The Jacksonville Jaguars will have the chance to fortify the roster this offseason. They will have $63 million in cap space, according to Spotrac, and hold more than 10 selections,
including the top overall pick
, in the 2022 NFL Draft. If they make the right moves, they could get significantly better in 2022.
On the other hand, the Jaguars’ roster isn’t completely devoid of talent and they have a young core of players that could turn into breakout stars next season. Their next head coach will have some talent at his disposal and it will be up to him to get the most out of it. Without further ado, here are five Jaguars players that can become breakout stars in 2022.
No. 5 Jaguars player who can become a breakout star – Laviska Shenault.
Wide receiver Laviska Shenault wasn’t particularly bad in 2021, hauling in 63 receptions for 619 yards. Both numbers surpassed his rookie totals but more was expected from the Colorado product in his rookie campaign. For starters, he didn’t find the end zone once one year after scoring five receiving touchdowns.
Heading into the regular season, Shenault was pegged as a breakout candidate and it’s easy to see why. He has the speed to stretch the field but is also one of the best receivers at forcing missed tackles logging 16 in his rookie season and 20 in 2021.
The Jaguars’ next coaching staff needs to squeeze every ounce of talent out of Shenault. While he needs to work on limiting his number of drops, he could also benefit from a scheme that accentuates his strengths and puts him in a position to succeed.
No. 4 Jaguars player who can become a breakout star – Andre Cisco.
Andre Cisco entered the 2021 NFL Draft with enough medical red flags to make a doctor shake his head in disapproval. Back in his sophomore season at Syracuse, he suffered a lower leg injury that forced him to miss three games. The following year, he suffered a torn ACL that limited him to two games.
On the other hand, Cisco was a ballhawk back in college, logging 14 passes defensed and 13 interceptions in 24 games. The Jaguars thought he was worth a flyer and took him in the third round of the 2021 NFL draft. He showed no lingering throughout training camp and earned the highest Pro Football Focus grade among rookie safeties in the NFL preseason. However, Jacksonville’s coaching staff named Andrew Wingard the starter opposite Rayshawn Jenkins.
Cisco barely played throughout most of the year but once he got his chance, he made the most out of him. He started the last three games of the season and showed flashes of the playmaker he was for the Orangemen, logging 15 total tackles, two passes defensed, and one forced fumble.
If the Jaguars want Cisco to reach his potential and make plays for them, they can no longer keep him on the bench. They don’t need to outright hand him a starting job but he should have no trouble earning it if given the chance. The Jags’ defense ranked 30th in interceptions with seven. Cisco can get them way more than that next season.
No. 3 Jaguars player who can become a breakout star – Tyson Campbell.
Here’s another rookie and one of the Jaguars’ best picks in the 2021 NFL draft. Back when he was drafted, Tyson Campbell looked like an unnecessary luxury. After all, the Jags had just re-signed Tre Herndon and Sidney Jones. They had also locked up Shaquill Griffin and had C.J. Henderson in the fold, so it was fair to wonder how Campbell fit their plans with so much depth at the position.
Even though the former Georgia Bulldog struggled in the preseason, a series of moves and a bit of randomness helped him secure the starting spot in the slot. First, the Jags’ traded Jones before the start of the season, and Tre Herndon suffered an MCL injury in the preseason, which paved the way for Campbell to play nickel. That wasn’t the end of it, and he moved to the perimeter once the front office traded C.J. Henderson.
It took the 2021 second-round pick to find his footing in the NFL, struggling early in the season and suffering a toe injury that sidelined him for two games. But once he returned to the lineup, he steadily improve each week and logged two interceptions and six passes defensed in the last seven games of the season.
Campbell was one of two Jaguars’ rookies that saw the field a significant amount of time in 2021 (the other was Trevor Lawrence. He should only get better with one year of experience under his belt. Don’t be surprised if he earns a Pro Bowl designation next season.
No. 2 Jaguars player who can become a breakout star – Josh Allen.
The inclusion of outside linebacker Josh Allen on this list could raise a few eyebrows since he’s one of the Jaguars’ most well-known players and one of their best defenders. Having said that, he wasn’t himself in 2021 and didn’t play as well as he could. He himself acknowledged that in his most recent sitdown with the local media, and said that not having the right mindset was a big reason.
While Allen was one of the most dominant pass rushers in the league at the middle point of the 2021 season, he eventually experienced a dropoff in production. The seventh overall pick in the 2019 draft led the Jags in sacks with 7.5 but the team needs more from him in 2022 if they want to field a top defense.
Now, Allen is not far off from joining the upper echelon of pass rushers. His Week 9 performance got the national spotlight and rightfully so. He played a key role in helping the Jaguars pull off the upset against the Buffalo Bills, logging a sack, an interception, and a fumble recovery.
Fellow linebacker Damien Wilson also told the media that Allen hasn’t reached his ceiling yet, and those around him would probably agree with that statement. It wouldn’t be shocking to see him have a breakout season in 2022, especially when you take into account that he will be entering a contract year. While the Jags could exercise the fifth-year option on his rookie deal, they should strongly consider giving him a long-term contract if he keeps trending up.
No. 1 Jaguars player who can become a breakout star – Trevor Lawrence.
Many members from the Jaguars’ 2021 draft class made this list but that speaks of the work the front office put (at least for one year). Without a doubt, Trevor Lawrence was the team’s most important acquisition last year, and their player with the biggest upside.
Lawrence’s rookie numbers aren’t great. In fact, they look pretty bad on paper but context is necessary. The former Clemson Tiger landed on a team that had won 12 games in the previous three years and had had just one winning season over the last ten years. Like any other rookie passer that wasn’t in a favorable situation, he was going to have growing pains. Now, he also needs to shoulder some of the blame for throwing a league-high 17 interceptions in 2021 but throughout the season, he displayed all the traits of a franchise quarterback.
Every game, Lawrence would make a couple of jaw-dropping throws. His decision-making got better as the season progressed, and he showed enough pocket awareness to know when to exit the pocket and use his legs. His best game of the season came in Week 18 against the Indianapolis Colts. That game, he completed a season-high 71.8 percent of his passes for 223 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions.
The Jaguars should be pleased with Lawrence’s performance season finale and should make it a priority to surround him with talent this upcoming offseason. If they do, he will improve significantly in 2022.