Jaguars enter the offseason with the second most resources in the NFL

Once the Jacksonville Jaguars put an end to their head coaching search and find someone to fill their vacancy, they will have to turn their attention to improving their roster, which shouldn’t be an issue due to all the assets they will have at their disposal this offseason.

The Jaguars are in the enviable position of having the second most resources among NFL teams this year. Arjun Menon of Pro Football Focus recently evaluated which clubs are best set up for the 2022 offseason and Jacksonville popped up at number two, only behind the New York Jets. Meanwhile, the San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams sit on the opposite side of the spectrum.

Menon took draft capital, cap space, and proratable money, which teams can ‘borrow from their cap room in future years, into account when putting together the table. He brings up a very important point in the article: It doesn’t matter the number of resources you have but how you use them and the Jaguars haven’t been able to do much of their cap space and draft picks over the last three years.

The Jags have had plenty of misses in the draft over the last three years. Outside linebacker Josh Allen is their lone draft pick in that span that has gone on to make the Pro Bowl and while their 2021 draft class has plenty of upside, it remains to be seen if they can turn their potential into on-field production. The same is true for their free-agent classes. Jacksonville has refrained from making any splash signings and has instead looking for value (mid-tier contracts) in recent years. Will 2022 be any different?

The Jaguars need to buck the trend in free agency and the draft.

Trevor Lawrence had a less-than-stellar rookie campaign but that was mostly because he joined a Jaguars’ team that lacked direction and talent at most positional groups. The organization’s number one priority this offseason must be to build around him. That means fortifying the offensive line and giving him more weapons to throw the ball to. On the defensive side of the ball, the secondary looks in good shape but their front seven could use some upgrades.

As Menon noted, the Jags will have plenty of resources to make meaningful additions this offeason. They have 12 draft selections, including the first overall and four in the first three rounds. The front office can get one of the top two pass rushers in the draft or Alabama offensive tackle Evan Neal. Either way, they should end up with a building block. On top of that, they will have close to $60 million in cap space, per Over the Cap. That is more than enough to re-sign wide receiver DJ Chark Jr., a few key contributors, and also ink a couple of big-name players in free agency.

The one thing the Jaguars can do is keep hoarding their draft picks of cap space. What’s the point of having so many assets if they aren’t going to use them. Over the last three years, they’ve taken a conservative approach in the offseason. That has to change now if they want to improve this year and start winning games.