5 Free Agents Who Are Still Available Who Make Sense for the Jaguars

With most of the top free agents off the market, who else could the Jaguars pursue in free agency?

Three days after teams became eligible to begin negotiating with players with expiring contracts, most of the top free agents are off the market, leading to the period in free agency where teams can begin to find value deals.

Some top free agents such as Jadeveon Clowney, Robby Anderson, and Jameis Winston still remain, but for the most part, the top-tier of available players have already found new landing spots. 

The Jacksonville Jaguars have already agreed to terms with a few players with linebacker Joe Schobert, cornerback Darqueze Dennard, and defensive lineman Rodney Gunter, but it could be advantageous for the team to continue to monitor the market for team-friendly deals.

Linebacker, cornerback, and defensive line were all big positions of need entering the offseason, and the Jaguars have now filled the vacancies on the roster, though to varying degrees. Jacksonville is unlikely to pursue another linebacker with Schobert in the fold, but nose tackle still needs to be addressed.

With this in mind, which players who are still available would be sensible fits for the Jaguars? We picked five who could be reasonable options.

TE Tyler Eifert

The Jaguars have opted not to seriously pursue two of the top available tight ends on the market in Austin Hooper and Hayden Hurst, but they still have a major need at the position. While Jacksonville may not have wanted to make a major investment in a tight end, it would still make sense for the Jaguars to target a cheaper veteran to fill a hole on the roster. 

One tight end who could likely be had on a team-friendly deal is Cincinnati Bengals tight end Tyler Eifert. Eifert has a connection with new Jaguars offensive coordinator Jay Gruden, as Gruden was the Bengals offensive coordinator in Eifert's rookie season in 2013, a year in which Eifert caught 39 receptions for 445 yards and two touchdowns. Due to his age (will be 30 during 2020 season) and injury history (has only played double-digit regular season games in three seasons), it is unlikely for him to have a competitive market. For a team like the Jaguars that needs a veteran with a track record of red-zone success, Eifert makes a lot of sense.

DT Andrew Billings

With Gunter likely to slot in at defensive end in the Jaguars' 4-3 scheme, there is still a major need at nose tackle that needs to be addressed. The Jaguars' defense was vulnerable vs. the run throughout all of 2019 due largely to the absence of Marcell Dareus and the lack of run-stuffers on the roster, so the Jaguars are still in the market for a big-bodied defensive tackle to clog up holes in the middle of the defense.

Another Bengals player, Andrew Billings is a young defensive tackle (will be 25 during the 2020 season) who has experience at nose tackle in 4-3 defensive schemes. The 6-foot-1, 328-pound defensive tackle has 14 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks in 37 starts over the last three seasons, so he is far from a game-changer, but he could be a serviceable stop-gap solution with the potential to grow into more.

TE Eric Ebron

Gruden's offensive schemes have traditionally utilized multiple tight ends, and Eric Ebron is in the same mold as Gruden's most successful past tight end Jordan Reed. Ebron isn't much of a blocker, but he is a mismatch for linebackers and cornerbacks due to his blend of size and speed, and his track record as a pass-catcher should entice teams that are lacking in offensive weapons.

Ebron played in only 11 games last season due to injury and had middling production with 31 receptions for 375 yards and three touchdowns, so it is unlikely he will fetch a large deal in free agency even if he is one of the more talented players on the market. Adding him to the offense would give Gardner Minshew II another target in the red-zone, and also wouldn't take snaps away from Josh Oliver due to Gruden's usage of multiple tight ends.  

WR Breshad Perriman

After a rocky start to his career, former first-round pick Breshad Perriman has come into his own in the last two seasons. After having solid flashes with the Cleveland Browns in 2018, Perriman had a career year as the Buccaneers' No. 3 wide receiver in 2019, catching 36 receptions for 645 yards and six touchdowns. 

Jacksonville still has a need for a bigger-bodied wideout to compliment D.J. Chark, and Perriman falls into this category at 6-foot-2, 215-pounds. He has enough speed to threaten defenses deep and has improved dramatically in recent years, indicating he still has an unreached ceiling. He could be a better version of Chris Conley and is unlikely to be given a large pay day, so he makes sense for Jacksonville's direction at this point.

RB Chris Thompson

A favorite of Gruden during the coaches time leading the Washington Redkins, Chris Thompson makes a ton of sense as a connection to the Jaguars, and thus far there has been little reported interest in the veteran, indicating he could be had for cheap.

Thompson is a much different player than any other running back on Jacksonville's roster, as he wins with quickness and agility and is an ideal third down running back due to his pass-catching ability. In 66 career games, with most of those being in Gruden's scheme, Thompson has caught 212 passes for 1,772 yards and 10 touchdowns. If Gruden wants a player he has history with to serve as his change of pace back, nobody makes more sense than Thompson.