5 Impending Free Agents in Super Bowl LIV the Jaguars Could Eye in March
With Super Bowl LIV just a few hours away, the 2019-2020 NFL season is on the verge of finality and closure. The Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers will go to war for 60 minutes, and then that will be it. It will be the offseason.
But before the offseason begins and teams start to make decisions on impending free agents (if those decisions hadn't already been made), players set to hit free agency and sign new contracts have one more chance to leave an impression on future teams.
We have seen players paid big deals in large part due to their Super Bowl performances in the past, with Jacksonville and Nick Foles being the most recent and glaring example. But we have also seen role players make a name for themselves and earn more fans around the league's front offices.
Which impending free agents in tonight's game could leave enough of an impression to become Jaguars' targets once free agency begins? There are a few who make sense.
Disclaimer: the best impending free agent in the game will obviously be Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones, but he is going to command a massive contract and the Jaguars are highly unlikely to even consider striking a deal that large this offseason, so he will not be listed.
Kansas City CB Kendall Fuller
A former third-round pick by the Washington Redskins, the Chiefs acquired Fuller via the trade that shipped quarterback Alex Smith out of Kansas City and opened the door for Patrick Mahomes to start. Fuller started 15 games in 2018 and recorded two interceptions, but his role diminished in 2019 (four starts, zero interceptions). Fuller, 24, could make sense as cornerback depth, especially if the team moves on from A.J. Bouye. He isn't a great player but he is a serviceable one.
San Francisco DT Sheldon Day
A reunion after a few years apart, this would bring Sheldon Day back to the team that drafted him in the fourth round in 2016. Jacksonville currently has only one pure three-technique defensive tackle on the roster in former first-round pick Taven Bryan, but he has failed to live up to expectations. Day is a disruptive rotational player along the interior and could serve as an upgrade to Carl Davis and Akeem Spence.
Kansas City DE Emmanuel Ogbah
A second-round pick of the Cleveland Browns in 2016, Emmanuel Ogbah has never had more than 5.5 sacks in a season but he is a solid run defender thanks to his size and strength on the edge. If Jacksonville loses Yannick Ngakoue in free agency, then Ogbah could be a cheap signing to shore up the defensive end depth behind Josh Allen. He wouldn't come close to Ngakoue's production, but he had 5.5 sacks in 10 games in 2019 despite not having a full-time role, indicating he can be a solid depth signing.
San Francisco S Jimmie Ward
The best player on this list, Jimmie Ward has reinvented himself as a safety after an up and down tenure as a cornerback. The former first-round pick has only two career interceptions in six seasons, but his impact on the 49ers' defense in 2019 has gone far beyond turnovers. His range and instincts on the backend of the defense has been instrumental in elevating the 49ers' defense to elite status. He likely won't command a contract too large for the Jaguars, and his fit at free safety makes too much sense to ignore.
Kansas City DL Mike Pennel
6-foot-4, 330-pound defensive lineman Mike Pennel does one thing for the Chiefs, and he does it exceptionally well: stuff the run. He was a major factor in the Chiefs' efforts to shut down Derrick Henry in the AFC Championship Game and has helped transform the once porous front seven into a formidable force. For the Jaguars, who struggled to stop any rushing offense in 2019, Pennel could instantly make an impact due to his strength at the point of attack.
