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.
No. 2 roster decision the Jaguars must make – Brandon Linder’s contract.
Center Brandon Linder has been a mainstay of the Jaguars’ offensive line since being drafted in the third round of the 2014 NFL Draft. Although he’s never earned any Pro Bowl designations or All-Pro nods during his NFL career, he’s played at a high level and has been one of the best at his position over the last eight years.
Linder was the first player in franchise history to be named captain five times and is a veteran voice in a relatively young locker room. There’s no doubt the center is invaluable both on and off the field. However, he’s dealt with injuries throughout his eight-year career and has missed 41 games, 15 over the last two seasons. He’s entering the last year of the five-year contract extension he signed in 2017 and is set to count $10 million against the cap. Releasing him would free up that amount of cap room with no dead cap hit.
The Jags could easily re-sign Tyler Shatley who has made 18 starts at center the last two years, and have him take Linder’s place in the lineup. Linder’s the best player of the two. Nobody is suggesting otherwise but due to his availability or lack thereof, the team could go with Shatley, the cheaper option of the two.
If the Jaguars aren’t interested in cutting ties with Linder — his leadership would be missed — they could restructure his contract the way they did with guard Andrew Norwell last offseason. The team’s brass could reduce the center’s salary but add guarantees to the deal. Meeting halfway seems like the reasonable thing to do for both the team and the player.
No. 3 roster decision the Jaguars must make – Re-sign WR DJ Chark.
In the first six weeks of the 2021 NFL season, the Jaguars’ offense averaged 19.3 per game. While that isn’t optimal, it wasn’t dreadful either. However, they then went on a skid in which they scored a measly 10 points per game. No wonder they ranked in the cellar of the league.
One of the many reasons the Jaguars’ offense experienced a drop in production was the absence of wide receiver DJ Chark Jr, who suffered an ankle fracture in Week 4 that cut his season short. Although the former LSU Tiger only hauled in seven receptions in the first four games, he got deep and drew coverage away from his teammates. Moreover, he averaged a jaw-dropping 22 yards per grab.
Even though Chark is coming off a serious injury, the Jaguars must re-sign him. Sure, he has only had one 1,000-yard season in four years but he was the only receiver on Jacksonville’s roster that could stretch the field last year. While the 2019 Pro Bowl nod could sign a one-year deal to rehabilitate his stock and earn a bigger deal in 2022, he could also be seeking a multi-year agreement. Spotrac expects him to ink a four-year deal worth $47.62 million this offseason. All things considered, that wouldn’t be cost-prohibitive and the team could easily afford to pay him.
Head coach Doug Pederson must sit down with Chark and convince him to return to Jacksonville. And while he’s at it, he needs to find a way to pouch a wide receiver that is currently on the Dallas Cowboys’ roster.
No. 4 roster decision the Jaguars must make – Upgrade O-Line.
Head coach Doug Pederson recently discussed the importance of setting the tone at the line of scrimmage. Fortifying the offensive line is most likely one of the Jaguars’ priorities this offseason but that doesn’t mean they will or won’t improve the unit with first overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. Nevertheless, they must make changes up front.
First, the Jags need to decide if they want to re-sign Cam Robinson. If they do, they can have Walker Little line up at right tackle. An alternative is to draft Evan Neal, or Charlie Cross and let Robinson walk away in free agency. One last option is to re-sign Robinson, plug Little at right tackle, and draft Neal to play right guard.
If the Jags want Neal at tackle, they could then move on from Robinson. But keep in mind that interior offensive linemen Andrew Norwell, Tyler Shatley, and A.J. Cann are all slated to become free agents and the team would either re-sign them or find replacements in either free agency or the draft.
Now, selecting Neal first overall means passing on Michigan defensive end Aidan Hutchinson and Oregon defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux and the Jags would need to be comfortable with that. On the bright side, they would upgrade their offensive line. Regardless of the moves the team’s brass makes to the offensive line this offseason, they must ensure Trevor Lawrence has optional protection upfront.