Marcedes Lewis Trade Rumors: Should Jags Shop Him?
By Luke Sims
Marcedes Lewis saw his value plummet with the Jacksonville Jaguars with the signing of new-starting tight end Julius Thomas during the first day of 2015 NFL Free Agency.
He also saw a particularly humorous false rumor about his being traded circulate due to parody Twitter account @AdarnSchefter:
It was a good laugh for all involved, probably including Marcedes Lewis as he saw his role as a blocker increase and his role as a pass catcher decrease.
The truth is, the Jaguars need a blocking tight end still because Julius Thomas just isn’t a quality blocker (at least at this point in his career). So, holding onto Lewis makes sense in that regard.
Florida Times-Union writer Hays Carlyon notes that GM Dave Caldwell believes that Lewis has to “compete to be here.” For a player that has missed significant time over the last couple seasons, that may be easier said than done. His production when he has been on the field has also been mediocre lately.
Yet he still has that value as a blocker.
Would that value be even better as a bargaining chip when the team is considering trades.
Lewis was handed a significant 5-year, $34 million contract in 2011 following a breakout year. That’s great for Thomas, but the team hasn’t really seen a return on their investment, with Lewis not coming close to the 10 touchdowns he scored in the 2010 season.
For now, the Jags have said they won’t be releasing Lewis ($8.2 million cap hit in 2015) for the 2015 season. That doesn’t rule out trades and I think the team is probably wondering who may be in the market for a big-bodied tight end with a history of stellar blocking and (some) receiving success. New offensive coordinator Greg Olson likes to use multiple tight ends, but there are other, younger Jaguars who have more upside than Lewis right now.
So, while the Jags haven’t traded Marcedes Lewis so far and while they have said they won’t be cutting them, don’t discount the idea of trading Marcedes Lewis in the future. That fake Adam Schefter may have been onto something after all.