Will the Jacksonville Jaguars consider signing Tyrod Taylor?

If the Jacksonville Jaguars do not acquire Nick Foles this offseason, will the team consider signing quarterback Tyrod Taylor to replace Blake Bortles?

When asked on by ESPN 690 Jacksonville about the quarterback situation with the Jaguars and more specifically about the future of Blake Bortles, executive vice president Tom Coughlin gave an answer that is as true as the day is long.

"“Blake [Bortles] is the quarterback of the Jacksonville Jaguars right now,” Coughlin told the radio station."

It might not be the most glowing or exciting answer, but Coughlin made it clear right now, No.5 is the quarterback on the team’s roster. If something is to be done with changing the roster, it has not happened yet.

While Bortles told the local media the day after the team’s 20-3 loss to the Houston Texans in the season finale that he did not expect to be in Jacksonville for the 2019 season, his name still appears on the team’s website as a member of the organization. The next few weeks, however, will more than likely change for the former first-round draft pick.

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The Jaguars have plenty of work to do, including deciding who will replace their starter at the most important position on the field. One name Bill Barnwell of ESPN.com brought up recently in a story on how to change the Jaguars are the three other teams in the AFC South would be to sign the soon-to-be free agent Tyrod Taylor if the Jaguars cannot grab Nick Foles from the Philadelphia Eagles.

"“Coughlin simply might not be able to devote that much money to the quarterback position, given the rest of Jacksonville’s roster,” Barnwell explained. “The cheaper option would be to go after Taylor, who fits what Coughlin wants out of his offense. The Jags’ avowed game plan is to dominate on defense, run the football and avoid giveaways.”"

Taylor still may not come cheap as he had a base salary of $10 million last season as Baker Mayfield’s backup in Cleveland and received a $6 million roster bonus, according to spotrac.com. Jacksonville may be able to sign Taylor for less money than it would take to bring Foles to North Florida, where he could command as much as $25 million per season.

If the Jaguars get back to the premise of winning with a strong running game, which could be aided by a healthy Leonard Fournette, and a defense that proves to be stiffling once again, Tyrod Taylor fits exactly what this team needs on offense – a game manager who does not turn the ball over and is mobile enough to move out of the pocket to escape the pass rush.

Bortles versatility and athleticism was one of the reasons he was drafted by the Jaguars with the third overall pick in 2014.

Taylor does something the Jaguars need from their signal caller – he protects the football. As Barnwell wrote, there are few better in the NFL at making sure the football is secure than Taylor has been over his career.

"“His career interception rate is 1.5 percent, the second best in NFL history for passers with 1,000 attempts or more. Taylor also has run for 1,700 yards on 299 carries over the past four seasons, which would take some of the workload off whoever ends up as the primary Jags back in 2019,” he wrote.”"

Signing Tyrod Taylor could mean the Jaguars will be allowed to spread their cap space – which is minimal right now – to other positions of need. It would also mean the team drafts a quarterback this April to develop as 29-yera-olds eventual replacement.