Jaguars Stock Report: James Robinson Trending Up, Coverage Unit Trending Down Ahead of Week 6
The Jacksonville Jaguars need a win in the worst way. In fact, few teams in NFL history have ever been as starved for a victory as the Jaguars have been over the last 20 games.
Whether the Jaguars can snap their 20-game losing streak in London when they travel to play the Miami Dolphins this weekend will depend on a number of key Jaguars, from those who have been improving and those whose situations have them trending downward.
So, which Jaguars have their stock rising and which are falling following Week 5? We take a look at both sides of the ball below.
Stock Up
RB James Robinson
The second-year running back is the Jaguars' best individual player as things stand today (don't worry, Trevor Lawrence isn't far off). Robinson had a stupendous game against the Titans, rushing for a career-high 149 yards, with the bulk of those all coming in the first-half. Robinson led all backs in Week 5 in yards per carry (8.3), rushing yards over expectation per attempt (4.31), and rushing efficiency (2.63), per NFL Next Gen Stats. Robinson was an absolute force against the Titans and even then, it felt as if the Jaguars didn't give him the ball quite often enough. Robinson is on one of the hottest streaks of his young career and Sunday against the Titans was potentially the very peak.
LG Andrew Norwell
The veteran guard had one of his best games of the entire season from a run-blocking standpoint but that isn't the only reason why Norwell finds himself on the list this week. Instead, Norwell's value and importance have grown past his rock-solid pass-protection and his improved run-blocking, largely due to the injuries the Jaguars have sustained in the middle of the offensive line. Brandon Linder and A.J. Cann are the Jaguars' two most experienced linemen but each is now set to be out of the lineup for several weeks following MCL injuries to both in back-to-back weeks. With Cann and Linder injured, the Jaguars will need Norwell to continue to provide stability but also even help pick up the slack with backups Tyler Shatley and Ben Bartch in the middle.
DE/OLB K'Lavon Chaisson
Sunday was the kind of game out of K'Lavon Chaisson the Jaguars have been waiting to see. Chaisson's effort and work ethic have never been questioned, but for all of his athletic traits and his 100 mph play-style, he has yet to consistently produce as a pass-rusher. And while he did allow a touchdown in coverage against the Titans, he at least showed some legitimate development as a pass-rusher, recording a sack (his second in the NFL), three quarterback hits and two tackles for loss, with one of those quarterback hits nearly being a strip-sack of Ryan Tannehill.
WR/Returner Jamal Agnew
Jamal Agnew is no longer purely a return man or a gadget player the offense can turn to a handful of times per game. Instead, Agnew stepped into a full-time receiver role for the Jaguars against the Titans, a result of DJ Chark's injury shaking the receiver room up. Agnew recorded a career-high in offensive snaps (45), % of snaps played (63%), targets (seven), receptions (six), and receiving yards (41). Agnew also got a rushing touch out of the backfield, bringing his touch total to seven, just weeks after he was barely appearing on offense. With Chark out, you can now count Agnew as a starter.
QB Trevor Lawrence
It wasn't a perfect game for Trevor Lawrence, but the No. 1 overall pick continues to look better and better with each passing contest. Lawrence turned the ball over once, but this occurred on the final play of a game that was already far out of reach. Lawrence, though, finished with some of the best completion and efficiency marks of his career, finishing No. 13 among all quarterbacks in completion percentage over expectation in Week 5 despite the Jaguars asking him to play a more conservative type of game than he typically plays.
TE Dan Arnold
The pass-catching tight end fumbled and led to six points for the Titans on the third snap of the game last week, but he still had an otherwise solid game that continues to show his role is increasing as his comfort with Trevor Lawrence does the same. Arnold's 64 yards on six catches were the ninth-most yards by any Jaguars' tight end in a game since 2010, which is a bit staggering when you consider that Arnold has only known the offensive playbook for a little over two weeks. He is getting open and Lawrence is consistently finding him, which should be expected to continue.
Stock Down
Cornerback room
When the best thing you can say about the Jaguars' cornerback room is that they have dropped a few interceptions, that tells you a lot. As of right now, things are bad for a position group the Jaguars actively made weaker when they traded CJ Henderson and Sidney Jones following training camp. Shaquill Griffin has been solid in his first year in Jacksonville, especially over the last two weeks, but he has now dropped three game-changing interceptions in five games, including a likely pick-six against the Titans. As things stand today, there is little else to be excited about. The Jaguars are allowing quarterbacks to complete 73.5% of their passes (31st in NFL), while their non-Griffin cornerbacks have been torched in coverage. Meanwhile, among 126 cornerbacks with at least 50 coverage snaps, Chris Claybrooks tied for 124th in completion percentage allowed (92.9%), while Tyson Campbell is ranked 104th (80.5%), according to PFF. In short, throwing at cornerbacks not named Griffin has resulted in completions and big plays, while the worst-case scenario when throwing at Griffin has been dropped interceptions.
K Matthew Wright
To say Week 5 was a poor week for Matthew Wright would be putting it lightly. After having a chance to effectively take the job out of Josh Lambo's hands against the Titans, Wright missed two pivotal kicks that resulted in taking away four potential points from a Jaguars' team that needs all the points it can find. After beating Lambo in the kicking competition during the week of practice leading up to Week 5, Wright missed an extra point and a 53-yard field goal attempt on Sunday. Had the Jaguars scored those four points, the complexion and momentum of the fourth-quarter likely changes to a degree. After having a chance to win the job on a long-term basis, Wright will now have to hope he gets another shot. FS Andrew Wingard
RB Carlos Hyde
For better or worse, the Jaguars produce more when Carlos Hyde isn't on the field. This is, of course, because Hyde is only ever on the field to replace James Robinson in the huddle. Robinson is the best player on the Jaguars' roster and has played as such over the last two weeks, making the talent gap between him and Hyde all the more significant. This showed on the fourth-and-goal play against the Titans, too, with Hyde unable to use vision or break tackles when the blocking break down like Robinson has been able to. Hyde is a fine player, but every touch he gets seems a bit like a wasted opportunity.
WR Tyron Johnson
Sunday was the first time in Jamal Agnew's career that he has been a starting receiver, which shows the state of the Jaguars' receiver room following DJ Chark's injury, but also the state of Tyron Johnson's status. Johnson stood on the sidelines as Agnew, a recent cornerback convert, and Tavon Austin, a journeyman free agent who signed with the team as a street free agent this offseason, got significant snaps and led the Jaguars in targets on Sunday. Meanwhile, Johnson played a grand total of zero snaps, failing to carve out a bigger role even without Chark on the field.
S Andrew Wingard
Things did not go well for Andrew Wingard against the Titans, which has been a bit of a theme of his career. Derrick Henry against any safety in the NFL in space will be a mismatch, but this was particularly true with Wingard. Wingard threw his body at Henry time and time again on Sunday but he was more of an open door than a brick wall of defense, allowing easy rushing lanes for Henry at the second level and missing three tackle attempts on the All-Pro back. Wingard is now second among all safeties in missed tackles this season with 10, per PFF. It has become time to wonder exactly where Andre Cisco is and when he will begin to play.
