Jaguars Offseason Mailbag: What Else Can the Jaguars Do Before the Season?

With the Jaguars set to begin training camp on July 28, what else can the team do to improve its roster?

As the 2020 offseason progresses, JaguarReport will take Jacksonville Jaguars-related questions from social media and give our takes on the most pressing questions fans have about their team.

You can send questions to us this offseason via the JaguarReport Twitter or Facebook accounts.

This week, we take questions on where else the Jaguars can improve this offseason, the next steps for Yannick Ngakoue and more.

From @EverettJE : What's next with Jags and Yann? And is there a chance recent conversation about players having the ability to opt-out of the season due to COVID-19 could help Yann camp and his unwillingness to play for Jags?

We wrote on this topic earlier in the week, and essentially each side is now dug in to the point where the next step is to see if Ngakoue actually reports or not. Jacksonville could still trade the 25-year-old former Pro Bowler, but they would likely receive poor value in return if they traded him at this point. If the Jaguars were going to take a diminished deal, wouldn't they have likely done so already? Logic says yes. 

Instead, the Jaguars will assumedly wait on Ngakoue to sign his franchise tag tender and show up to training camp once it is mandatory to do so. Ngakoue, of course, can attempt to continue to play the waiting game and hope the Jaguars finally give in and trade him.

It remains to be seen how the opt-outs will actually work. The NFL has made a proposal, but we still need to see the concrete wording before any speculation is made.

One note on the proposed opt-out: Once it is given, it’s irrevocable and a team can’t negotiate with that player (tho he can be traded). This would prevent holdouts disguised as opt-outs https://t.co/z7g0J24B0g

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 17, 2020

From Garrison R: Who is the most important free agent addition in your eyes? I think Tyler Eifert will have to have a huge year!

Tyler Eifert will likely be leaned upon from the jump in Jay Gruden's offense. Following a 2019 in which Jacksonville failed to get any production from the tight end position due to injuries, his consistency (and durability- will both be key. 

But I am going to go with inside linebacker Joe Schobert. Jacksonville had arguably the worst linebacker play and production of all defenses in 2019, and Schobert will be asked to upgrade the unit from the very first snap. He was Jacksonville's most expensive offseason addition for good reason, and his performance could also be the difference in whether Myles Jack has a bounce-back season or not. 

From @iktriad : Do you think the Jaguars will add some players before the season (hopefully) starts?

With all of the uncertainty surrounding the start of training camp, it is hard seeing the Jaguars add a player in the next few weeks. With that said, they will likely be active once they inch closer to the season in the event any injuries or anything else pops up. They could use depth at running back, cornerback and tight end, so perhaps they add players at those spots.

From Mike B: Who is under the most pressure to perform this season?

Quite a few players are under a ton of pressure (Leonard Fournette, Myles Jack, Cam Robinson, Taven Bryan) but the player under the most is a bit of an obvious answer because it has to be Gardner Minshew II. The simple reality is that the importance of Minshew to Jacksonville's success in 2020 is critical in every sense of the phrase. If the Jaguars are to win next season, they will need Minshew to play like a quarterback who is able to perform as a starter week in and week out.

Minshew's performance in 2019 was arguably the best of any rookie quarterback, and it was unquestionably the best season any Jaguars rookie quarterback has ever had. In 12 starts (14 appearances) Minshew compiled a 6-6 record completed over 60% of his passes for for 3,271 passing yards, 21 passing touchdowns, and six interceptions to go along with 67 carries for 344 rushing yards. He won Rookie of the Week seven times in 2019, making him the only rookie to win it more than once last year. 

His rookie year was an unquestionable success, but now the pressure is on for him to take the next step and prove to the Jaguars that he is the long-term solution to the revolving door Jacksonville has had at quarterback. If Minshew plays well, he could find himself in a starting role for the foreseeable future. If not, then he may be labeled a backup for the rest of his Jaguars tenure. That is the definition of pressure, even if other players are facing similar situations.