Jacksonville Jaguars don’t lose much in roster turnover
By Luke Sims
The Jacksonville Jaguars made plenty of personnel changes in 2016, but they haven’t lost much of anything.
Some NFL teams find themselves squeezed by the salary cap, others find themselves suffocated by mismanagement, and still others find themselves happily adding talent repeatedly.
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a case of the former.
It’s not secret that the Jags added plenty of talent in the 2016 free agency period and 2016 NFL Draft while jettisoning players that they needed to move on from. Players that clung on too long like Andre Branch and Chris Clemons and one-year additions like Sergio Brown and Stefen Wisniewski were let go in what was widely hailed as a move forward.
Pro Football Focus, continuing their yearly analysis of roster turnover, also jumps on board with that consensus. PFF provides some key numbers to back it up as well, citing snaps lost:
"Overall snaps lost: 18.94 percent, 11th (2015: 20.73 percent, 11th)"
Of those snaps lost, the big ones on the defensive and offensive side of the ball (highlighted in PFF’s post) are Wisniewski, Branch, Clemons, Brown, Zane Beadles, and Clay Harbor. Without exception, the Jags have upgraded those positions.
Wisniewski is replaced by Brandon Linder (the stud guard turned center). Clemons and Branch are being replaced by Dante Fowler Jr. (just one year later than was expected). Brown is replaced by stud free safety Tashaun Gipson. Harbor, who mostly saw time due to injury, will see his snaps gobbled up by Marcedes Lewis and Julius Thomas at tight end. Beadles will be replaced by the upgraded Mackenzie Bernadeau and backed up by A.J. Cann.
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All in all, the Jags didn’t lose much of anything in this roster turnover. While other teams may have been forced to jettison good players or lost them to free agency, the Jags were still in a position in 2016 to upgrade across the board. The key contributors lost will simply be replaced by contributors who will be bale to provide more for the team.
If anything, the roster turnover look by PFF provides yet another indication that the Jags are improving. They are replacing the rotten parts of the team with players that (hopefully) are capable of contributing at a higher level on a more consistent basis. General manager Dave Caldwell seems to be moving the team in the right direction in this regard, providing the appropriate cycle of new pieces each year rather than a wholesale replacement of the team like his 2013 transition.
The preseason will be the first look at what these new pieces can do.