Jaguars’ 4 easiest roster decisions for the offense this offseason

The Jacksonville Jaguars have moved quickly after hiring Doug Pederson as their head coach and are close to finishing assembling their staff. Press Taylor will reportedly be their offensive coordinator and Jim Bob Cooter will tentatively be the passing game coordinator. Together, the duo needs to kick start an offense that ranked 32nd in points scored and 27th in yards allowed last season.

While nobody expects the Jaguars to be a playoff contender in Pederson’s first year at the helm, they will need to make several changes to their offense this offseason if they want to improve in 2021. In particular, they need to take care of these four issues.

No. 1 roster decision the Jaguars must make – Release RB Carlos Hyde.

Travis Etienne suffered a Lisfranc injury last preseason and missed his rookie campaign. Meanwhile, James Robinson tore his Achilles in Week 15 of the 2021 season and will spend this offseason rehabilitating.

Barring any setbacks, Etienne should be ready to go in training camp but Robinson may not be available for the start of the season. Thus, the Jaguars’ front office must consider adding depth to their backfield this offseason but they also need to cut ties with Carlos Hyde, who was a non-factor when given a chance last season.

Hyde toted the rock 72 times for 253 years and averaged 3.5 yards per carry. The Jags could do better and by releasing the veteran running back, they will free up nearly $2 million in cap space with a manageable dead cap hit of $450,000. They could then use the saving to sign a better running back in free agency or use a middle-round selection in this year’s draft at the position.