The Jacksonville Jaguars choose the lesser of two evils in free agency and instead of sitting on the vast amount of cap space they had at their disposal, they opted to make several splash signings. Although they got a somewhat low grade for all the moves they made, there’s no doubt their roster seems to be in better shape than it did a couple of months ago.
It will be a while before the Jaguars can truly assess the impact of the signings they made. However, there are several players and coaches that will directly benefit from all the moves that took place over the last few days. Without further ado, here are the four biggest winners from Jacksonville’s shopping spree.
No. 1 Jaguars biggest winner in free agency – GM Trent Baalke.
Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke has endured plenty of criticism over the last few months. He might have been a roadblock in the team’s search for a new head coach due to his poor reputation around league circles and his penchant for getting into power struggles. Also, he always opted to take a conservative approach in free agency, refraining from making any splash signings… until this year.
Baalke took an aggressive approach and landed several free agents that should have an immediate impact. Although the roster still needs more talent, it was encouraging to see the Jaguars’ general manager try to acquire as many playmakers as possible. He now needs to ace the draft and if he does, Jacksonville could make some noise in 2022. Also, his reputation could get a needed boost.
No. 2 Jaguars biggest winner in free agency – O-Line coach Phil Rauscher.
After spending the last two seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, Phil Rauscher joined Doug Pederson’s coaching staff in Jacksonville. Rauscher will need to ensure that offensive tackle Walker Little continues developing in Year 2. Also, he will need to help Jawaan Taylor, who hasn’t lived up to expectations and maybe on his last chance to show he’s the answer at right tackle.
On the other hand, the cupboard won’t be bare and Rauscher will have plenty of talent at his disposal. The Jaguars applied the franchise tag on left tackle Cam Robinson, who had a strong second half in the 2021 campaign and allowed just one sack. Also, the team’s brass signed offensive guards Brandon Scherff in free agency, who should be a massive upgrade upfront.
There’s the chance that center Brandon Linder won’t be around next season but the Jags have a contingency plan in place, having signed interior offensive lineman Tyler Shatley to a two-year deal before the start of free agency. Rauscher will be tasked with ensuring that whoever plays center will thrive.
The Jaguars’ offensive line gave up 32 last season and it will be up to Rauscher to lower that number in 2022. Also, he will be responsible for giving Trevor Lawrence optimal protection up front. Despite the fact that his unit will experience some turnover next season, he won’t be hurting for talent. In fact, he could even get more players depending on the moves the Jaguars make in the 2022 draft.
No. 3 Jaguars biggest winner in free agency – DC Mike Caldwell.
Jaguars defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell won’t get to coach linebacker Myles Jack, who was released and has now signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers. However, he should have no shortage of talent to work with in the upcoming months.
Even before free agency, the Jaguars had several building blocks on defense, including but not limited to cornerback Shaquill Griffin, outside linebacker Josh Allen, safety Andre Cisco, and cornerback Tyson Campbell. All of them should thrive under Caldwell, who has gotten plenty of praise from linebacker Devin White, whom he coached back with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Furthermore, Bucs head coach Bruce Arian had a glowing review of Caldwell.
Also, Caldwell will enjoy the addition of linebacker Foyesade Oluokum, defensive tackle Folorunso Fatukasi, and cornerback Darious Williams. All of them will most likely be starters in Week 1 of the 2022 season, so Caldwell should have no trouble installing his 3-4 system, which will be somewhat similar to the one his predecessor, Joe Cullen, ran last season.
The Jaguars’ defense showed flashes last season and they made several stops at key times. The unit also played a big role in the team’s three wins last year. Nevertheless, they weren’t consistent enough, finishing 28th in points allowed and 20th in total yards. It will be up to Caldwell to help the defense make a leap in 2022. There’s a good chance he will due to the collection of talent he will have at hand.
No. 4 Jaguars biggest winner in free agency – QB Trevor Lawrence.
Quarterback Trevor Lawrence was far from perfect in his rookie campaign, making several questionable mistakes and leading the league in interceptions with 17th. However, he wasn’t the reason why the Jags finished 3-14 last season and showed growth towards the end of the year in spite of having a less-than-stellar supporting cast.
Lawrence’s outstanding performance against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 18 should give everyone a reason for optimism. It should also make everyone wonder how much better he would have been if he had gotten adequate coaching and had more talent around him. Then again, dwelling in the past doesn’t help much and there’s not much the Jaguars’ brass can do but must make sure Lawrence never lacks weapons once again. And they took several steps in the right direction in free agency.
First, the Jags brought back left tackle Cam Robinson and later signed offensive guard Brandon Scherff. Even if center Brandon Linder retires, Tyler Shatley could take his place in the lineup. But Lawrence won’t only have better protection upfront. The Jaguars also made upgrades to their wide receiver corps, signing Christian Kirk and Zay Jones. If that wasn’t enough, they also acquired tight end Evan Engram, who will give the young quarterback another target and a serviceable blocker in the passing game.
The Jaguars’ top priority in free agency was building around Trevor Lawrence and based on all the moves they made, it looks like they accomplished their goal.