2021 Free Agency: Which Players Have Experience With the Jaguars’ Staff?
The NFL's legal tampering period will begin on Monday, just two days before the landscape of the league changes due to the annual frenzy known as free agency.
One of the main players in that landscape is expected to be the Jacksonville Jaguars, who led the NFL in available cap space before re-signing Tre Herndon and Tyler Shatley.
The Jaguars need a major influx of experienced talent after a 1-15 season. New head coach Urban Meyer wants to turn the ship around quickly, but the roster is the NFL's youngest ahead of free agency. The Jaguars need considerable additions in March and Meyer knows this as well as anyone.
But Meyer also knows that free agency is a risky business. It isn't like a simple game of Madden where you sign the highest-rated player and slot them into your lineup. Countless factors go into whether a signing is a success or not, and these are factors Meyer and his staff will have to learn how to navigate in the coming days.
"Unfortunately, you can’t fly the guys in like the old days and I can’t wait for that to come back. So, you’re talking about organizational decisions made by people there’s chances we have not spent much time with them, and to be honest with you, I don’t feel great about that," Meyer said last Tuesday.
"I feel great about the coaches that have done their work behind the scenes digging up or else have had previous experience with them coaching them in the room. We’re probably going to lean on [them] more in that scenario, so I’ve hired a bunch of guys from the NFL that have NFL experience. If they’ve had [experience with] them, I feel much better about someone we just don’t know.”
So, which notable free agents this year have the kind of experience with Jacksonville's coaches that Meyer is seeking? We put together a list of the most obvious and impactful names below, breaking down their connections to the staff and their fit to the roster and new direction of the team.
WR Kenny Golladay
Connection on Jaguars staff: offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell.
Does he fit?: Yes. Urban Meyer said he wanted to add a big-play threat and Golladay is exactly that. He missed time last season but has a career yards per catch mark of 16.8, a stellar figure. He caught 85 passes for 1,528 yards (18.0 yards per catch) and 13 touchdowns in 21 games under Bevell over two years.
RB Chris Carson
Connection on Jaguars staff: offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell and passing game coordinator Brian Schottenheimer.
Does he fit?: Yes and no. The Jaguars truly don't need to spend at the running back position, but all signs point to them adding a veteran. All 715 of Chris Carson's career carries have come under either Bevell or Schottenheimer, however, so he makes sense as a familiar face if they want to bring one in.
QB Alex Smith
Connection on Jaguars staff: head coach Urban Meyer and general manager Trent Baalke.
Does he fit?: Yes. While Gardner Minshew is younger, cheaper, and likely a better quarterback as of today, Alex Smith is likely the best veteran mentor at the quarterback position in the NFL today.
QB Geno Smith
Connection on Jaguars staff: passing game coordinator Brian Schottenheimer.
Does he fit?: If the Jaguars want a veteran backup passer instead of Gardner Minshew, Geno Smith would give them a player Schottenheimer is familiar with. There are better options out there, however.
WR David Moore
Connection on Jaguars staff: offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell and passing game coordinator Brian Schottenheimer.
Does he fit?: As a No. 5 or No. 6 receiver, yes, but not as a guy you add to overhaul your receiver group. He did catch 78 passes for 1,163 yards and 13 touchdowns over the last three years in Schottenheimer's offense.
WR Golden Tate
Connection on Jaguars staff: offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell.
Does he fit?: Golden Tate played in Bevell's offense in Seattle from 2011-2013, catching 144 passes for 1,968 yards and 15 touchdowns. He hasn't produced at a high level since 2017 but he is experienced and could function as a backup receiver if he is willing to take a diminished role.
WR Marvin Jones
Connection on Jaguars staff: offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell.
Does he fit?: Maybe not as the big-play threat the Jaguars want, but he would be a logical replacement for Keelan Cole due to the similarity in their styles. He caught 18 touchdowns in Bevell's offense the last two seasons.
TE Jacob Hollister
Connection on Jaguars staff: passing game coordinator Brian Schottenheimer.
Does he fit?: After catching eight passes for 94 yards in two years in New England, Hollister caught 66 passes for 558 yards and three touchdowns over the last two seasons in Seattle. He did this while starting eight games and playing 46% of the snaps in 2019 and 35% of them in 2020. He knows Schottenheimer's passing scheme and produced in it to a solid level as a backup. For cheap veteran depth, he makes a lot of sense.
C Ethan Pocic
Connection on Jaguars staff: offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell and passing game coordinator Brian Schottenheimer.
Does he fit?: No. The Jaguars have their depth interior offensive linemen in Ben Bartch and Tyler Shatley.
TE Jesse James
Connection on Jaguars staff: offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell.
Does he fit?: Jesse James was a massive free agent bust in Detroit and only caught 30 passes for 271 yards and two touchdowns in Bevell's offense. He could be a decent option as a backup brought in to block, however.
WR Noah Brown
Connection on Jaguars staff: head coach Urban Meyer and wide receiver coach Sanjay Lal.
Does he fit?: Noah Brown played for Urban Meyer at Ohio State and was coached in Dallas by Sanjay Lal. He is a depth receiver at this stage and shouldn't be considered a lock for the roster if added but he would be interesting depth.
WR Curtis Samuel
Connection on Jaguars staff: head coach Urban Meyer.
Does he fit?: Yes. Meyer coached Samuel at Ohio State and knows exactly how to use his multiple skill-set. He would give the Jaguars a boost of speed and playmaking in the receiver room that could only be rivaled on this list by Golladay.
