Not Many Lethal Weapons For Jaguars Secondary in 2025

On defense, it's crucial to be able to stop the run. The run does, however, set up the pass, and more back-breaking plays occur in the passing game.

The Jaguars have assembled a unit of defensive backs for 2025 that are constructed to be destructive to an opponent's air game. But there are some WR rooms that may as well be called "Murtaugh and Riggs", as they could be registered as lethal weapons.

For the 2025 version of the Jacksonville American Football Club, their schedule is not loaded down with elite wide receivers. In fact, in PFF's rankings of every NFL team's receiving corps ahead of the 2025 NFL season, only four of their opponents rank in the top ten, and only three more are higher than No. 20.

The Jaguars don't face the top-ranked pass-catching room in the form of the Philadelphia Eagles this season, but they do have a mammoth task when they travel to Cincinnati and take on the Bengals in Week 2.

"The duo of Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins does the heavy lifting for the Bengals' receiving corps, but there are few other better pass-catching units. Chase was the triple-crown winner last season and earned an 84.9 PFF receiving grade. Higgins added an 88.3 PFF receiving grade in a contract year. Chase Brown is a good receiver out of the backfield, while Mike Gesicki had his best season since 2020. Cincinnati's team-wide 80.3 PFF receiving grade in 2024 ranked seventh in the NFL."

In London, the No. 8 Los Angeles Rams charge into Wembley Stadium with a high powered group looking to leave England with more than just Union Jack Undies, Malteasers and a King Charles Bobblehead in Week 7. With Matt Stafford's cannon and All-Pros running routes, it might not be all that smashing for the Floridian home team.

"Puka Nucua was the NFL's highest-graded receiver in 2024 (92.5), marking his second straight season with an elite mark. The Rams added to their room with Davante Adams and still roster Tyler Higbee, Jordan Whttingiton, all of whom earned PFF receiving grades above 73.0 last season."

Then there's a divsion foe that they'll see twice as the running with the bulls will be at home vs. the Texans in Week 3 and Week 10 in Houston.

"Nico Collins eads this group after earning his second straight elite PFF receiving grade (92.3). Tight end Dalton Schultz is a top-15 tight end and has five straight years of 500-plus receiving yards. Running back Joe Mixon has also consistently been solid as a receiver, logging four straight years with 300-plus receiving yards. The reason the Texans place No. 10 is their expected reliance on newcomers Jayden Higgins, Jaylin Noel and Christian Kirk for big-time production. The hope is that Tank Dell can get back sooner rather than later after suffering a season-ending knee injury in 2024.

Although not anything close to a complete reprieve, the team from North Florida has six teams on their schedule that rank near barrell's bottom. They are No. 25 Vegas, No. 26 Carolina, No. 27 the Los Angeles Chargers, No. 28 the Jets, and two games vs. the No. 30 Tennessee Titans.

Stopping the pass catchers doesn't guarantee victory, but it's a nice step. For the record, however, teams have to stop Brian Thomas Jr., Travis Hunter, Brenton Strange, Dyami Brown and the rest of the hands team, as well. The Jaguars enter the season as the No. 16-ranked receiving room, who unlike Danny Glover's character, are definitely not "too old for this...".

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