Jacksonville Jaguars Throwing Everything At the Wall to See What Sticks

I read a decent article yesterday over at Fox Sports on the Jacksonville Jaguars’s youth movement. Namely, how the Jaguars are struggling with their young roster as they hope the extra reps will help them grow quickly. The article, written by Ken Hornack, is a decent portrayal of the problems the Jaguars will have with their young team as they try to grow under head coach Gus Bradley.

I’ll use it as a jumping off point to look at the current “strategy” to mine young talent for what will hopefully be a solid Jaguars foundation.

With the bye week upon us, this is a great chance to do this type of contemplation.

The Jaguars are churning through a roster full of talent, albeit hidden. Young finds like linebackers JT Thomas and Telvin Smith, guard Brandon Linder, and wide receiver Allen Hurns, all come from a mix of drafts picks, undrafted free agency, and scoping young guys with potential amongst the bigger names of veteran free agents. Getting players like Smith, Thomas, Linder, and Hurns playing time has helped the Jaguars.

Giving players like guard Jacques McClendon, safety Josh Evans, and tight end Nic Jacobs playing time is due in part because of necessity, but also because the Jaguars are giving looks to players who could be a part of the future with the Jacksonville Jaguars post 2014.

Some players the Jaguars have added are likely to be foundation pieces in the long term. Wide receiver Allen Robinson, quarterback Blake Bortles, and second year players like offensive tackle Luke Joeckel and safety Johnathan Cyprien will all likely be in black and teal for many more years. Some key free agents like Red Bryant and Sen’Derrick Marks could very well be joining them.

The rest, guys like cornerback Demetrius McCray, center Luke Bowanko, and guys like Thomas, Smith, and Hurns, have proven they deserve extra looks. They’re sticking to the wall. They’re proving they could belong.

Yet among all the other parts there are going to be many that don’t stick.

Because of this, the Jaguars are going to be in flux likely through the season and maybe well into next year too. We all got excited with the season starting but if anything the 1-9 record indicates, it’s patience.

Everything is being thrown at the wall right now. With six games left, think of it as a time for evaluation. Who else will be a part of the future? Who will fall like linebacker Dekoda Watson?

It’s an exciting time to be a Jaguars fan because of all the young talent on the roster and all of the new names and faces we get to see play. At the end of the year we’ll have a much better sense of which of those players will become household names.