Can the Jaguars add enough talent for Nick Foles to succeed?

Have the moves the Jaguars made in free agency after signing quarterback Nick Foles on Thursday enough to lead this team back toward the postseason?

The Jaguars had $12 million to spend in free agency after the team signed Nick Foles to a four-year, $88 million deal this past week. They have added several new players over the weekend. Is that, plus the NFL Draft enough to take this team to the playoffs?

The Jaguars are excited about adding a potential franchise quarterback to the team.  We have our quarterback but there is a cloud in the sky.

"As stated in The Athletic (subscription only), “The Jaguars got Nick Foles but it won’t matter if they don’t add talent around their quarterback.”"

Foles is a drop-back passer who needs a strong offensive line. A strong running game wouldn’t hurt either.

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So we take a look at our salary cap. These figures don’t include three new signees because their numbers are not published as yet. As of this Saturday morning, the Jaguars had either $17,700,428 or $18,195,428 (Top 51 players) remaining. The sum of  $8,665,595 must be subtracted immediately because this will be needed to pay for our draftees.

The salary cap is part of the negotiated settlement between owners and players.  The team cannot go over the salary cap and must spend a certain amount on salaries. Failure to do this will be answered with fines and other more serious penalties. My take is that we have used our free agent money as of today.

The top 51 is a rule that applies from the start of the league year to the first actual game played. There are numerous sites that can explain this but it basically it means that the team’s salary cap is determined by the 51 highest value contracts of players on the roster. It’s designed to allow some leeway during the offseason and preseason.

The Jaguars have seven draft choices and need to hit home runs with all or at least most of them.  Some critical needs must be addressed.

Running Back: Four running backs are on the current roster. One is Leonard Fournette and the other three are unknown commodities.  We need at least two in either the later rounds of the draft or undrafted free agents.

Offensive Line: There are eight offensive linemen on the team. Some pundits suggest nine. This is a critical need area that demands a high draft choice. The success of our quarterback depends on this.

Safety: Four safeties with one returning starter are on the roster. This is minimal. We need another safety for depth.

Other parts of the team have sufficient numbers today. They have at least one returning starter with the exception of tight end. Tight end demands another draft choice. There are other positions that could use an upgrade but are not in crisis mode.

General manager, my dream job, is filled with complexities and tough decisions. My hope is that current Jaguars GM David Caldwell with the help of executive vice-president Tom Coughlin and others will make the right decisions.