Three things the Jaguars must do before the NFL Draft
By David Levin
With the coaching staff in place, the Jacksonville Jaguars can officially begin planning for free agency in March and the NFL Draft in April.
The Jacksonville Jaguars got their man. When it was announced that John DiFilippo would be the team’s offensive coordinator, I will admit I did a little fist pump. Since being relieved of his duties in Minnesota, where he held the same position, many like myself wondered if this was the move the Jaguars organization needed to move forward.
Hopefully, it was the right decision. We won’t know anything until September when the games matter, but for now, it looks like a strong move. DiFilippo is known for developing quarterbacks, something this organization desperately needs.
I’m not expecting this hire to change the fortunes of this franchise. There are far too many other issues the team needs to address.
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But it should help. As John Oehser of Jaguars.com wrote, bringing DiFilipoo in was not about making a play for quarterback Nick Foles, although the national media jumped all over the chance to connect the dots.
If anything, it is a chance to make a change for the better and give the defense a potential opportunity rest more instead of carrying this franchise on its back.
That said, here are three things the Jaguars must do now before the NFL Draft.
Decide who stays and who goes – This is going to be an offseason of surprise. Calais Campbell announced he is coming back in 2019, but there are veterans who may not walk into this locker room again.
Blake Bortles has stated he knows this is a business. The likelihood of him returning is less than 50 percent. DiFilippo will want his own veteran on the roster to keep a spot warm for a rookie. The notion that this hire was to entice Foles to come to Jacksonville was shot down, but it betters the chance of that happening.
Malik Jackson is all but gone. Tashaun Gipson is on the bubble. Donte Moncrief, T.J. Yeldon and Jermey Parnell won’t be back. There are a handful of other veterans who won’t play for the Black and Teal in 2019.
I think Marcell Dareus is safe, but the team may ask him to restructure his contract.
Find the right veteran quarterback – Easier said than done. I am of the belief there are one or two signal callers who are out there that this team may try to acquire. For now, the usual suspects are out there. We don’t need to rehash that right now.
There is no doubt in my mind the Jaguars will draft a quarterback in the first or second round. The Jaguars could trade up to grab Ohio State’s Dwayne Haskins, stay where they are and hope the right one is there at No. 7.
Daniel Jones and Drew Lock are going to shoot up draft boards. I wouldn’t be shocked if Jacksonville trades down a few spots to acquire another draft pick or two. It’s conceivable this team addresses another position of need in Round 1 and then grabs a quarterback in Round 2.
I believe Will Grier out of West Virginia will be available.
Solve the Leonard Fournette situation – This might be the biggest news of the offseason and one that could hamper the team’s forward progress.
Leonard Fournette is challenging the team’s decision to take away some of his financial guarantees because of his on-field incident in Buffalo that led to his suspension. This comes a day after Doug Marrone said the meeting between player and team went well last week.
That doesn’t scream positive.
"Per Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com, “An arbitrator will rule at a later date whether the Jaguars are able to withhold the $7.1 million in guaranteed money ($2.93 million in 2019 and $4.17 million in 2020) as punishment for Fournette’s NFL suspension. ProFootballTalk first reported the challenge.”"
Next. Do the Jaguars go all in for QB Nick Foles?. dark
The Jaguars must decide if Fournette is still a part of the future of this franchise. If not, what can they do to trade him and get a solid return on their two-year investment. Fournette can still be a major part of this offense in 2019, but things must be worked out. The NFL is a business, but this kind of situation could continue to prove toxic.