Are the Jacksonville Jaguars finally built?

Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Gus Bradley may well be haunted by saying the team was built before 2015, but it could finally come true in 2016.

For the Jacksonville Jaguars, it has been a long, hard slog to even get to a point where they can be competitive on a week by week basis. 2015 yielded many more close, winnable games than the prior three years combined.

Still, it was hardly the “built” team that head coach Gus Bradley suggested it was before the 2015 season. 2015 clearly wasn’t the time to rise up and be a winner.

2016, however, could actually be that year.

With defensive additions like Malik Jackson, Prince Amukamara, Jalen Ramsey, Myles Jack, Dante Fowler Jr., and Tashaun Gipson, the Jaguars are going for an all-new look that should improve on the dismal showings over the last three seasons. The new defense will have to balance an offense that showed it has the potential to be the NFL’s most exciting in 2015.

The offense, which was a major concern prior to the last season, is no longer the side of the ball to worry about. Yes, the offense can improve and it’s expected that it will, but it’s far ahead of what the defense brings to the team at this point. The 2016 offseason has been all about providing a balancing force on defense.

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Will that be enough to make the Jaguars a complete team? Will that be enough to be “built?”

At this point, it’s tough to say that it isn’t. It’s tough to look at the personnel and not think that the Jags are built for success going forward. It would be overly cautious to not buy into the well-deserved hype and expect big things from a team that hasn’t delivered big things since 2007.

With the new-look defense, the exciting offense, and a long, plodding plan finally delivering, it is time to say the Jags are built. It’s time to say that this roster is ready to compete. It’s time to win.

Now, the team has to have the right people in place to capitalize on this opportunity. They have to have the right people in place to execute their strategies and game plans. The roster is there. The general manager has done his job. It’s built.

Now it’s time to deliver.