Jacksonville Jaguars have the third most capital to upgrade with this offseason
By Daniel Lago
After several years and shrewdly managing the cap and handing out team-friendly contracts, the Jacksonville Jaguars are once again in a position to add several players.
The Jacksonville Jaguars have mired in failure for the better part of a decade, a fact that fans know all too well after a massively disappointing 2016 campaign. A substantial reason for the disappointment was the immense hype placed on the team after an extremely active offseason, one which saw the team add numerous big names in free agency.
After finishing 3-13, the new regime is under pressure to produce wins. Luckily, they still have quite a bit of money and draft capital to work with.
Danny Kelly over at the Ringer went through every team and tabulated their salary cap space and draft capital (based on Jimmy Johnson‘s draft chart). Unsurprisingly, the Jaguars were quite high on the rankings for total capital:
"3. Jacksonville JaguarsSalary Cap Space: $73,567,963 (Fourth)Draft Pick Capital: Seven picks valued at 2,724.3 points (Fifth)With plenty of cap space, Jaguars GM Dave Caldwell has a chance to provide new head coach Doug Marrone with a stable of new playmakers on both sides of the ball. Jacksonville was a big spender last year, as the team doled out $178.3 million worth of contracts to acquire defensive lineman Malik Jackson, safety Tashaun Gipson, running back Chris Ivory, and a few others. The returns were mixed, but the Jaguars have the money to be aggressive again this spring.More from Jacksonville Jaguars NewsJacksonville Jaguars should welcome Derrick Henry into the kingdomJaguars Rumors: Trent Baalke seems to be getting respect nowJaguars News: This division rival might be making a big moveFormer Jacksonville Jaguars S Johnathan Cyprien: “New Profession, Same Standards”Jacksonville Jaguars TE Evan Engram officially gets the franchise tag: 3 takeawaysThe Jags have plenty of workable capital in the draft, too. They pick in the top part of every round this year and Caldwell will look to address both the offensive and defensive lines, the defensive back spot, and a handful of other glaring needs — possibly including a replacement for Blake Bortles."
Obviously money is not an issue for the Jaguars in terms of luring in free agents, the problem is going to be who will be available. The franchise tag has already removed effectively all the edge rushing targets (Jason Pierre-Paul and Melvin Ingram), so the team will likely focus on cornerback and offensive line.
The other problem with the upcoming free-agency fiasco is that plenty of other teams have enough money to target at least one or two high-end players. The Jaguars can overpay, but so can several other franchises.
As for the draft, it’s a wild card given the front-office restructuring. Things should be different under Tom Coughlin, but his oversight doesn’t change the presence of David Caldwell. While the team is certainly more talented with Caldwell’s additions over the last 4 years, he has arguably whiffed on 3 first round draft picks.
Either way, the Jaguars should be able to add a handful of starters this offseason.