Jacksonville Jaguars disrespected in recent power ranking

You will be hard-pressed to find someone who thinks the Jacksonville Jaguars are currently a playoff contender. On the other hand, you wouldn’t place them near the cellar of the NFL after all the changes they have undergone this offseason, right?

Dalton Miller of Pro Football Network ranked all 32 NFL teams ahead of training camp and he gave the Jaguars the 30th spot on the list. He sees them as one of the most fascinating clubs in the league: He praises the Jags’ offensive weapons and notes that they have a young talented quarterback in Trevor Lawrence. Also, Dalton likes the team’s promising pass-rushing duo of EDGE defender Josh Allen and strong linebacker K’Lavon Chaisson.

"The Jaguars might be the most fascinating team in the league. They have some impressive offensive weapons and one of the most coveted quarterback prospects of the generation. They also have a young, high-upside pass-rushing duo in Josh Allen and K’Lavon Chaisson."

Nevertheless, Miller says that Jacksonville’s offensive line is a question mark. Moreover, he thinks head coach Urban Meyer’s transition to the pros has been rocky and believes that the Jaguars have a lot to prove moving forward. In case you were wondering, the Houston Texans and the Detroit Lions were the only teams that ranked lower than the Jags.

The Jacksonville Jaguars deserve a higher spot in Miller’s ranking.

It’s difficult to get a favorable ranking after losing 15 consecutive games last season. However, the Jaguars were one of the most active teams in the NFL this offseason. They took advantage of all the cap space former general manager David Caldwell never got around to using and fortified their roster in free agency.

Besides signing cornerback Shaquill Griffin and safety Rayshawn Jenkins, the Jags added depth to several positional groups. They reinforced the secondary and the defensive front, two of the units that were in need of upgrades. On the other side of the ball, the Jaguars added Marvin Jones Jr. to round out a dynamic wide receiver corps. If that weren’t enough, the Jaguars drafted several players that should be part of the team’s long-term future.

It’s true that Lawrence is a rookie, but he should have no trouble adjusting to the NFL. The Jags are making sure he’s in a position to succeed right out of the gate. Also, he won’t have to carry the team on his shoulders. Travis Etienne and James Robinson have the potential to form one of the most formidable running back tandems in the NFL and they both will play a big role on Jacksonville’s offense in 2021.

Miller is right when he says the Jacksonville Jaguars have a lot to prove in 2021 but they also have plenty of upside. They are a young squad in the early stages of a rebuild. Meyer and Lawrence will experience growing pains in their first season in the pros, but they will also grow together and take several teams by surprise in 2021. It’s too early to peg the Jags as a Super Bowl sleeper but you shouldn’t take them lightly. Based on the talent level and potential they have, they should move up several spots in power rankings when the 2021 season starts.