5 Free Agents Who Make Sense for the Jaguars To Target Before Training Camp
The Jacksonville Jaguars are six weeks away from training camp, but that doesn't mean their work for the 2022 offseason is over.
Perhaps this year more than ever, there is an abundance of quality veteran free agents who are still available to be signed ahead of training camp. The Jaguars have a young roster that still has holes to fill, so it would make sense for them to keep a close eye on the available free agents before camp begins.
But which free agents would make the most sense to target? We picked five below we believe they should consider.
CB Chris Harris Jr.
If there is one room on the Jaguars' roster where the depth is perhaps thin enough to be truly concerned about, it is the cornerback room. Shaquill Griffin, Tyson Campbell and Darious Williams are all good players and NFL starters, but the Jaguars have two late-round rookies and unproven veterans behind them. Outside of Griffin, Williams and Tre Herndon, it is a very young cornerback room, too.
Chris Harris is 33 and clearly isn't the lockdown corner he used to be, but he could be cheap depth whose leadership pays off in a young room, and he has the experience that no other backups on the roster have. Add in his inside/out positional flexibility and Harris could make a lot of sense to complete the Jaguars' cornerback room.
WR Will Fuller
If there is one thing the Jaguars' offense is missing, it is a deep threat who can take the top off of the defense. The Jaguars' offense was disastrous in part last year because after DJ Chark's injury, all of their passes were forced to be in the short-to-intermediate range because their receiver room didn't have the speed to stretch the field. The Jaguars improved their offensive with Christian Kirk, Zay Jones and Evan Engram this offseason, but none of them is an outside receiver who can be a true deep threat.
Will Fuller, however, is exactly that type of player. He has serious injury concerns after battling injuries throughout his entire NFL career, but he has top-tier speed and is one of the NFL's best deep threats when healthy. The Jaguars wouldn't even need him to be an every-down player like he has been in the past, though, and they have a need for a sixth receiver. The spot is open and Fuller fits it.
DL Jason Pierre-Paul
The Jaguars have done a good job of bolstering their front seven this offseason, adding Travon Walker, Foley Fatukasi and Arden Key and re-signing Adam Gotsis. The Jaguars could still use more depth, especially in terms of their pass-rush unit after Jordan Smith's season-ending injury. That depth could come via an edge rusher or a tweener who can line up inside/outside, and Jason Pierre-Paul is one player who makes sense in that regard,
Pierre-Paul has the skill set to line up in multiple positions and he would be a good veteran voice for a room that still has young pass-rushers in Walker and Josh Allen, especially considering Pierre-Paul entered the NFL with many of the same questions that Walker did. Add in the fact that he spent the last four years with Tampa Bay, where Jaguars defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell was at for the last three years, and the scheme fit is obvious.
RB Justin Jackson
The Jaguars have two running backs they believe can be foundation pieces of the offense in James Robinson and Travis Etienne, and they also traded up in the fifth round this year to select Ole Miss running back Snoop Conner. Head coach Doug Pederson's past suggests he wants at least three running backs who can contribute on game day, so ideally the trio of Robinson/Etienne/Conner can do just that. But Robinson and Etienne are coming off major injuries and Conner is a rookie who is unproven and the Jaguars don't really have any depth behind them. If one of them gets injured, the Jaguars' entire running back room could fall apart.
That is where Justin Jackson would be able to come in. He isn't a lead running back so he would fit naturally as a No. 3 or No. 4 running back and he did well in limited snaps for the Chargers. He averaged 5.0 yards per carry despite only starting seven games in four years and never having more than 68 carries in a season, and he is a pass-catcher too after 65 catches for 508 yards in four seasons. He has the type of skill set and production that could give the Jaguars the type of insurance they need.
CB Kevin King
The Jaguars need to add depth to the cornerback room, as we mentioned before. The cornerback room is shallow after their starting three cornerbacks, featuring two rookies and mostly journeymen backups. The Jaguars have a solid No. 4 cornerback in Tre Herndon who could play inside/outside, but they need another veteran cornerback to truly round out the room.
King struggled at times in Green Bay, but he is also a former high-draft pick who showed serious flashes and could find himself in a Sidney Jones-type resurgence if he lands with the right team. He wouldn't be signed as anything more than depth, but 42 games of starting experience is hard to pass up if you have a thin cornerback room like the Jaguars.
