3 Things We Have Learned About Jaguars During Free Agency Thus Far

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The free agency cycle, and the offseason as a whole, is nearly a week old for the Jacksonville Jaguars and the rest of the NFL.

While the Jaguars didn't shake up the roster very much with one new name, a few re-signings and a handful of exiting free agents, it has still been an important offseason for the Jaguars and general manager James Gladstone.

JAMES GLADSTONE — Sep 21, 2025; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars general manager James Gladstone on the field during pregame against the Houston Texans at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Travis Register-Imagn Images | Travis Register-Imagn Images

So, what have we learned about the Jaguars and their free agency process so far? We break it down below.

The Jaguars, more than anything, want flexibility

james gladston — Jacksonville Jaguars general manager James Gladstone speaks during a press conference at the Miller Electric Center, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla. | Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Jaguars have clearly made a point not to spend in free agency for two reasons. One has to be the Jaguars' cap situation, which has been worked on through a series of restructures but as of now has them at just enough money to sign their 2026 draft class. The other, as admitted by Gladstone, is because the Jaguars are currently set to be big winners of the compensatory draft formula, which has been baked into their decision-making process.

As things stand today, the Jaguars are set to get three 2027 draft picks (4th, 5th and 6th-round picks) next season due to the exits of Devin Lloyd, Travis Etienne and Greg Newsome. The Jaguars seem to value the fact that this will allow them to be more aggressive on the trade market in training camp or during the season, which means they might not have one move in mind, but they don't want to ever be counted out in the future.

The Jaguars have some clear positional values

If you look at the top five internal free agents on the Jaguars' roster before they started re-signings, you would have a wide receiver (Jakobi Meyers), and offensive tackle (Cole Van Lanen), a cornerback (Montaric Brown), and then a running back and linebacker in Etienne and Lloyd. No situation is ever this simple, but it surely looks like the Jaguars have made it clear which positions they value the most.

And by the looks of it, the Jaguars certainly look like a team that is making the right call here by letting Etienne and Lloyd walk. This doesn't mean the Jaguars think lesser of the impacts of running backs and linebackers, but the simple truth is that they are two of the easier positions to replace on a year-to-year basis.

2026 draft class could major in trench investments

The Jaguars have 11 picks in April's draft, and it sure seems like some of them will be used on the trenches. The Jaguars are returning every member of their offensive line, but it would be tough to see them not using at least one pick on a developmental offensive lineman. Then there is the defensive side of the ball.

Jacksonville hasn't added anyone to a defensive front that seemed primed to have investments thrown at it. That seems to imply the Jaguars will look to the draft to boost their front, putting a big onus on the incoming rookie class.