Could Marcus Williams and Jonnu Smith join Jacksonville Jaguars in 2021?
Free agency will be a valuable resource for the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Jacksonville Jaguars need a makeover. They’re past a few fixes and must make significant changes to their roster if they want to become a contender on a yearly basis. We don’t know who will be calling the shots next offseason, as the team currently doesn’t have a general manager after parting ways with David Caldwell not long ago. Regardless of who oversees their front office, Pro Football Focus believes the ‘Jags’ should target New Orleans Saints safety Marcus Williams and tight end Tennessee Titans tight end Jonnu Smith in the offseason.
Injuries have certainly played a role in the team’s current 1-10 record, but the fact of the matter is that they don’t have many red or blue-chip players on their roster at this moment and Williams and Jonnu, are a couple of intriguing players who are set to hit free agency in 2021.
Although the draft will be the Jaguars’ main means to infuse the team with talent, they could also use the free agency period to add contributors. They are set to have $82.29 million in cap space, per Over the Cap, and could bring be active participants in next year’s free agency.
These two players could join the Jacksonville Jaguars in free agency.
PFF thinks the Jaguars will give Jonnu Smith a four-year $38 million contract and offer Marcus Williams a four-year $52 million deal. This Jacksonville team could definitely use an upgrade at both the safety and tight end positions, so these two hypothetical signings make sense, at least at a superficial level.
Williams has been one of PFF’s highest-ranked safeties since being drafted in 2017. He’s good against both the pass and run and has registered 176 solo tackles, 54 assists, 28 passes defensed, two forced fumbles, and 13 interceptions in his four-year tenure in New Orleans. This year alone, he has snagged three interceptions, so paying him $13 million per year might not be a bad investment.
On the other hand, Smith has averaged more than 7.0 yards after the catch throughout his career and is good at breaking tackles, having collected 14 in 2019. This season, he has hauled in 30 receptions for 338 yards and seven touchdowns. He’s a red-zone target that could help this Jacksonville score more points in 2021.
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Heading into the offseason, the Jaguars will have enough cap space to target not just Jonnu Smith and Marcus Williams, but a fair number of contributors to upgrade their roster, so they should definitely have an aggressive approach toward free agency in 2021.