Jacksonville Jaguars offseason moves earn them solid grade

The Jacksonville Jaguars entered the 2021 NFL offseason with the most cap space in the league and a vast amount of draft picks. They put all their assets to good use and made many meaningful additions to the roster, but how much did they improve? What grade should they get for all the moves they have made this offseason?

If you ask Brad Gagnon of Bleacher Report, the Jags deserve a ‘B-‘ for all their offseason transactions. He argues that it was going to be hard for Jacksonville to flunk the offseason due to all the draft capital and cap space they had at their disposal. However, he questions Jacksonville’s decision to overpay Shaquill Griffin and says that they could regret slapping the franchise tag on left tackle Cam Robinson. Moreover, he believes drafting Travis Etienne 25th overall was a “glaring mistake” when they already had running back James Robinson on the roster.

On the other hand, Gagnon likes the fact the Jaguars revamped their secondary and praises them for not overthinking the Lawrence selection with the first overall pick in the draft. He says that this Jacksonville team could have spent their money better in free agency and believes there were better players at 25.

The Jacksonville Jaguars should’ve gotten a better grade.

There are many things to like about the Jaguars’ offseason moves. They did sign Griffin wide receiver Marvin Jones, and safety Rayshawn Jenkins even though they focused on adding depth to a roster that severely lacked in last year.

You could say signing Griffin was an unnecessary luxury Jacksonville didn’t need but losing their top 3 cornerbacks in 2020, the team wants to avoid having the same situation this season. Also, taking Etienne with pick 25 isn’t as bad as it seems. Sure, you shouldn’t draft a running back in the first round but the Clemson product gives the Jags’ offense another dimension.

The one move that does deserve criticism is tagging Robinson. It’s good to know the team’s brass trusts him but he’s been inconsistent throughout his four-year career and it’s doubtful that he will turn into an upper-echelon left tackle. They could’ve signed Trent Williams in free agency or trade for Orlando Brown but opted for the devil they knew. On the bright side, they drafted Stanford Little 45th overall in this year’s selection meeting. He could compete for playing time right out of the gate.

Also, the Jaguars failed to address the tight end position. Tyler Eifert might not have been worth keeping but the team didn’t find an adequate replacement. James O’Shaugnessy is a good backup and Chris Manhertz will play a key role as an inline blocker but neither is the kind of playmaker the Jaguars need. The Jags had a chance to upgrade their tight end room in free agency and the draft but passed up both chances.

Other than not upgrading their tight end unit, the Jaguars had a fruitful offseason. They filled holes and addressed most needs. Also, they found their franchise quarterback, and seem to have the building blocks for sustained success.