What Do Recent Moves Suggest About How Much the Jaguars Value the Tight End Position?

Through the first few days of the 2020 free agency period, the Jacksonville Jaguars have surprised many by standing pat and not investing in the tight end position in some form or fashion.

The need for more depth and overall talent at the position is unquestionable despite the lack of activity by the Jaguars thus far. As it stands today, the Jaguars only have four tight ends under contract: Josh Oliver, James O'Shaughnessy, Charles Jones, and Matt Sokol. In total, these players combined for only 18 catches last season.

But despite the need, the Jaguars have stayed on the sideline while other tight ends move elsewhere. So far, the following tight ends have either signed new contracts or been traded this offseason, with the Jaguars opting not to invest in any of them:

Austin Hooper: Signed a four-year, $42 million contract with Cleveland Browns.
Jimmy Graham: Signed a two-year, $16 million contract with Chicago Bears.
Eric Ebron: Signed a two-year, $12 million contract with Pittsburgh Steelers.
Greg Olsen: Signed a one-year, $7 million contract with Seattle Seahawks.
Levine Toilolo: Signed a two-year, $6.2 million contract with New York Giants.
Marcedes Lewis: Signed a one-year, $2.25 million contract with Green Bay Packers.
Demetrius Harris: Signed a one-year, $1.65 million contract with Chicago Bears.
Hayden Hurst: Traded along with a 2020 fourth-round pick for a 2020 second-round pick and a 2020 fifth-round pick.

With all of these tight ends on the move but the Jaguars' reluctance to pursue them, it is fair to ponder just how much the Jaguars value the position. Do they see it as a critical piece of their offense like other teams such as the Philadelphia Eagles, San Francisco 49ers, and Kansas City Chiefs do? Or do they instead consider it a lower priority when it comes to team building?

It has hard to know an answer without Jaguars general manager Dave Caldwell or head coach Doug Marrone coming outright and stating one, but there is a track record with the Jaguars since 2013 that would indicate their lack of activity at the tight end position this offseason shouldn't be that surprising.

Since 2013 — the first year of Caldwell's tenure — the Jaguars have spent three of 53 draft picks out on tight ends. Those players include Oliver (third-round pick in 2019), Neal Sterling (seventh-round pick in 2015), and Ben Koyack (seventh-round pick in 2015).

Oliver was the only one of these three who was a top 100 selection. In general, the Jaguars have typically opted to build around other positions that can be deemed more valuable. A good example of this was in the first round of the 2019 draft, with Caldwell and the Jaguars making a decision that could be interpreted as a way to gauge their perceived value of the tight end position.

The Jaguars had a few major needs entering the first round, with offensive tackle and tight end taking the spotlight in many people's minds. The Jaguars had signed free agent tight end Geoff Swaim earlier in the offseason, but it was widely thought that the team would consider Iowa tight end T.J. Hockenson with the No. 7 overall pick.

Hockenson predictably was available when the Jaguars were on the clock, but the team surprised many and opted to take Kentucky defensive end Josh Allen, despite already having Yannick Ngakoue and Calais Campbell on the roster. Defensive end was a need, but not one many pegged to be the Jaguars' first pick.

But while there was a greater hole at tight end, the Jaguars opted to go with a player who they thought could ultimately be more impactful.

"(Hockenson) is a very good player, and you know, I think we had Josh rated at a level higher than him as a player, and we said from the get-go we'd take the best available player," Caldwell said after the Jaguars selected Allen.

Caldwell noted that tight end wasn't as dire of a need as some may have thought and, ultimately, a dominant tight end isn't essential to create a winning football team.

"But TJ, you know, there is no hole in that guy's game. He's a good blocker, he's a good receiver. But when you have the decision between a defensive end that can sack the quarterback and a tight end, I made the joke in there and said 'We'll call Nick (Foles) and say we can line him at up at tight end too if you want to.' "

Some of Caldwell's free agency moves at the position in the past have also suggested that the Jaguars may opt for value at the position instead of going all-in on a player.

Caldwell did, of course, sign Julius Thomas to a five-year, $46 million contract in 2015, but Thomas would only play two seasons for the team before he was traded to the Miami Dolphins. But aside from Thomas, Caldwell and the Jaguars have sought cheaper veterans on short-term deals, such as Swaim and Austin Seferian-Jenkins.

The Jaguars have a clear need at tight end and one can presume they will eventually address it. They simply don't have the bodies at the position right now considering O'Shaughnessy is recovering from an ACL injury that ended his 2019 season early and Oliver battled through his own rash of injuries as a rookie.

But instead of the Jaguars placing a premium on the position, it appears they will likely go back to the well and maintain their strategy of prioritizing other positions before tight end. Whether this is the right move or not won't be known until later down the road, but it can at least be theorized this is the route the Jaguars will take considering their track record at the position.