What Happened in 2020
Obviously 2020 didn't go as planned for the Jacksonville Jaguars, the team went 1-15 and the GM and Head Coach Doug Marrone after a five-year stint with the team. The team again struggled at the quarterback position, trying Gardner Minshew, Mike Glennon and Jake Luton at times. All were unsuccessful and turned the ball over at an extraordinary rate. The Jaguars defense also struggled mightily all season with getting pressure on the quarterback and stopping the run. Covid-19 opt outs such as NT Al Woods and CB Rashaan Melvin didn't help things, but honestly their just isn't much talent on the defensive side. One of the few positives all season for Jacksonville was the play of rookie running back James Robinson. Robinson finished 5th in the league in rushing, totaling over 1,000 yards on the ground cementing himself as the running back of the future for the franchise.
Team Needs
1. Quarterback
The Jaguars enter the offseason again not having a franchise quarterback for what seems like decades now. The good news is they may be getting just that with the 1st overall pick this year. More to come on that later
2. Defensive Line
When DT Al Woods and DE Lerentee McCray opted out of the 2020 season, the JAgs knew they would struggle all year on the defensive line. The once dominant defensive line that included DT Marcel Darius, DT Calais Campbell and DE Yannick Ngakoue last year is now a shell of its former self and will need to be completely rebuilt for the 2021 season.
3. Tight End
The tandem of Tyler Eifert and James O'Shaughnessy simply did not work last season for the Jaguars. The team needs to go out and find a target at tight end to help Trevor Lawrence get comfortable throwing too. Look around the league, all of the successful young QB's have a reliable/favorite target at the TE position.
Top 5 Free Agent Targets
1. TE Jonnu Smith
2. DE Aldon Smith
3. LT Kelvin Beachum
4. DT Johnathan Hankins
5. S John Johnson III
The Future
Although the Jaguars had a rough 2020, fans shouldn't feel too bad about the future. Not only will the team finally find a franchise quarterback in Trevor Lawrence in the draft, but they have the most money in the league to spend this offseason. The team does have a few strong young pieces to build around (RB Robinson, WR Chark, LB Jack, LB Shobert) and have the luxury in being in a division that seems to be getting weaker in the coming seasons. The verdict is still out on if Urban Meyer can be a winning NFL coach, but he has the backing of an organization that is committed to bring the team success.
2021 Prediction
4-12 4th in the AFC South