The Jacksonville Jaguars will look to add playmakers in the NFL Draft

It was a reoccurring message by Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone last week. This is a team looking to find playmakers on offense.

One of the glaring weaknesses of the Jacksonville Jaguars last season, at least in the minds of the local media was the lack of playmakers on the roster last season. Head coach Doug Marrone believes it is still an area of concern that he addressed in a presser on Zoom last week.

The Jaguars go into the 2020 season with Gardner Minshew as the starter – which was not the case at this time last season. The organization has also added Jay Gruden as the team’s offensive coordinator after parting ways with John DeFilippo after one year of marriage between the two sides. It is Gruden’s style that may force the coaching staff and front office to make changes to help the offense score more points in 2020.

"“I think in looking at it, we want to be able to see if we can get some playmakers. We feel like we have some already,” Marrone said. We want to make sure we focus around that. I think it is more showcasing where our best talent is. I think that’s the most important thing.”"

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There are players the Jacksonville Jaguars counted on in Minshew, running back Leonard Fournette and wide receiver DJ Chark. But there were options the team could not use at tight end, where almost every player on the roster suffered an injury at one point or another. Also, the team did not have the consistency from other wide receivers that was expected.

If anything good came out of the play from last season and the lack of performance from the offensive side of the ball, it was that Fournette became a dual-threat in the passing game and led the Jaguars with 76 pass catches last season. He also became a more dependable back on third down.

What Fournette lacked last season where he ran for 1,152 yards is a spot in the end zone. He scored three touchdowns all season. The Jacksonville Jaguars had one of the worst red-zone offenses in the NFL.

"“What I want to do and what I am really focused on is how we are going to get better situationally. I think that is the one thing that has held us from scoring and being on the field. One is obviously third down and the other is in the red zone. For me, I want to make sure that you get these playmakers and make sure you make them make plays and positions in third downs and red zone to get us going,” Marrone added."

There are plenty of wide receivers the Jaguars could look to draft in the first two rounds starting on Thursday. Jerry Jeudy and Henry Ruggs III from Alabama may be available. Justin Jefferson of LSU and Denzel Mims of Baylor are also possible options. As many as 25 wide receivers could be taken in the first three rounds of Draft. Everything, however, will start and end with Minshew as he has the reins of the offense from the start of camp moving forward.

Jacksonville scored just 18.8 points a game in 2019. The passing game ranked 16th overall in the NFL. The running game was 17th overall. Both numbers that need work this offseason.

"“A lot of it will depend on how Gardner (Minshew II) progresses and what he is doing well. I think that if he’s going and we are rolling with him, we are more than happy to throw the football,” Marrone said. “If we are running the football and the runner is hot, then we will stick with the run. I think each game is different, but we definitely want to be able to add to some of the playmakers that we have and be able to get the ball in their hands.”"