Crimson Tide NFL Team Rundown: Jacksonville Jaguars

In 2021, the Jacksonville Jaguars were the worst team in the NFL, winning just three games and landing the first-overall in the 2022 NFL Draft. A season later, the they finished first in the AFC South and won a postseason game to advance to the divisional round of the AFC playoffs. Their seemingly miracle turnaround ended, however, with Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs dashing the Jaguars AFC title hopes.

But the Jaguars were able to hang with the eventual Super Bowl champions, losing by just a touchdown. Meanwhile, even with its success last season, Jacksonville also kept an eye on its future. At the trade deadline it acquired the rights to former Alabama Crimson Tide wide receiver Calvin Ridley, who had been suspended for the entire 2022 season due to a gambling issue. Ridley,

Ridley's best season came in 2020 when he became the featured weapon of the Falcons offense, totaling 1,347 yards and nine touchdowns. He's on target to play in his first game since October 2021 when the Jaguars line up to face the Colts in Indianapolis on Sept. 10.

The length of time since Ridley's last NFL appearance doesn't mean he's lost a step, with John Shipley of Jaguar Report reporting that Ridley has, "stolen the show over the first two weeks of training camp, and for good reason. The former Atlanta Falcons and Alabama Crimson Tide star has looked every bit the part of a No. 1 receiver and has been an issue for seemingly every Jaguars' defensive back to cover with consistency outside of [Tyson] Campbell."

With quarterback Trevor Lawrence aiming to improve his third year in the NFL, after passing for 4,113 yards and 25 touchdowns last season, the Jaguars figure to have a lot of offensive firepower. Starting running back Travis Etienne is Lawrence's backfield mate from Clemson. He totaled 1,125 rushing yards, 316 receiving yards, and eight total touchdowns in 2022.

Wide receiver Christian Kirk is coming off the best year of his career, with 1,108 yards and eight touchdowns, while Zay Jones had 827 receiving yards and five touchdowns. Tight end Evan Engram revitalized his career with 766 yards and four touchdowns, earning a three-year contract extension worth $41.25 million. With the addition of Calvin Ridley, the Jaguars aim to go from having a top-ten offensive unit to the upper echelon of the NFL.

In addition to Ridley, the Jaguars have one other Alabama player: offensive lineman Cam Robinson. The former second-round draft pick has slowly developed as a left tackle during his NFL career but has not made the leap to being one of the top tackles in the NFL. That being said, he has yet to Lawrence get absolutely blown up from the blindside. However, he'll miss the first four games of the 2023 season for violating the NFL's performance-enhancing drug policy.

Overall, the Jaguars should see an elevated level of play in 2023, starting with Lawrence. If he can rise to an MVP-type level and do as much for Jacksonville as he did for the Clemson, the Jaguars will be in great shape. Ridley and Lawrence could form a great combination. In addition to those two, the Jaguars defense should see an improvement as well, with pass rusher Trevon Walker entering his second season. With premiere pass rusher Josh Allen seeing most of the attention on the other side of the line, Walker should have a clear path to causing havoc for opposing offenses in 2023.