2024 Offseason: What Are the Jaguars Biggest Needs?
The Jacksonville Jaguars need to take a step in 2024.
After an offseason of complacency in terms of roster-building, the Jaguars are likely to have a much more interesting offseason this time around.
After a 9-8 finish that saw the Jaguars lose five out of their last six and miss out on the playoffs, Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson and general manager Trent Baalke have decisions to make and areas of the roster to improve.
So, what are the Jaguars biggest needs entering the offseason? We break it down below.
Interior offensive line
This one is obvious; the Jaguars have questions to answer with all three interior offensive line positions. Here is how it breaks down.
Left guard could go a number of directions. The chances of Ezra Cleveland returning as a free-agent seemingly increased with the retainment of offensive line coach Phil Rauscher, but it is no sure thing. Backup left guard Tyler Shatley is a pending free agent, and the 2023 season made it clear that Walker Little is a tackle, not a guard.
Center carries just as many question marks, even though the starter of every game of the Pederson era is returning in Luke Fortner. Fortner struggled, finishing with the 10th highest blown block rate of 44 centers with at least 150 snaps, according to Sports Info Solutions. This included the 4th-highest rate of blown blocks in the running game. Perhaps the Jaguars give him a third year as a starter, but this is a spot that could, and even maybe should, be a priority to upgrade.
Right guard is another question. Brandon Scherff had a stronger season than most give him credit for, but a post-June 1st release would save the Jaguars $16,441,184. Scherff is still a good player, but it remains to be seen if the Jaguars would rather have him or the cap savings.
After a 2023 season in which the interior offensive line hamstrung the entire offense, the Jaguars have decisions to make.
Interior defensive line
There is no question that the interior defensive line was a let-down for the Jaguars this season. You can't blame the Jaguars for the health situation that hampered DaVon Hamilton's season, but the Jaguars didn't get much production from the rest of the room.
The Jaguars' interior defensive line recorded just 4.5 sacks in 2023, with 3.5 of those coming from Roy Robertson-Harris and the other coming from Adam Gotsis. Together, Robterson-Harris, Gotsis, Hamilton, Foley Fatukasi, Angelo Blackson, Tyler Lacy, and Jeremiah Ledbetter combined for just 14 tackles for loss and 24 quarterback hits. The lack of play-making from the unit was an issue all year long, and this doesn't even factor in the decline of the run-defense.
The Jaguars also need to factor in the fact that they have impending free agents in Blackson and Ledbetter, and they would save nearly $9 million if they make Fatukasi a post-June 1st release. Even if the Jaguars were returning the entire unit, they would need to make upgrades.
Edge depth
Josh Allen and Travon Walker had terrific 2023 seasons. Allen was legitimately one of the best pass-rushers in football and Walker had 6.5 more sacks than his rookie year, with the duo combining for 27.5 sacks, 149 pressures, 52 quarterback hits, and 17 tackles for loss. The three players behind them, though?
32 pressures, three sacks, 13 quarterback hits and four tackles for loss.
K'Lavon Chaisson, Dawuane Smoot and Yasir Abdullah just never gave the Jaguars the edge depth they needed to have a truly elite pass-rush. Plus, Chaisson and Smoot are both impending free agents. Abdullah is a question mark after he was a healthy scratch for much of the season, but that doesn't mean the Jaguars should assume he will produce with more snaps.
Wide receiver depth
Wide receiver would probably jump a spot on this list if the Jaguars don't retain impending free agent Calvin Ridley. It looks like a true coin flip whether he will return, in large part due to the draft picks that are tied to the trade that acquired him. But even if Ridley does return, the Jaguars need to look at improving their receiver depth.
Despite missing Zay Jones for a long stretch of the season, and missing Christian Kirk for the final five games, the Jaguars saw Parker Washington, Tim Jones, Jamal Agnew, and Elijah Cooks combine for 44 catches, 478 yards and three touchdowns. The Jaguars need to have a better plan for their wide receiver depth in 2024, regardless of what team Ridley plays for.
Cornerback Depth
Despite Tyson Campbell's lost season in 2023, the Jaguars can still enter the offseason with some confidence in their outside cornerbacks. Campbell and Williams have played at a high level together before, and Campbell's 2023 struggles can likely be chalked up due to injuries.
With that said, Williams will be 31 in 2024 and Campbell will be in a contract year. Plus, the Jaguars have Tre Herndon on an expiring contract. Buster Brown had an encouraging 2023 as a backup, but the Jaguars still have unproven youth alongside him in the cornerback room.
