Jaguars ranked 18th in recent NFL.com poll

The Jacksonville Jaguars are ranked 18th overall in a recent NFL.com poll written by analyst Dan Hanzus.

Is there a correlation between how an NFL analyst ranks a team and how he perceives it’s head coach’s job safety for the upcoming season? The Jaguars as a team received higher marks from NFL.com’s Dan Hanzus that their head coach Doug Marrone did when it comes to job security.

Some would say the two are not interchangeable, but it does stand to reason if the Jaguars, a 5-11 team last season under the watchful eye of Marrone and his coaching staff, does better this season, then part of the reason is the work this group has done.

Hanzus placed the Jaguars 18th in his most recent poll of NFL teams. Just the other day, he wrote Marrone’s seat inside TIAA Bank Field is as warm as the weather has been in North Florida in recent weeks.

Marrone was in the bottom three of job security, coming in at No. 30 on the list, with only Washington’s Jay Gruden and Pat Shurmur of the New York Giants below him.

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As a team, Hanzus believes there is plenty to like about the Jaguars ahead of last year’s roster.

"“Welcome back, Marqise Lee. The veteran wide receiver returned to practice this weekend, marking an important step in his comeback after tearing multiple knee ligaments in a game last August,” Hanzus writes.“Lee’s next battle is to work his way up a depth chart that includes Dede Westbrook, DJ Chark and Chris Conley. The wide receiver position in general is a big question mark for the Jaguars, who gave Nick Foles a hefty free-agent contract in the spring but may not have surrounded him with enough weapons to spark the kind of change Jacksonville brass expects with the former Super Bowl MVP behind center.”"

I’m not of the same opinion as Hanzus with this unit as there is plenty of speed on the outside with Chark and Conley. Westbrook can play inside or lineup to the far right or left. Lee will be brought along slowly and Keelan Cole is still fighting for a roster spot and has speed to burn as a slot player.

The Jaguars also added Terrelle Pryor right before minicamp.

"“It wouldn’t be shocking if the Jags looked to add to this group if and when a veteran name shakes free come final roster cuts,” he adds."

This too is something I think is a bit of a reach. Chark may be the most improved skill player on the roster and Conley and Foles have shown chemistry from the moment they stepped on the field.

Jacksonville is ranked third in the AFC South in the power rankings behind the Indianapolis Colts (fifth) and the Houston Texans (14th). The Tennessee Titans are one spot below Jacksonville, 19th overall.