Finding a quarterback is the Jaguars most pressing issue

By David Levin | Jan 14, 2019

MIAMI, FL - NOVEMBER 03: Daniel Jones #17 of the Duke Blue Devils warms up before the game against the Miami Hurricanes at Hard Rock Stadium on November 3, 2018 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images) /

The Jacksonville Jaguars must find a way to get their desired quarterback of the future in the 2019 NFL Draft by any means possible.

The need for a young quarterback to revamp the position might be the most pressing offseason issue for the Jacksonville Jaguars, but finding a way to grab the gunslinger they want in April could be easier said than accomplished.

The NFL Draft talk got rolling once the Jaguars, 5-11 this season, went into a tail a spin and lost seven games in a row, eliminated themselves from playoff contention and head coach Doug Marrone fired his offensive coordinator and benched starter Blake Bortles.

Jaguars fans hoped for a miracle with the changes in midseason, but saw a steady decline in offensive output that couldn’t be blamed solely on injuries to key players throughout the season. This offense was inept, porous and in need of adrenaline. And for once, many of us could say it wasn’t just Bortles fault for such a poor showing.

Now, the team must fix the issue with a solid draft pick and a veteran starter through free agency or a trade. But when it comes to the NFL Draft, the team will also need to put its most pressing need before everything else, according to experts.

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"“Quarterback indeed was the position of choice for the Jaguars in the first jaguars.com 2019 Mock Draft tracker, with prominent draft analysts in recent days mocking three different quarterbacks to the Jaguars in the Top 10 of the April 25-27 2019 NFL Draft,” writes John Oehser of Jaguars.com."

Right now, the general idea is that Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins is the first player at the position off the board. After that, it is logjam as to who hears his name called next. I am not sold on this draft class. I am also not sold on the idea the Jaguars are going to release Bortles just yet. And where the team sits in the first round means the front office may need to trade up to get what they need to start anew.

Jacksonville will still need a veteran on the roster who can become the player that leads the offense until the rookie is ready to start. The idea of Bortles replacing Chad Henne in the second half of the third game of the 2014 season wasn’t the game plan, but it lead to situation the franchise is in now.

Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports thinks the team has zeroed in on veterans it believes will be available to them in the coming weeks.

"“The Jaguars have been interviewing candidates for their offensive coordinator job, and have overhauled much of their staff on that side of the ball. In conversations with potential coaches, it has become clear that Blake Bortles is not an option back there next season, and sources said [Joe] Flacco, Eagles backup Nick Foles and Dolphins oft-injured starter Ryan Tannehill are names the Jaguars brass are mulling,” he writes."

Yes, Jacksonville has other needs to address this offseason, most of them on the offensive side of the ball. Speedy wide receivers with playmaking ability should also be added through the draft. Solving the team’s problems may not be an easy fix, but there are enough pieces to the fractured puzzle on the roster which could mean a marked improvement in 2019.

Next. Jaguars add two assistants to coaching staff. dark

But first, as experts say, the team must find a quarterback and let everything else fall into place.

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