4 free agents the Jaguars can poach from the Bengals this offseason

Outside their own fanbase, not many expected the Cincinnati Bengals to make the playoffs in 2021, let alone be Super Bowl-bound. But that’s exactly how things play out for Cincy this past season.

The fact that the Bengals made it to the postseason was noteworthy in itself but then they beat the Las Vegas Raiders, the Tennesse Titans, and the Kansas City Chiefs to reach the Super Bowl. The Jacksonville Jaguars should be taking notes of everything Cincinnati did to go from one of the worst teams in the league to one of the top two. What makes this possible is that just like Cincy, the Jags have a young promising quarterback. Just like the Bengals, Jacksonville has a head coach in Doug Pederson that has been in the championship game and even won it.

Also, the Jaguars will have around $56 million in caps space this offseason and it wouldn’t hurt to poach a few Bengals that are set for free agency, including these four.

No. 1 Bengals free agent the Jaguars can sign – Eli Apple, CB.

Eli Apple hasn’t turned into the shutdown cornerback the New York Giants expected him to be when they made him the tenth overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. In fact, he no longer plays in the Big Apple (no pun intended) and has spent time with the New Orleans Saints, the Carolina Panthers, and more recently the Bengals.

Coincidentally, Apple had arguably his best NFL season in Cincy, appearing in a career-high 16 games with 15 starts and posting 49 total tackles with 10 passes defensed and two interceptions. An ankle injury forced the Ohio State product to sit 14 games in 2020 but he had no setbacks last year. He could add depth to a Jaguars’ cornerback group that includes Shaquill Griffin and Tyson Campbell.