Jaguars Mailbag: What Has Stood Out About OTAs?

Throughout the offseason, we will be taking questions on the biggest questions facing the Jacksonville Jaguars until Week 1.

You can submit your questions every week by tweeting them to the Jaguar Report Twitter handle or by submitting them here.

In this week's mailbag, we take questions on OTA No. 4, Brandon McManus, Riley Patterson, and more.

Q: What are the things to look out for at training camp? Possible good match ups etc.

A: I think Calvin Ridley against both Tyson Campbell and Darious Williams will be fascinating to watch all camp long. Williams and Campbell are two very different style of cornerbacks but each possesses the ability to stick with high-quality wideouts like Ridley. Ridley could be a heck of a measuring stick for Campbell, and vice versa.

I am also interested in seeing how the pass-rush looks against the Jaguars' offensive line. The Jaguars still have some important pieces of the line recovering from 2022 injuries, while the pass-rush will be relying on young pass-rushers like Travon Walker,

Q: In your opinion, would it be worth a contract to keep DeAndre Hopkins out of the Chiefs' and Bills' hands? I know big stuff is coming up the next few years but if proven winners are just gonna keep adding talent, is it a move to consider

A: This is a great question. I think it isn't in the Jaguars' DNA to make a move quite like that, especially when you consider the talent they already have at the wide receiver position. With that said, you see moves like this happen in other leagues all the time. The Jaguars are hoping to compete with the Bills and Chiefs at the end of the 2023 season and they already had issues covering the Chiefs' skill group last year. While DeAndre Hopkins isn't the top-5 receiver he used to be, he is still a well above-average weapon and would likely be a receiver capable of producing a 1,000-yard season with either Patrick Mahomes or Josh Allen.

Q: Which rookies have stood out at practice so far?

A: It is tough for a lot of players to stand out right now because it is the early portion of the offseason. Everything is on air and there are no pads, with a lot of players still learning the scheme on both sides of the ball. With that said, I think Tank Bigsby has looked like an explosive athlete, and the same can be said for Yasir Abdullah. It is also hard to miss the size that both Anton Harrison and Cooper Hodges bring to the offensive line, while the trio of defensive backs are all active and energetic, flying around the field

Q: What do you make of the OTA attendance?

A: I think it is obviously a good sign for the Jaguars to have a good chunk of their roster there, but it is also worth remembering that these are voluntary practices for a reason. Nothing right now is required, and all players reserve the right to work out on their own, which is the least that can be asked considering how much of their time inside the building is otherwise mandatory. Veteran players oftentimes use this time of year to work on their own specific craft and routine and that should not be criticized in any right. My advice: listen to the people on the ground in Jacksonville who are informed -- of which there are many -- and not national aggregators who don't actually have a pulse on the team. These players are professionals and they will all be ready to play when it is time.

Q: What should the expectations be for Jordan Smith?

A: I think that he will get every chance to make the 53-man roster. He has a draft pedigree with the Jaguars as a former fourth-round pick and there are snaps to be won after the departures of Arden Key and Dawuane Smoot. He has traits like length and bend, but he still has to get the speed of the NFL down after not having many reps his first two years. Still, he will get his chances, and he could have the pass-rush juice to take advantage.

Q: Why did the Jaguars release Riley???? He was clutch last yea

A: The Jaguars think Brandon McManus has a bigger leg and gives them more options in a number of areas. Whether on kickoffs -- and area the Jaguars could improve from a year ago -- or field goal range, the Jaguars now have more options than they did a year ago. Riley Patterson deserves a ton of respect for what he did for the Jaguars last year, but there is no denying that there were some limitations with the Jaguars' approach to his range. Now, the Jaguars can work with a full deck of options.

Q: Should we be worried that Brandon McManus is a one-year fix as opposed to a younger kicker like Riley Patterson?

A: I don't think so. People forget that the Jaguars could have signed Riley Patterson to a mutli-year extension this offseason if they wanted to. The Jaguars chose not to because they knew that there was a non-0% chance of a kicker upgrade coming available, and they found that upgrade in McManus. A lot of teams look at the kicker position as a year-by-year solution, but McManus specifically still has several years left and should not be expected to just be leaned on in 2023.

Q: Who sees fewer targets now that Calvin Ridley is up to speed?

A: I am not sure anyone actually sees a huge dip in targets other than potentially Zay Jones, who drew 121 targets last year. Jones was second on the team in targets and very well could even finish around that range again this year, but there should be more balance between him and Calvin Ridley than there was with Marvin Jones. Marvin Jones was fourth on the team in targets, seeing 14% of the targets as opposed to Zay Jones' 21%. Finding some middle ground there for Zay Jones and Ridley makes sense.