Jacksonville Jaguars cannot rely on rookies to win going forward

The Jacksonville Jaguars have been among the league’s worst in forcing rookies to play early, relying on the inexperienced players too much. The results have, predictably, been disastrous.

After years of roster mismanagement by Gene Smith, the Jacksonville Jaguars turned to Dave Caldwell as a fresh, first-time general manager to blow everything up and start from scratch in 2013.

Paired with first-time head coach Gus Bradley, Caldwell jettisoned underperforming veterans in favor of starting rookies. Those rookies, led by a first-time coach and overseen by a first-time general manager also faced the typical uphill battle of becoming a professional football player.

It’s a daunting task in even the most stable situations.

And, naturally, the Jaguars struggled. Bradley’s tenure ended with two games left in 2016. He holds the worst record among head coaches in modern NFL history.

Unsurprisingly, the only other team to give more snaps to rookies than the Jaguars since 2012 has been the perennially disappointing Cleveland Browns.

The Browns, as everyone knows, are hardly a good comparison.

Meanwhile, the most stable franchises in the NFL and the teams that consistently compete in the playoffs or for a Super Bowl have few rookies taking significant snaps. Teams like the Denver Broncos, Pittsburgh Steelers, Arizona Cardinals, and Cincinnati Bengals are not forced to rely on rookies. The lone outlier here is the New England Patriots who, because of Bill Belichick, continue to buck trends and simply find ways to win.

As the Jaguars have brought in more veteran talent through free agency, it won’t be surprising to see the number of rookie snaps take a hit for the team in 2017 and beyond. But that does not mean there will not be a role for rookies on the team. Leonard Fournette will certainly be on the field for a significant number of snaps.

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Yet the influx of veteran talent does leave a question for those who are at more stocked positions. Players like wide receiver Dede Westbrook likely won’t get a significant number of snaps playing behind two or three starting-caliber players on the depth chart.

As fans watching this, it’s important to note that this is progress. After years of seeing players like Dwayne Gratz, Demetrius McCray, and Denard Robinson forced into starting roles far too early, it will be beneficial to be able to rely on veterans more.

Hopefully this is a step toward being among the more stable franchises in the NFL and becoming competitors. It is only one piece of the puzzle and no guarantee, but it is something to watch. If the Jags want to win now, it’s time to stop relying on rookie talent.