Kelvin Beachum could turn out to be biggest steal of free agency
By Daniel Lago
Thanks to some savvy contract structuring, the Jaguars may have stumbled into an enormous bargain with free agent signing Kelvin Beachum.
When Jacksonville Jaguars general manager David Caldwell made offensive lineman Luke Joeckel the second pick of the 2013 NFL Draft, he was hoping the prospect out of Texas A&M would develop into a franchise left tackle capable of holding down the fort for the next decade or so.
Fast-forward to 2016 and there’s little to no optimism about Luke Joeckel and his ability to develop into an upper-echelon tackle. After his rookie season was cut short, Joeckel has improved incrementally in the last 2 years but not enough to be considered even an average left tackle. The team declined to pick up his fifth year option, meaning they likely have no plans to keep Joeckel after 2016. That fact was further cemented when signed free agent Kelvin Beachum to a potential long-term deal.
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So what did the Jaguars get in Beachum? After the 2014 season,
Matt Millerover Bleacher Report had
Beachum ranked as the 8th best left tackle
:
"Beachum’s one very good season makes him look like the Steelers’ left tackle of the future, but his so-so 2013 campaign is still fresh in our minds. He looks like a starter here for the foreseeable future, but it’s too soon to say definitively that he’ll consistently be a top-10 performer."
Beachum is a bit of a gamble, but he’s not a very expensive one thanks to an comically low guaranteed salary in the first year.
In a recent piece, Mike Sando of ESPN talked about the most-team friendly contract for each franchise and Beachum was an easy choice for the Jaguars.
"Kelvin Beachum, LTACL surgery led Beachum to accept a one-year deal with a four-year team option. The Jaguars got a left tackle to push and possibly replace Luke Joeckel, and they got Beachum while committing only $1.5 million in fully guaranteed money."
The Jaguars put themselves in great position to try and figure out the left tackle position – Joeckel now has a legitimate competition for a starting spot. If he loses, the Jaguars get to see what Beachum can do for one year before deciding whether or not to commit to him long term. Hopefully one of those guys works out, but even if they don’t the team isn’t on the hook financially.