WR Danny Amendola
Connection on Jaguars staff: offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell.
Does he fit?: Eh? He isn't a speed receiver at all and is on the back nine of his career, but he is a slot expert, which the Jaguars don't have.
RB Todd Gurley
Connection on Jaguars staff: running backs coach Bernie Parmalee.
Does he fit?: No. Todd Gurley is no longer the explosive and dynamic rusher he once was, which Bernie Parmalee should know as well as anyone following Gurley's 2020 season in Atlanta.
RB Brian Hill
Connection on Jaguars staff: running backs coach Bernie Parmalee.
Does he fit?: To an extent. Bernie Parmalee knows him well from their years in Atlanta together, he won't cost much, and he is a bit more of an explosive complement to James Robinson.
LB Raekwon McMillan
Connection on Jaguars staff: head coach Urban Meyer.
Does he fit?: Raekwon McMillan has been a disappointment in the NFL since he was a second-round pick in 2017, but Meyer knows him extremely well from their Buckeyes days. The Jaguars don't have a need, but perhaps they look for some familiarity in terms of depth.
EDGE Matthew Judon
Connection on Jaguars staff: defensive coordinator Joe Cullen, assistant defensive line coach Sterling Lucas, outside linebackers coach Zach Orr.
Does he fit?: Yes. Judon isn't one of the two best pass-rushers on the market (Carl Lawson and Shaquil Barrett take that crown), but he has a solid all-around game, has proven he can produce in the scheme, is a known leader, and has familiarity with three members of Jacksonville's coaching staff on defense.
EDGE Tyus Bowser
Connection on Jaguars staff: defensive coordinator Joe Cullen, assistant defensive line coach Sterling Lucas, outside linebackers coach Zach Orr.
Does he fit?: Yes. Bowser isn't a top-tier pass-rusher but he is strong in coverage and in run defense from the outside linebacker spot, plus his production has continued to climb in recent seasons. Like Judon, there are numerous coaches on Jacksonville's staff that Bowser has some familiarity with.
DL Derek Wolfe
Connection on Jaguars staff: defensive coordinator Joe Cullen, assistant defensive line coach Sterling Lucas, outside linebackers coach Zach Orr.
Does he fit?: Yes. Wolfe was terrific in run defense for the Ravens last season and would be the perfect interior addition for a team that badly needs to upgrade its toughness and run defense.
EDGE Pernell McPhee
Connection on Jaguars staff: defensive coordinator Joe Cullen, assistant defensive line coach Sterling Lucas, outside linebackers coach Zach Orr.
Does he fit?: Maybe? McPhee is an older player at 32 but he showed durability while playing 43% of the snaps in 15 games for the Ravens last season. As a rotational edge in the mold of say Lerentee McCray, McPhee could be a logical addition.
DL Jihad Ward
Connection on Jaguars staff: defensive coordinator Joe Cullen, assistant defensive line coach Sterling Lucas, outside linebackers coach Zach Orr.
Does he fit?: As a rotational defensive lineman, yes he does. He had the best season of his career under Cullen and Lucas in 2020, so it stands to think he could likely be a solid player in the mix if paired with the two once again.
EDGE Justin Houston
Connection on Jaguars staff: senior defensive assistant Bob Sutton.
Does he fit?: Yes. The Jaguars need all the help they can get in the form of pass-rushers, even with Josh Allen and K'Lavon Chaisson in the fold. We saw last season what would happen to that pass-rush if one player went down for an extended period of time, with the Jaguars badly missing Allen at Chaisson's side last year. Houston is a well-respected veteran who can still go, collecting 19 sacks, 30 quarterback hits, and three forced fumbles in the last two seasons.
DL Allen Bailey
Connection on Jaguars staff: defensive line coach Tosh Lupoi.
Does he fit?: No. Allen Bailey is an experienced veteran but his production and impact against the run and pass has declined in the past two seasons.
EDGE Charles Harris
Connection on Jaguars staff: defensive line coach Tosh Lupoi.
Does he fit?: No. He struggles in space too much to fit into the Jaguars' new defense, though the best season of his career came under Tosh Lupoi in Atlanta last season.
DL Dalvin Tomlinson
Connection on Jaguars staff: defensive line coach Tosh Lupoi.
Does he fit?: Yes. Dalvin Tomlinson is the top interior defensive lineman available after Leonard Williams was franchise tagged by the Giants. He and Lupoi were at Alabama for numerous seasons together and he is an elite run-stuffer who could change the trajectory of the defensive line.
DL Larry Ogunjobi
Connection on Jaguars staff: defensive line coach Tosh Lupoi.
Does he fit?: Yes. Ogunjobi has had flashes of high-level play for Cleveland and played under Lupoi in 2019. He fits as an interior disruptor who could rush from the middle on third-downs and compliment the linebackers and other players the Jaguars could have in space.
FS Malik Hooker
Connection on Jaguars staff: head coach Urban Meyer and secondary/safeties coach Chris Ash.
Does he fit?: to a degree. If the Jaguars want players with records of durability, then he is a tough one to bring in. With that said, Meyer and Ash know him well and talent has never really been his issue. If they miss on any top-tier safeties, he is likely the best option.
CB Gareon Conley
Connection on Jaguars staff: head coach Urban Meyer and secondary/safeties coach Chris Ash.
Does he fit?: In a way, but not as much after the Jaguars re-signed Tre Herndon. Conley can't be guaranteed as anything more than a No. 4 cornerback at this point. The Jaguars could bring in the former Ohio State defender as competition on the outside, but it is hard to imagine much coming from that.
