3 Observations on Jaguars Trading Laviska Shenault to Panthers
The Jacksonville Jaguars continued to reshape their roster under new head coach Doug Pederson on Monday, moving on from a player who was once seen as a potential offensive building block.
A year after former head coach Urban Meyer tabbed wide receiver Laviska Shenault as one of the Jaguars' most dynamic offensive weapons, the Jaguars now saw Shenault as expendable and on the outside looking in. After months of trying to fit Shenault into the Jaguars' new system, the former No. 42 overall pick's tenure with the team ended in a Monday trade to the Carolina Panthers.
So, what do we make of the Jaguars' decision to trade Shenault and what it does mean for the Jaguars moving forward?
Contextualizing Laviska Shenault's place in Doug Pederson's franchise
It is important when looking at any trade to use proper context. In the context of Laviska Shenault, several pieces of evidence are needed to give the situation the justice it deserves.
Firstly, it must be mentioned that the Jaguars and Pederson's staff did try with Shenault. They gave him punt returner reps in the spring when it was clear he wasn't a starting receiver, giving him a chance to earn a spot on the roster by providing special teams value that was previously not a part of his game. The experiment failed, of course, but the Jaguars tried.
Pederson, offensive coordinator Press Taylor and wide receivers coach Chris Jackson all did their parts, as well. For as badly as the Jaguars' 2021 staff mismanaged and arguably ruined Shenault's development, the 2022 staff gave him plenty of chances to succeed early on in training camp. This meant Shenault running as the backup slot receiver behind Christian Kirk and getting designed looks as a running back out of the backfield, as a receiver who motioned into the backfield, or as a receiver utilized heavily on screens.
The issue wasn't Shenault's usage, at least not in camp. He wasn't one of the Jaguars' four best receivers (Christian Kirk, Zay Jones, Marvin Jones, and Jamal Agnew were), so it made sense for the Jaguars to look for any way to get the ball into Shenault's hands that they could.
But it simply didn't bear any results. Shenault looked slower and less sure of himself than he did even as a rookie, no longer playing with the confidence that was once a key part of his game. Eventually, the Jaguars figured out that if there was any player to use as a gadget player, Agnew was the better option. And if there was a better player to use as Kirk's backup, it too was Agnew.
The Jaguars wanted to try to salvage something out of Shenault's time with the franchise, at least in 2022. It just didn't work. It isn't all of Shenault's fault that his time with the Jaguars ended with a trade; three offensive coordinators and four head coaches in three seasons helped derail his development. But it was time for both sides to move on.
The Jaguars' 2020 draft class continues to look like one of the worst in franchise history
The Jaguars have had some brutal draft classes and draft picks in their short history. Of the few good classes the Jaguars have had, such as the 2016 class, few players remain. Simply put, the Jaguars fall on their face in April more than most franchises. But even in the context of the Jaguars' epic draft failures, the 2020 draft class still looks like one of the worst the team has ever produced.
There are reasons for that; the COVID-19 pandemic turned the entire draft process upside down, plus the rookies of that class were brought into the NFL at one of the worst times possible for their developments. But other teams entered the 2020 draft and left with star players and strong classes, so the Jaguars can't exactly use the COVID-19 excuse when all 32 teams dealt with it.
Now, fewer than two years since the class debuted against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 1 of the 2020 season, only six of the 12 draft picks remain. Two (DaVon Hamilton, Ben Bartch )are projected to be starters, with four others as backups on defense (K'Lavon Chaisson, Shaquille Quarterman, Daniel Thomas, Chris Claybrooks).
The best player they acquired during the draft cycle was undrafted running back James Robinson, who they passed on 12 times. The lone remaining top-50 pick from the class is Chaisson, who has two sacks in two seasons and is largely still on the roster in 2022 because the Jaguars lack the depth at outside linebacker to unseat him.
Moving forward, the upside for the 2020 class is limited. Hamilton is a solid player, but he is just a nose tackle; if a third-round nose tackle is your best pick, the class is likely bordering on all-time levels of bad. And while Bartch will likely start in 2022, the jury is still out on his actual effectiveness.
The Jaguars no longer have CJ Henderson, Shenault, Josiah Scott, Collin Johnson, Jake Luton, or Tyler Davis on the roster. Fast forward a year, and they could have even fewer members of the 2020 class still on the 53-man roster. Dave Caldwell and Doug Marrone's final shot at nailing a draft was arguably among the worst in franchise history, and it looks even worse today than it did yesterday.
Jaguars are in dire need of a No. 6 WR entering cut day
The Jaguars were always going to keep a close eye on the receiver cuts around the league, even if a Shenault trade didn't materialize. Now that it has, the urgency to find a sixth receiver for the 53-man roster is likely palpable. The Jaguars could venture to go into the season with five receivers, but they already have one (Agnew) coming off injury and another (Kirk) who was injured during training camp, which reflected the lack of depth at the position.
As things stand today, the Jaguars have a serviceable trio of starting wideouts, one backup slot in Agnew and one backup outside receiver in second-year receiver Tim Jones. They could stand to add another receiver who can play on the outside since both Zay Jones and Tim Jones can line up in the slot as well, and the Jaguars did remove most of their size and strength by trading Shenault and releasing Treadwell.
No. 6 receiver was always going to be a need for the Jaguars entering Tuesday. The need is only now more apparent because the roster spot has become open sooner than expected. The Jaguars may not find anything worthwhile on the wire considering how much of a dumpster fire the Tyron Johnson claim was last year, but they should still be active in their pursuit for more receiver depth.
