Dolphins 2020 Opponent Breakdown: Week 3 — Jacksonville Jaguars
As the Miami Dolphins continue to prepare for the 2020 regular season as best they can during this most unusual offseason, we will be dissecting their upcoming opponents.
Next up will be the Jacksonville Jaguars for the Week 3 Thursday night game at TIAA Bank Field.
JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS
2019 Record: 6-10, Fourth in AFC South
Last Dolphins-Jaguars Meeting: 2018 at Miami — Jaguars 17, Dolphins 7
This had to be one of the most depressing Dolphins performances in recent years. Needing a victory in their home finale in Week 16 to keep their playoff hopes alive, the Dolphins instead could manage nothing offensively after scoring on their opening drive. To make matters worse, Jacksonville pretty much sealed the victory when linebacker Telvin Smith returned an interception for a touchdown in the fourth quarter. The Dolphins managed only 183 total yards and were 2-for-9 in third-down conversions. In his final home game as Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill was 15-for-22 for 146 yards with one touchdown (a shovel pass to Brandon Bolden) and the one pick. The defense did finish with six sacks, including the first of the season for the since-departed Charles Harris.
Season in Review: It was a strange year for the Jaguars, who paid big money in the offseason for free agent quarterback Nick Foles, only to watch him go down with a fractured clavicle on his first touchdown pass of the season in the opener. In came rookie sixth-round pick Gardner Minshew, who became a fan favorite and turned in a very good performance. But the Jaguars defense continued its slide after being one of the best units in the league in 2017 and the Jaguars lost five in a row after being 4-4 at the halfway mark. Minshew was 6-6 in his 12 starts and had a solid 91.2 passer rating.
Key Veteran Additions: TE Tyler Eifert, LB Joe Schobert, CB Rashaan Melvin
The last time the Dolphins saw Eifert, he scored a touchdown at Hard Rock Stadium in the final seconds after an onside kick recovery to help the Cincinnati Bengals overcome a 35-12 fourth-quarter deficit to send the game to overtime before Miami prevailed. A former first-round pick out of Notre Dame, Eifert was productive in Cincinnati when he wasn't out with injuries. Schobert was a tackling machine for the Cleveland Browns the past three seasons, leading the NFL with 144 tackles in 2017 and finishing 10th last season with 133. Melvin, who had a stint with the Dolphins in 2014, will be playing for his fourth team in four years after starting 29 games for the Colts, Raider and Lions the past three seasons.
Key Departures: DE Calais Campbell, CB A.J. Bouye, QB Nick Foles
The best proof that the Jaguars are in rebuilding mode was the trade of those three players. While moving Foles and his big contract made sense after the emergence of Minshew, the Jaguars gave up on two of their best defensive players when they sent Campbell to the Ravens and Bouye to the Broncos.
Notable 2020 Draft Picks: CB C.J. Henderson, DE K'Lavon Chaisson, WR Laviska Shenault
Henderson, out of the University of Florida, was considered on a par by some analysts with Ohio State's Jeff Okudah as the best cornerback in the draft, so getting him at number 9 could help make up for the 2019 midseason trade of Jalen Ramsey to the Rams. Chaisson, obtained with the first-round pick the Jaguars got from the Rams for Ramsey, should help the pass rush. Shenault, from Colorado, was part of a supremely talented wide receiver draft class and will provide more options in what is shaping up as a very good wide receiver corps for the Jaguars.
Prognosis: The Jaguars have been viewed as being in full rebuilding mode after the trades of Campbell, Bouye and Foles, and defensive end Yannick Ngakoue and running back Leonard Fournette both were rumored on their way out as well throughout the offseason though they still were on the roster as June arrived. The defense doesn't look much like the group that helped Jacksonville reach the 2017 AFC Championship Game, though there is some talent remaining with Ngakoue (assuming he stays), linebacker Myles Jack and the two first-round picks. The offense has some interesting potential, particularly in the passing game with Minshew and wide receivers DJ Chark, Dede Westbrook and Shenault. Still, most NFL power rankings have the Jaguars as a pretty unanimous choice as the No. 32 team in the league.
