and Matt Roth (+8.2) who has helped more against the run than rushing the passer. While John Chick (+6.8) stepped up with 20 overall pressures in just 180 snaps, he ended the year on injured reserve.
Teams like taking players from other teams in their divisions, which would work out well for the Jaguars in this situation. If they want to break the bank, then they could add Mario Williams (+18.3 in 2010) and be set at that defensive end position for years to come. A more realistic situation might be adding Robert Mathis from the Colts. He started the season strong with seven sacks/hits in the first five games, then hit a lull with just one against the following four teams, but ended strong with ten in the last seven games. His ten sacks this past year is more than any Jaguar over the last four seasons.
Tertiary Need: Cornerback
The Jaguars cornerback position was decimated with injuries last year. Cornerback Rashean Mathis has been leading the position for years in Jacksonville, but he will be 32 before the start of the season, ended this past year on injured reserve, and is an unrestricted free agent. While they have some young talent in Derek Cox (+5.9) and William Middleton (+10.0), neither has shown they can consistently play well and remain healthy. With the Mathis era coming to an end either now or the near future, the other young players will need some competition.
One man who could come to town is Brandon Carr (+2.7) who was with Kansas City. After the Chiefs decided to go with Stanford Routt, Carr became much more expendable. Over his last five games in a Chiefs uniform, he was thrown at 21 times and allowed just five catches for 51 yards, and had two interceptions and four passes defended. He would make a suitable replacement for Mathis and should be able to stay in the lineup for years to come.
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