Jacksonville Jaguars Will Pursue Running Backs in the Offseason

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Jacksonville Jaguars offseason pursuits dominate this site right now, but we’re finally able to get a peek into the mind of GM Dave Caldwell.

Per Ian Rapoport, the Jags will be looking for a half back for next year as they intend to move Toby Gerhart around

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This fits in nicely with a flood of free agent running backs available for the Jaguars to take a look at. Whether it’s Mark Ingram or DeMarco Murray, the Jags have the money to land whomever they desire…assuming they want to come down to balmy Florida to play football, of course. (and who doesn’t!?)

Perhaps the most interesting part of the report is that the Jags will be moving Toby Gerhart around more.

Gerhart actually performed well when receiving the ball during the 2014 campaign. He had the second highest yards after the catch average of all running backs at an impressive 11.3, coming in slightly above Marshawn Lynch and Eddie Lacy. He was also 12th in yards per reception among running backs with a 9.3 yard average. These numbers are great and Pro Football Focus does a great job comparing him to his peers (subscription required), but he still graded out poorly overall. Maybe moving him around will let the Jags focus more on his strengths.

Assuming that the Jaguars don’t sign a true workhorse to replace Gerhart, this also means that Denard Robinson will likely increase his role on the offense as well. That’s great for the Jaguars as Robinson showed that he was transitioning well from his “offensive weapon” status to being a true NFL-caliber running back during the season. He had some strong games and some weak ones but his improvement as a ball carrier from the year before was undeniable and he flashed in almost every game.

While we can’t know for sure at this point who the team will target, I assume that with Gerhart being used differently the Jaguars will be approaching the running back position as more of a committee.

Next: Who Could be Playing Running Back for the Jags Next Year?