Ranking Jaguars biggest needs ahead of free agency

No. 4 Jaguars’ positional need ahead of free agency – Tight end.

While Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke had several hits in the 2021 NFL Draft, he also had his fair share of misses, including how he addressed the tight end position last offseason. Had he taken a different approach, he wouldn’t have needed to offer Tim Tebow a workout, sign Jacob Hollister before the start of the season, and trade for Dan Arnold, who was available in free agency.

The Jags also drafted Luke Farrell in the fifth round last year but it doesn’t look like he will contribute much anytime soon. Dan Arnold became one of Trevor Lawrence’s favorite targets once he landed in Jacksonville and James O’Shaughnessy also had a big role in the Jags’ offensive whenever he was healthy. However, Arnold is coming off an MCL injury, and O’Shaughnessy is scheduled to become a free agent.

If Arnold had played the whole 2021 campaign in Jacksonville, he could have gotten close to 1,000 receiving yards. Also, he developed a good rapport with Trevor Lawrence but that doesn’t mean Baalke shouldn’t make upgrades at tight end this offseason.

The Jags have enough cap space to pursue either Dalton Schultz or Mike Gesicki, the top two tight ends in free agency. Another option is pursuing Zach Ertz, who is one of several players with ties to head coach Doug Pederson that the front office could target. On the other hand, if the Jags want to take on a reclamation project, they could then sign O.J. Howard or Evan Engram.