Jacksonville Jaguars: Yes, the future looks a bit brighter

After plenty of changes to the organization this offseason, there appears to be a light of hope for the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2020.

The sun came out this morning over TIAA Bank Field and blanketed the Jaguars stadium as the breeze came through the trees along the banks of the St. Johns River. It was another regular Thursday, one filled with promise and the quiet streets were an awkward change from the hustle of the downtown area.

The changes in the latitude of this organization have been felt by the fan base over the past few weeks with the release of high-priced veterans and trades to clear cap space and accrue draft capital. Through all the in-season distress and off-season calamity, there is a sense of peace forthcoming. Maybe, just maybe, everything is going to be ok.

As my colleague here at Black and Teal, Kathy Clark, told me today, “I am seeing a sane plan in the free agents we are signing. When it’s all done I may have to write about it!”

Looks like there won't be a competition for #Jaguars starting QB position now in 2020. The sea has parted for Gardner Minshew with Foles off to Chicago, unless Jags have their eye on signing Jameis Winston.
— Eugene Frenette (@GeneFrenette) March 18, 2020

Those are the kinds of things you want to hear about when covering this team. The Jaguars and I have had a love-hate relationship over the past 25 years. As the team whittles down to the youngest in the NFL, there is a path the front office is taking – to rebuild and win with youth.
It sounds ordinary enough, but it’s far from it.

The Jaguars must come close to scraping the bottom of the league’s barrel to start fresh – which is something fans who pluck down their hard-earned money don’t want to hear. But reality has set in and as the team traded both Calais Campbell and Nick Foles in just four day’s time, you see what is happening, move by move on the checkerboard.

The team’s front office is running away from the belief system of Tom Coughlin and taking another step forward as neophytes lead the way. Josh Allen, Gardner Minshew, Leonard Fournette, DJ Chark, Jawaan Taylor and potentially Yannick Ngakoue are the foundation from which this team builds for 2020 and beyond.

For now, these are baby steps.

The landscape of the NFL changed this week. Tom Brady moved on from New England and will call Tampa Bay home. Philip Rivers is now in Indianapolis to terrorize the Jaguars twice a year. DeAndre Hopkins is in Arizona. The Tennessee Titans somehow were able to keep both Ryan Tannehill and Derrick Henry and add defensive pieces to their roster.

The Jaguars still have a lot of work to do.