Which Former Jaguars Are Left Unsigned in Free Agency?

From Marcell Dareus to Geoff Swaim, which former Jaguars are still on the open market?

Often times, a good judge of the talent of a team is looking at how eager other teams are to pick up their former players. Jacksonville's 2018 and 2019 rosters were each gutted by other teams looking to trade for top-flight players such as Calais Campbell, Jalen Ramsey, A.J. Bouye and others. 

But what about the players Jacksonville didn't trade away who the team still let walk in the offseason? For the Jaguars, there are several key contributors to last year's team who are, so far, still unsigned in free agency, which officially began on March 18. 

While some of Jacksonville's free agents from last year's team have signed elsewhere, such as short stints by Seth DeValve in Carolina and Jake Ryan in Baltimore and Nick O'Leary's signing in Las Vegas, the vast majority of Jacksonville's former players from last season are still unsigned. 

Before we get to the list of players who are currently not on the roster, here is the order of former Jaguars from 2019 who have been signed elsewhere:

• WR Marqise Lee (New England)
• Cedric Ogbuehi (Seattle).

So, which members of the Jaguars' 2019 squad are not yet signed to NFL contracts? We examine below via Spotrac.

• Marcell Dareus: The key to Jacksonville's run defense during his nearly three-year tenure, Marcell Dareus is the best former Jaguar who is left unsigned from a talent perspective. The obvious question is Dareus' health moving forward after he played in only six games last year due to a core muscle injury. Jacksonville opted to sign Al Woods and draft DaVon Hamilton in the third round as opposed to bringing Dareus back.

• Seth DeValve (was signed at one point): Former Jaguars tight end Seth DeValve actually signed a contract with the Carolina Panthers this offseason, but he was released at the beginning of June due to what the Panthers called a non-football injury. DeValve caught 12 passes for 140 yards for the Jaguars in 2019. 

• Geoff Swaim: One of Jacksonville's key free agent signings in 2019, the former Dallas Cowboy tight end never really got going with the Jaguars. Geoff Swaim played in just six games for the Jaguars, catching 13 passes for a middling 65 yards before his season was ended by a concussion and ankle injury. Jacksonville released Swaim just one year into his multi-year contract in order to create cap space.

• Akeem Spence: Signing with the Jaguars after being released by the Philadelphia Eagles mid-season, Akeem Spence was brought in to help offset the loss of Dareus but his overall impact wasn't significant. In nine games, he recorded three tackles and one quarterback hit. 

• Donald Payne: Maybe the most surprising name on this list considering his production at the end of the season, Donald Payne is still looking for a team. Jacksonville signed Payne (who spent time with the team int he previous two seasons) following a string of injuries at linebacker and he was eventually named the starting middle linebacker when Myles Jack was sidelined with a knee injury. In nine games (five starts) Payne recorded 61 tackles, three tackles for loss, one sack and one fumble recovery. 

• Najee Goode: Another linebacker who started multiple games for the Jaguars in 2019, Najee Goode is a veteran who the Jaguars decided to not bring back for 2020 after the invested in younger linebackers. In 10 games (four starts), Goode recorded 27 tackles, one sack and one tackle for loss.  

• Ben Koyack: While Ben Koyack is currently a free agent, it is Jaguars' tradition for him to eventually re-join the team in the middle of the season, much as he has the past several years. Koyack was signed off the street by the Jaguars during the season last year but saw minimal snaps, recording one reception for nine yards. 

• Preston Brown: Signed during Jacksonville's string of injuries at linebacker, Preston Brown was simply a depth player who never saw the field for the defense. He has six years of experience, though, so he could still land somewhere. 

• Brandon Thomas: A reserve lineman for the Jaguars in 2019, Brandon Thomas never appeared in a game for the Jaguars. He was typically a healthy scratch and it remains unclear if he can stick on another roster. 

• Jake Ryan (was signed at one point): At one point this offseason, Jake Ryan was a member of the Baltimore Ravens. That changed in June, though, when the Ravens released him following the drafting of two linebackers in April in Patrick Queen and Malik Harrison.