3 Critical Needs for the Jaguars This Offseason

With a new coach, the Jaguars will be looking to make a name for themselves this offseason.
New Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen, right, claps next to Jaguars owner Shad Khan after speaking and being introduced during a press conference Monday, Jan. 27, 2025 at the Miller Electric Center in Jacksonville, Fla. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]
New Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen, right, claps next to Jaguars owner Shad Khan after speaking and being introduced during a press conference Monday, Jan. 27, 2025 at the Miller Electric Center in Jacksonville, Fla. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] / Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
In this story:

With the NFL season concluding Sunday, the Jacksonville Jaguars will begin their work to build its roster in the vision that head coach Liam Coen has. Despite not having a general manager on staff, that won’t stop the front office from identifying the key areas of improvement.

A team with playoff aspirations saw a 4-13 season with a bottom five defense and key injuries across the board. Jacksonville’s disappointing season forced the team to fire then-head coach Doug Pederson along with GM Trent Baalke a few weeks after.

Despite the 13-loss season, the Jaguars possess a roster with ample talent and not far off from a potential playoff run. However, some key areas must be addressed ahead of the regular season. Let’s take a look at the three biggest needs on the roster heading into free agency and the NFL Draft.

Offensive Guard

Brandon Scherff is a wild card despite a solid season in 2024 while Ezra Cleveland was signed to a long-term contract in free agency last offseason. Don’t expect Cleveland to be moved nor should he but with Scherff set to be a free agent, it would be less than ideal to go into 2025 with Cooper Hodges and Blake Hance competing for the right guard spot. This year’s draft features several offensive lineman who could transition to being quality guards at the next level while free agency bestows a nice branch of quality starters.

Cornerback No. 2

It would be ridiculous to think Tyson Campbell would be on the outs. He’s one of the cornerstones of the roster and he’ll be important to their success in 2025 and beyond. Ronald Darby was benched late in the 2024 season and Montaric Brown isn’t someone the Jaguars should be comfortable with heading into next year. With Jarrian Jones already slated to be the starting nickel, finding a quality starter at CB2 is critical. There will be ample opportunities in free agency and the NFL Draft to acquire potential contributors.

Defensive Line

This is an intriguing group with Arik Armstead expected to be back at defensive tackle next season after his five-and-seven technique experiment failed. Second-years Maason Smith and Jordan Jefferson flashed toward the end of 2024 while DaVon Hamilton has taken a step back in his play at nose tackle. While the two youngsters will be vying for a bigger role next season, more talent and depth will be needed, especially with Armstead getting older. Thankfully, the NFL Draft features a deep crop of defensive line talent that the Jaguars' new GM can choose from.

Ensure you follow on X (Twitter) @JaguarsOnSI and @_John_Shipley and never miss another breaking news story again.

Please let us know your thoughts when you like our Facebook page WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.


Published