5 Things We Learned About the Jaguars This Spring
School is out for the summer for the Jacksonville Jaguars. For the next six weeks, players will train, recover, relax and mentally prepare for the gruelling grind that is training camp.
The Jaguars have spent the last several months introducing their new culture and offensive and defensive schemes to their new-look roster. From OTAs to minicamps to everything in between, the Jaguars have been hard at work this spring.
What have we learned about the Jaguars during that period and what could it all mean moving forward? We break it down below.
Trent Baalke and Doug Pederson's relationship has had a healthy start
Even in front of the podium last year, it never seemed like Urban Meyer and Trent Baalke meshed. Meyer was Shad Khan's hire and Baalke more or less had to accept he had to work with Meyer if he wanted to be general manager. This arranged marriage had predictable results, with the two never really gelling during the lost 2021 season. So far, though, that hasn't appeared to be the case with Baalke and head coach Doug Pederson, whose working relationship has seemingly gone swimmingly so far.
Reports during the Jaguars head coach search were that Pederson was cautious about working with Baalke, but it appears the two have made it work in a big way. There is clear cohesion between the two when they speak and when they interact on the practice field, and it actually appears their philosophies mesh in a way that we didn't see from Baalke and Meyer. Whether that leads to wins or sustained success is not yet known, but they are off to a better start than Baalke and Meyer were.
How Pederson's coaching staff differs from Meyer's
One big thing we learned this spring is just how detail-oriented the Jaguars' new coaching staff is. The fact that they have more former players on the staff this year than they did last year could potentially play a part, but Pederson clearly placed an emphasis on hiring coaches who were elite teachers as opposed to coaches who are more known for their college reputations.
From wide receivers coach Chris Jackson to offensive line coach Phil Rauscher to defensive line coach Brentson Buckner, the Jaguars have multiple vocal teachers who do a good job of explaining the little parts of their crafts to their players. So far, the energy and attitude of the Jaguars' practices from their coaches have been a big lift compared to what we were able to observe last year.
Kicker is a big concern that might not have an answer
There are a lot of question marks on the Jaguars' roster, ranging from Trevor Lawrence's development to the skill group to a young and not-so-deep secondary. But the biggest and most impactful question mark looks to be the kicker position, where it remains unclear if the Jaguars' answer is even on the roster. The Jaguars don't have a proven kicker on the roster and Matthew Wright didn't have the leg strength they require, leaving them with two unproven options who are big question marks.
Ryan Santoso and Andrew Mevis are going to battle it out during training camp for the role, but it remains to be seen if this is actually a good thing for the Jaguars. Santoso has never been an every-week kicker in the NFL and been inconsistent at best in his career despite having a strong leg. Mevis, meanwhile, is a rookie who would be hard to completely trust and buy into in a high-leverage situation. The Jaguars have a kicker problem, and they might not have a solution unless Santoso or Mevis takes a big step in training camp.
The Jaguars are getting good news on their injured players
The Jaguars limped to the finish line in 2021 considering all the injuries they had. James Robinson, Jamal Agnew, Rayshawn Jenkins, Jay Tufele and Travis Etienne are just a few players who suffered injuries that one way or another ended their seasons last year. So far this spring though, the Jaguars are seemingly plenty of good news on their injured players. When you compare this to situations like Green Bay with David Bakhtiari and the Jaguars are in a lucky spot.
Robinson wasn't cleared for practice this spring, but he has begun running and the former 1,000-yard rusher has said he expects to be back at some time in training camp. Agnew looked extremely close to 100% in minicamp, while Etienne is 100% enough to the point where he didn't even need to be at minicamp this week. Jenkins and Tufele both appear to be progressing very well, too. The Jaguars have gotten good news on the injury front outside of Jordan Smith's knee injury.
The Jaguars' receiving talent has improved, but the offense might not have a field-stretcher — again
The Jaguars clearly upgraded their skill group this offseason. Whether they upgraded it enough to the point where it becomes at least an average to above-average unit remains to be seen, but Christian Kirk and Evan Engram are upgrades to what the Jaguars had in their spots last season. Going from DJ Chark to Zay Jones, however, could prove to be problematic for the Jaguars and a quarterback who loves to push the ball downfield.
When looking at the Jaguars' roster and watching them practice, it is easy to see the Jaguars are missing a vertical threat in their offense. Kirk can be a vertical player from the slot, but the Jaguars don't have a speedster who can win on the outside and near the sideline in Jones, Laquon Treadwell, Laviska Shenault, or any of their other wideouts. The Jaguars have a lot of slot types and possession types, but they are missing a deep threat in a big enough way that it even stood out in spring practices.
