Jacksonville Jaguars Free Agency 2017: Big name talent injections
By Luke Sims
2) Jason Pierre-Paul, pending New York Giants free agent defensive end
The relationship between Jason Pierre-Paul and his former head coach Tom Coughlin could be the primary reason he comes over to the Jacksonville Jaguars. In his new executive vice president for football operations role, Coughlin gets final say in talent acquisition and he has pull with plenty of players like Pierre-Paul who he cultivated in New York.
JPP has been a dominant defensive end for years, even after his fireworks mishap before the 2015 season that took part of his hand. He played in just eight games in 2015 while recovering but in 2016 he roared back to life and picked up an impressive seven sacks in just 12 games. He also forced three fumbles and returned a fumble for a touchdown.
The Jacksonville Jaguars have struggled to nail down the defensive end position seemingly forever. Draft picks like Derrick Harvey haunt the franchise and a revolving door of veterans like Aaron Kampman, Jason Babin, and Chris Clemons never helped guide young talent to growing into the position.
The hope now is that Dante Fowler Jr. and Yannick Ngakoue are the future, but a productive veteran presence like JPP could do wonders in helping them grow and actually solidifying one side of the line. The former first round pick is still just 28 and has plenty of gas left in the tank to decimate opposing offensive lines and quarterbacks.