David Caldwell the 24th best general manager according to Rotoworld

The Jacksonville Jaguars have become a more talented team under GM David Caldwell, but does that mean he should be one of more highly ranked executives?

The Jacksonville Jaguars were in a dark place after the 2012 season. The team just finished up a regular season that saw them finish with the worst record in franchise history (2-14), which meant the time had come to blow everything up. Owner Shad Khan fired then head coach Mike Mularkey and general manager Gene Smith, handing the reigns over to new GM David Caldwell.

Since then, the results on the field haven’t been what fans would like but it’s hard to deny that the roster is significantly more talented than it was 4 years ago. It’s an interesting situation that lends itself to a spirited discussion about whether or not Caldwell has actually done a good job.

Patrick Daugherty over at Rotoworld released his annual general manager rankings, and he had David Caldwell at basically the same spot he did last year – near the bottom.

"24. Dave Caldwell, JaguarsLast Year’s Ranking: 23Overflowing with offseason Lombardis, Dave Caldwell is going to need a bigger trophy case. January-August has taken on an annual rhythm under Caldwell. No one wins free agency harder than Caldwell, and very few come away from the draft with more “name” talent. Outside observers have tended to like the process. The results have been far less impressive. Luke Joeckel bombed. Blake Bortles is working on it. Dante Fowler has been inconclusive. Buzzed-about Day 2 picks Johnathan Cyprien, T.J. Yeldon and Myles Jack have all fizzled. Caldwell’s free agent spending, admittedly daring and often hard to quibble with on paper, has yet to produce more than five wins in a season. Almost nothing has gone right. As usual, there seems to be some light at the end of the tunnel. Jalen Ramsey flashed as a rookie. The high-priced defense finally took a step forward, and has more reinforcements (A.J. Bouye, Calais Campbell) on the way. You can still make the argument that Caldwell has been more unlucky than bad. 2017 will be Caldwell’s latest, and probably final, moment of truth."