Jaguars HC Doug Pederson will be building for the future of the franchise

Now that the Super Bowl is over. I have a question for everyone. While both the Los Angeles Rams and the Cincinnati Bengals had different approaches to building their respective teams. I would like to know in what way you would build the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The Bengals chose wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase over an offensive lineman in the 2021 NFL Draft. His game-changing ability was hard to pass on, but would this be the way you would build the Jaguars’ from the ground up? Looking back, this might’ve been a risky approach when you take into account that Joe Burrow was one play away from a serious injury. This could’ve derailed Cincy’s season but it ultimately paid off. And while the Bengals still need to address the offensive line this offseason, they should feel good about having a top quarterback/receiver tandem in Chase and Burrow.

On the other hand, the Rams have gone a different route for building their team. They chose to trade for and acquire veteran players that can impact the games at any moment. Can this approach continue to work every year? Look what the Jaguars did when they signed veteran players to big contracts. The amount of money that gets tied up with a handful of players cannot be good for a team in the long run. Dead money is never good. Are the Rams going to be a team that will regret signing these players?

Los Angeles is $10 million over the cap. Big money players use up a lot of the salary cap with other parts of the team suffering. On the other hand, drafting younger players will not drain the salary cap as much. The argument could be made that they won the Super Bowl with this method. But the truth is that they will likely lose some of these players this offseason due to not being able to pay them.

There are critics of both methods of building a team. Is there a correct way to keep your team relevant? Competitive clubs will often find ways to put top athletes onto the field that will perform at a high level when the time is right. I believe that Doug Pederson will finally bring some stability to the franchise. The team desperately needs it.

The Jaguars need long-term sustainability and that starts in the trenches.

Doug Pederson has plans to build the team in a way that can be more sustainable. They have to build up the trenches. One can see the influence a couple of offensive linemen can change the game.

For example, the Bengals could not protect Joe Burrow in the second half of the Super Bowl. With a strong line, they could have run the ball more effectively. This would have allowed them to eat more of the clock. If you control the line of scrimmage you can control the tempo of the game. Cincy’s fortunes could have been different had they made a different decision.

Pederson has expressed the importance of protecting Trevor Lawrence, who is going to be a big part of the team’s future. The Jaguars should draft an offensive lineman and Evan Neal should be at the top of their big boards. After the NFL Scouting Combine or Pro days, we will get a better look at what players will have to offer.

There is no doubt the Jaguars need game-altering talent on offense. They shouldn’t reach for any wide receivers. The plans could change if they manage to find a trade partner. That does not change the fact that they need to find a tackle that they can pair with Walker Little.

The Jaguars have continued to make bad decisions when they reach for players in the draft. It would not be a flashy move to take an offensive tackle, such as Neal, with the top pick in the draft but it may be what the Jags need to achieve long-term success.