3 Jaguars Named to Top-50 Free Agents List for 2023
A year ago, the Jacksonville Jaguars weren't exactly the franchise that other teams were wanting to pull talent from.
On lists of top free agents entering last offseason, the Jaguars were only ever mentioned when DJ Chark and Cam Robinson saw their names come up -- which was rarely.
This year, however, it looks like the Jaguars have seen their arrow start to point up. The Jaguars have several impending free agents who are set to hit the open market when free agency begins on March 15 at 4 p.m.
This is best reflected in ESPN's ranking of this year's top-50 free agents, which includes three Jaguars: offensive tackle Jawaan Taylor (No. 15, OT3), Evan Engram (No. 29, TE2) and Arden Key (No. 47, EDGE5).
"Taylor is an easy mover at 6-foot-5, 312 pounds, and he has the ability to mirror speed and handle power rushers who try to test him on the interior," ESPN said. "Taylor's pass block win rate (88.8%) this season was in the middle of the pack -- he ranked 37th among tackles -- but he has room to grow. Every NFL team wants a tackle with high-end traits and starting experience, which is why Taylor makes the top 15 here."
Considering the rest of the AFC South has three players in ESPN's top-50 combined (Two from the Titans, one from the Colts, zero from the Texans), then it is a solid reflection of the direction the Jaguars are trending as opposed to their AFC South rivals.
"Engram was a volume target in Jacksonville this season, catching 77 passes for 766 yards and four touchdowns. Sixty of those catches were when he was lined up in the slot or out wide, so he's not a traditional tight end," ESPN said. "He is best suited for a system that moves him around the formation, as he can get loose underneath or work the second and third levels of the route tree and run after the catch. Engram signed a one-year deal last offseason, but he could get a multiyear deal this spring."
"With the positional flex to kick inside as a sub-package rusher, Key will have multiple suitors on the market, given his age and production over the past two seasons (11 sacks)," ESPN said. "With his length (6-5) and short-area closing speed, Key can be set up on the edge or schemed out of loaded fronts. He has some upside as a situational player."
Each of these three players will likely be priorities for the Jaguars to retain this offseason. Taylor is a young, homegrown talent who was one of the Jaguars' top offensive players in 2022, while Engram is someone the Jaguars wanted to sign to a long-term deal to begin with.
Then there is Key, who said following the Jaguars' AFC Divisional Round loss to the Chiefs that he has bought a house in Jacksonville and has already talked to Trent Baalke about returning.
Each of these players will have a market; it is up to the Jaguars to determine what that market is and how they should attack it.
“I think you’re always looking to keep as many players in the nest as you can," Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke said last week.
"You work hard to draft these guys or to secure them through various methods, whether it’s free agency or the draft, college free agency, a lot of different ways these guys come onto the team. Once they’ve proven themselves, not only on the field, but in the locker room, those are the core guys you want to build around.”
