Which 3 Positions Make the Most Sense for the Jaguars to Target in Free Agency?

At 4 p.m. next Wednesday, the 2020 free agency period will begin. Agents' phones will ring off of the hook as they look to finalize deals for their clients with teams throughout the league, and players will say their goodbyes to their old clubs and hello to their new homes.

The Jacksonville Jaguars and the other 31 teams will be jockeying for the services of several key veterans, but with every team having vastly different needs and capital to sign free agents, the period is one of uncertainty. Who will land where, and which team will roll out the Brink's truck won't be determined for at least a few more days, and there will certainly be some surprises as there is every offseason.

The Jaguars have frequently played a large role in the hysterics that is the start of free agency, with big contracts handed out in recent years to Malik Jackson, A.J. Bouye, Calais Campbell, Andrew Norwell, Nick Foles, and others.

But this year could be drastically different. With the Jaguars set to have limited cap space, and with the impending franchise or transition tagging of defensive end Yannick Ngakoue, (each of which will cost more than $16 million, with the franchise tag costing $19.3 million), the Jaguars may be approaching this year's free agency differently. Instead of looking to set the market, they could realistically opt to add cheaper options to fill out the depth of the roster and even push for starting jobs.

With this in mind, there are a few positions that make the most target for the Jaguars to target during free agency. From a need and resources viewpoint, here are the three positions we believe the Jaguars would logically seek to upgrade in free agency.

Tight end

With this year's tight end draft class expected to be lacking in terms of both depth and top-end talent, it could be hard to find a reliable starter in April. Because of this, it would make a lot of sense for the Jaguars to target the veteran bargain bin for a tight end option, just as they have done for the last two seasons with Austin Seferian-Jenkins and Geoff Swaim.

Jacksonville badly needs to add to the tight end position one way or another, and with 2019 third-round pick Josh Oliver still in the fold, it would be reasonable for the Jaguars to pair Oliver with a veteran who is ready to make an impact now as opposed to bringing in another young and developing tight end.

Austin Hooper is a stylistic fit for the Jaguars because of his steadiness as a pass-catcher and ability to be a red-zone threat, but he will likely price himself out of the Jaguars' range as he is expected to become the league's highest-paid tight end when he signs a new deal.

Instead of pursuing Hooper, the Jaguars could look to cheaper veteran options such as Eric Ebron, Jacob Hollister, or Jordan Reed. Jacksonville needs to win now and rookie tight ends historically progress slower than other positions, making this an obvious area for them to look to upgrade in free agency with a cost-effective option.

Cornerback

After trading cornerbacks A.J. Bouye and Jalen Ramsey in recent months, the Jaguars have a glaring need in the secondary moving into 2020. This makes them a prime candidate to select a cornerback early in the 2020 NFL Draft, but also a candidate to add a veteran option to their ranks.

With Bouye and Ramsey no longer in the fold, picture, Jacksonville's cornerback position currently consists of Tre Herndon, D.J. Hayden, Parry Nickerson, and Brandon Watson. Those four cornerbacks combine for a total of 57 career starts, with 54 of those belonging to Herndon (14) and Hayden (40). So even with the Jaguars expected to take a cornerback in April, it wouldn't be hard to foresee the team double-dipping at the position.

Due to Jacksonville's lack of cap space, they are unlikely to be landing spots for Byron Jones, Chris Harris, or James Bradberry, but other veteran options with starting experience make a lot of sense for them to pursue. This could include players like Jimmy Smith, Brian Poole, Kendal Fuller, or Ross Cockrell.

Jacksonville needs to badly revamp its cornerback position, with the group needing upgrades in terms of depth, youth, and overall talent. The Jaguars could add a cornerback on a cheaper year while still having the flexibility to draft one in the early rounds in April if needed. If the rookie is ready to start right away, then great. If not, then the Jaguars have a backup plan in place.

Linebacker

Like tight end, this year's linebacker draft class may not match up well with what the Jaguars need at the position in 2020. There are a few high-profile outside linebacker candidates, such as Isaiah Simmons and Kenneth Murray, but the inside linebacker group is middling.

Unfortunately for the Jaguars, an inside linebacker seems to be the linebacker position they should prioritize considering the struggles of Myles Jack at Mike in 2019. Because of this, the Jaguars could look to free agency to potentially find a stopgap starter in the middle of the defense.

The Jaguars will likely be unable to afford the large contracts that players such as Cory Littleton and Joe Schobert will command, but other options such as Nick Kwiatkoski, Danny Trevathan, Nigel Bradham, and Christian Kirksey could be realistic options.

Jacksonville needs to find a veteran for their linebacker group quickly, and this year's crop of free agents at the position is a relatively deep one. Entrusting a rookie with commanding the defense on the field could be seen as too large of an ask considering the Jaguars' win-now mandate, so it stands to reason that they could instead target a veteran on a short-term deal.