Opinions vary on whether the Jacksonville Jaguars
did well in the 2022 NFL Draft
but there’s plenty of work left to do before the start of the regular season. First-year head coach Doug Pederson and his staff must install his scheme while general manager Trent Baalke needs to decide if he needs to make any additions before training camp takes place.
Speaking of Baalke, he’s spent the whole offseason making upgrading the roster and while’s still an unpopular figure in Jacksonville, he’s taken a few steps to change that. Now, he and the team’s brass must make the following moves.
1. The Jaguars must give OLB Josh Allen a long-term extension.
Exercising the fifth-year option on outside linebacker Josh Allen’s rookie contract was always a no-brainer but the lack of news in that regard caused a certain level of anxiety among fans. Fortunately, all doubts were put to rest when the Jaguars announced just before the draft that they would be indeed picking up the option. Now, the organization must commit to Allen long-term.
Allen is one of the few building blocks that were on the roster last year. He was selected team captain last season and is one of the most respected players in the Jags’ locker room. His 7.5 sacks led the team in 2021 and while his performance faded down the stretch, he was one of the most dominant pass rushers in the league at one point of the season.
The Kentucky product certainly has to become consistent but giving a multi-year extension will go a long way toward showing the team believes he’s the franchise player they thought they were getting when they drafted him seventh overall in the 2019 draft.
2. The Jaguars must decide what to do with K’Lavon Chaisson.
The Jaguars have revamped their defense this offseason and brought in several players that should have a feature role in the 2022 campaign and there could be up to four new starters on Day 2. On the other hand, all these additions could spell trouble for a few players and send them tumbling down the depth chart. Third-year pass rusher K’Lavon Chaisson will probably be one of them.
A first-round pick in the 2020 draft, Chaisson simply hasn’t lived up to expectations. Right off the bat, he was pushed into starting role because the Jags traded Yannick Ngakoue and Calais Campbell. You could make the case that Chaisson wasn’t ready for the center stage, as he went on to struggle early in his rookie campaign. He did finish strong, posting 21 pressures in the last seven games, but he wasn’t able to pick up where he left off the following year.
Chaisson will now have a hard time getting meaningful playing time due to the arrival of Georgia defensive lineman Travon Walker and defensive end Arden Key this offseason. He’s played defensive end and strong linebacker over the last two years but hasn’t particularly excelled at either one.
While it’s too early to give up on Chaisson, it’s hard to envision him making an impact for the Jaguars in 2022, and might need to compete for a roster spot if he isn’t placed on the trade block.
3. The Jaguars must find out what they have in OT Walker Little.
The Jaguars threw several curveballs in the first two rounds of last year’s draft. While there was never a doubt they were going to take Trevor Lawrence at No. 1, their other three moves were for the lack of a better word… interesting. They selected running back Travis Etienne with the 25th overall pick and later chose cornerback Tyson Campbell at No. 33 and offensive tackle Walker Little with the 45th selection.
Campbell went on to have a promising rookie campaign and while Etienne missed the whole season with a Lisfranc injury, he will be ready for training camp and make an impact. On the other hand, Walker’s role in 2022 is less clear.
Signing a three-year deal worth $54 million cemented Cam Robinson’s status as the team’s starting left tackle. On the other side of the offensive line, Jawaan Taylor is set to start at right tackle in 2022, possibly leaving Walker without a role ahead of training camp.
Walker could still compete with Taylor for the right tackle job and the Jaguars need to give him an extended look and see what they have in him. After all, he showed potential as a rookie, starting three games and allowing just two sacks on 139 pass-blocking snaps. This is noteworthy when you take into account that he missed most of the 2019 season with a torn ACL and opted out of the 2020 campaign due to the COVID-19 pandemic.