5 free agents Jaguars should be praised for ignoring

The Jacksonville Jaguars revamped their offense and defense in free agency. Although they had to pay top-market money for some of the players they acquired, their roster was devoid of difference makers and could no longer take a passive approach.

Even though the Jaguars have gotten mixed reviews for their free-agent haul, there’s no doubt their roster is in better shape than it was three weeks ago. Also, they should feel comfortable knowing they passed on these five players.

No. 1 player the Jaguars avoided in free agency – Larry Ogunjobi, DT.

The Jaguars gave defensive tackle Folorunso Fatukasi a three-year deal worth $30 million in free agency. While it sounds like a rich amount, it pales in comparison to the one defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi got from Chicago Bears.

After four seasons with the Cleveland Browns, Ogunjobi went on to join the Cincinnati Bengals in 2021. There, he posted a career-high seven sacks, which got him a three-year, $40.5 million contract this offseason. Pass rushers will always be in high demand but during his stint in Cleveland, he amassed 14.5 sacks, so last season could have been an outlier.

At 27, Ogunjobi is in his prime but he may not be able to recreate his 2021 production. Timo Riske of Pro Football Focus points out that three of his sacks last season were “classical pass-rush wins“.  When you take this into account, a dip in production seems likely in 2022. Ogunjobi is stout against the run and he does bring some pass rush to the table but Chicago overpaid for his services.