After hiring Doug Pederson as their head coach, the Jacksonville Jaguars can check an item off their to-do list offseason. However, finding a head coach was just one of many things the Jags had to go over and they now need to turn their focus to other issues surrounding the team if they don’t want a repeat of the last two seasons.
All things considered, the Jaguars should feel good about hiring Pederson. In him, they got someone that knows how to win and has a history of working with quarterbacks, which should benefit Trevor Lawrence. Moreover, Pederson will always fly back with the team and won’t kick any of their players. On the other hand, the organization needs to take care of a list of items if they want their new head coach to succeed right off the bat. Here’s how the Jags’ priorities rank after making Pederson the head coach.
No. 5 Jaguars’ offseason priority – Re-sign wide receiver DJ Chark.
Wide receiver DJ Chark was supposed to bounce back after having a down year in 2020. However, he suffered an ankle fracture in Week 4 and missed the remainder of the season. Up until that point, he was the team’s lone deep treat and their offense wasn’t the same without him in the lineup. Even though the 2018 second-round pick had only hauled in seven receptions by the time he got hurt, he was averaging 20 yards per grab and two of those went for touchdowns.
Chark has only had one 1,000 yard season in his four-year NFL career but he’s dealt with injuries and inconsistency at quarterback as a member of the Jaguars. The former LSU Tiger had built a rapport with Trevor Lawrence, so it would make sense for the front office to re-sign him. Since he’s coming off a season-ending injury, both parties will most likely need to find a compromise if they want to reach a deal that benefits both the team and the player. But one thing is sure, the offense is better with Chark than without him.
No. 4 Jaguars’ offseason priority – Use 5th-year option on Josh Allen.
Re-signing DJ Chark this offseason is key if the Jaguars want to give Trevor Lawrence a weapon to work with. However, there are ways they could potentially replace him if they aren’t able to work out a deal. On the other hand, losing outside linebacker Josh Allen would be a devastating hit to their defense. After all, pass rushers don’t grow on trees and Jacksonville has a good one in the Kentucky product.
Now, Allen still has one year left on his rookie deal but the Jags have to decide if they will exercise the team’s fifth-year option. The deadline is May 2 but it should be a no-brainer. The 2019 first-round pick has shown flashes of dominant play throughout his NFL career and is Jacksonville’s top edge rusher. He’s a core player on their defense and was named team captain by his teammates last season. You simply don’t let those kind of players walk away. That’s what the Jaguars have done in the past and that approach hasn’t worked for them. They must buck the trend this offseason.
Not only do the Jaguars need to apply the fifth-year option but they also have to give Allen a long-term deal to ensure he remains in Jacksonville for years to come. The outside linebacker was one of the top rushers in the league point at the midpoint of the 2021 season but his performance wavered down the stretch. He must be more consistent next season but getting some assurances from the organization would help him know he’s wanted.
No. 3 Jaguars’ offseason priority – Decide what to do with the top pick.
The Jaguars must retain their playmakers this offseason but they also need to infuse their roster with more talent. Fortunately, they will have 12 selections in this year’s draft, including the top overall pick and four within the first three rounds. While the team’s brass could use some of those choices as ammo to trade up, they should still land a handful of playmakers. However, it may not be easy to settle on someone with the first overall pick.
There are several paths the Jags can take with the top selection and most of them would be good. They could take Alabama offensive tackle Evan Neal or one of the top two pass rushers in the class, Michigan’s Aidan Hutchinson or Oregon’s Kayvon Thibodeaux. There’s also Charlie Cross of Mississippi, a potential darkhorse, and the possibility of trading down to accumulate more picks.
Regardless of what the Jaguars’ brass decides to do, they need to make sure that they end with a difference-maker, someone that can have an impact on either side of the ball. There should be more clarity regarding Jacksonville’s intentions in the draft after free agency.
One thing to keep an eye on is whether the Jags bring back left tackle Cam Robinson. If they don’t, there’s a good chance they will target Neal with the top pick. On the other side of the coin, if he stays, the team may be leaning towards taking Thibodeau or Hutchinson.
No. 2 Jaguars’ offseason priority – Restructure the front office.
Even though it seemed like general manager Trent Baalke affected the Jags‘ head-coaching search due to his poor reputation around the league, he remained in Jacksonville of the whole process. In fact, owner Shad Khan told the local media when introducing Doug Pederson that he sees Baalke as an asset to the organization.
However, Khan might restructure the front office. He also said that he’s filed a request to hire a vice president of football operations (EVP), which means that the Jaguars would change the way they run things. An EVP could help Kahn oversee the team and Baalke’s grasp of power would diminish. If he’s really a team player and an important piece to the puzzle, he won’t probably mind having to report to someone above him. On the other hand, Pederson wouldn’t have to answer to Baake under that model, which would help him focus on doing his job efficiently.
One candidate for the EVP position is former Minnesota Vikings general manager Rick Spielman, who recently interviewed for a ‘high-profile’ job in the front office. Although the Jaguars still need to go through the hiring process, which includes fulfilling the Rooney Rule correctly, Spielman may be the favorite to get the job.
The Jaguars made it to the AFC Championship with Tom Coughlin as the team’s EVP. The game passed him by and ultimately did more harm than good but at least for a season, he had the team on the right track. Having someone overseeing the football operations would increase Jacksonville’s chances of turning things around.
No. 1 Jaguars’ offseason priority – Build around QB Trevor Lawrence.
Head coach Doug Pederson acknowledged that Trevor Lawrence was one of the reasons he accepted the job and it’s possible that most candidates in his position would have done the same. After all, not having to worry about finding a quarterback is a stress reliever and lets you focus on trying to win some football games.
Having said that, having a quarterback in place is only just half of the equation. If you don’t give him optimal protection up front or enough weapons, you are making his job more difficult and putting unnecessary pressure on his shoulders. That’s why the Jaguars need to ensure Lawrence’s supporting cast is top-notch. Also, they need to get him a good offensive coordinator to untap his potential.
The former Clemson Tiger showed in the Jaguars’ Week 18 game against the Indianapolis Colts that he can play at a high level. If the organization wants to see that kind of performance out of him more often, they will need to build around him this offseason. They already got him a head coach that can develop quarterbacks. They will next need to get him an offensive coordinator that can help him work on his craft.
The Jaguars are fortunate they don’t have to look for a quarterback this offseason but they cannot fail him the way they did last season. Sure, it was a different regime but there was no plan in place to develop him and he lacked weapons on offense. The team’s brass needs to pull off a 180-degree turn if they want their young passer to make a leap in Year 2.