4 Takeaways on the Jaguars' Decision to Trade Josh Oliver to the Ravens
The Jacksonville Jaguars already had a lot of question marks at the tight end position entering the first day of the new league year. They ended up creating a few more by agreeing to trade former third-round pick Josh Oliver to the Baltimore Ravens.
The trade, which was first reported by NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, is reportedly set to send the Jaguars a conditional 2022 seventh-round pick according to Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic.
Oliver's short and unsuccessful Jaguars tenure is now over, but what does the move mean for the Jaguars now and moving forward? We weigh in with our four biggest takeaways on the position.
Trade is a curious move considering the current state of the tight end position but it gives the Jaguars flexibility
The timing of this move is a bit peculiar just considering the state of the Jaguars' tight end room. This is the kind of move that happens when a new regime takes over and starts reshaping the roster in their own vision, but the Jaguars have nothing at tight end. Their only additions have been signing Chris Manhertz (12 career catches) and re-signing James O'Shaughnessy (28 catches last season). Meanwhile, the top tight ends in free agency have signed with the Patriots (Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith) or the Seahawks (Gerald Everett). Oliver's upside was a big of a myth at this point, but he was a cheap and athletic option for a tight end room that could use both right now.
With that said, trading players the new regime doesn't have many uses for and getting draft picks in return is always a winning business. Oliver hadn't shown anything in his first two seasons and the limited compensation the Jaguars got for him shows the type of value his roster spot brings right now. Considering the Jaguars sent an undisclosed pick to the Saints for defensive tackle Malcom Brown, trading Oliver gives them some flexibility as long as he makes the team. This isn't a move that deserves a ton of praise because there was legitimate value in holding onto Oliver until the fall, but it makes sense why they made it.
Josh Oliver, to no fault of his own, ends his Jaguars career as one of the team's biggest busts in recent memory
Injuries are never a player's fault. Josh Oliver always worked hard and was highly thought of by his Jaguars teammates and coaches, but he just had bad luck with injuries; first a hamstring injury early as a rookie, then a season-ending back injury after four games, then a broken bone in his foot while running during the early stages of training camp last year. As a result of the injuries, he ends his Jaguars career with three catches for 15 yards on six targets. He played just 117 snaps as a Jaguar.
Considering the Jaguars drafted Oliver No. 69 overall in 2019, it is an understatement to say his tenure ended as a bust. He was the second-highest drafted tight end in team history and the second-most significant investment that former general manager Dave Caldwell ever made at tight end. No other third-round pick in team history has ever had a weighted career approximate value of zero, as calculated by Pro Football Reference. It isn't Oliver's fault it didn't work out for him in Jacksonville, but his tenure was about as bad as one could hope from a top-70 pick in terms of production.
The Jaguars' plans for tight end seem to hinge entirely on the draft or a trade
The Jaguars' options at tight end no longer involve adding Everett, so there are some slim pickings in free agency. They could sign one of Kyle Rudolph, Jesse James, Jacob Hollister, or Jared Cook, but none of those are impact options. If the Jaguars want a legitimate starting option at this point, it appears it will have to hinge entirely on April's draft or via a trade. Oliver was the team's most intriguing in-house tight end, but that option is now gone as well.
A trade for Zach Ertz or David Njoku would make sense, especially if the Jaguars end up pulling the trigger on a trade involving Gardner Minshew. They have the picks to make a move, and at this point one could argue they kind of have to. They aren't in the range to take Kyle Pitts, and Pat Freiermuth and Brevin Jordan aren't guaranteed to come in and produce as rookies. After all, tight end is an extremely hard position to transition to from out of college. With this said, it appears this is where the Jaguars are putting their chips on the table when it comes to the tight end room.
Oliver's time began to tick once the Jaguars changed the regime from top to bottom
The Jaguars have already kept quite a few carryovers from the 2020 team, both on the coaching staff and on the roster. Two secondary coaches and the offensive line coach were retained by Urban Meyer. Meanwhile, the Jaguars have re-signed James O'Shaughnessy, Tre Herndon, Sidney Jones, Tyler Shatley, and Dawuane Smoot. There has been a decent amount of holdovers, but Oliver never had much of a chance to be one.
For starters, every single person involved with Oliver's development and the drafting of him is no longer in Jacksonville. Sure some scouts remain, but Tom Coughlin, Dave Caldwell, Doug Marrone, and Ron Middleton are all now long gone. This Jaguars regime and coaching staff had zero ties to Oliver, so the clock was likely always ticking on his departure once the organization was remade in Meyer's image.
