Jacksonville Jaguars raising expectations on defense with free agency moves
By Daniel Lago
The Jacksonville Jaguars failed to meet lofty expectations on offense in 2016, but we’re likely going to see a similar high bar set for the defense in 2017.
With the free agency period officially beginning on Thursday, the Jacksonville Jaguars have wasted no time in signing some key guys to fill starting spots. The first two moves (both locked in during the ‘legal tampering’ period) have given the Jaguars a high-level defensive lineman (Calais Campbell) and an upgrade over failed second round pick Jonathan Cyprien (Barry Church).
Church and Campbell represent new executive vice president of football operations Tom Coughlin putting his stamp on the team, as these two players break the recent mold of what general manager David Caldwell has pursued (younger players looking for their second contract).
Campbell is arguably one of the better multi-utility defensive lineman in the league, and Barry Church has been an underrated piece of what has been an oft-criticized Dallas defense.
Both guys make the Jaguars better on defense.
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If you’re levying some high expectations for the Jacksonville defense, you’re not alone according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.
"The 2016 offseason feature high hopes for the Jacksonville offense. This year, the defense will be carrying big expectations into the season.The addition of veteran defensive lineman Calais Campbell gives the team another solid contributor, and it moves them closer to being one of the best defenses in the league.“I think we’re close,” G.M. Dave Caldwell told PFT Live last week, after rattling off some of the names that currently dot the defensive side of the ball. “We’re a couple pieces away from being a very, very good defense.”"
That’s an interesting snippet from Caldwell, as it gives some insight into how the front office views the team. Clearly there are divided opinions about Blake Bortles being the team’s long term solution at quarterback, but the guys at the top seem to all agree that there’s enough talent on defense to compete.
With the Jaguars in the mix to land A.J. Bouye as well (in addition to another pass rusher in the draft), don’t be surprised if the Jacksonville defense receives a ton of buzz over the coming months.