The Jacksonville Jaguars spent the offseason loading up on talent and trying to fill as many roster holes as possible. Many of the newcomers they acquired in free agency and the NFL Draft will go on to have featured roles.
On the other hand, there are a few players that were on the roster in 2021 that performed well when given the opportunity and should get the opportunity to earn more playing time. In particular, these five need to get a bigger rule in the 2022 season.
No. 1 Jaguars player who must earn a bigger role – Dan Arnold, TE.
It took the Jaguars a while to figure out the tight end last year but after several attempts, they got it right when they acquired Dan Arnold from the Carolina Panthers after Week 3 of the 2021 season. This is funny (or sad?) when you take into account that the team’s brass could have signed him as a free agent but didn’t think the price was right.
Anyway, Arnold went on to become the Jaguars’ number one tight end but injuries and the overall dysfunction of the team held him back. In the end, he only appeared in 25 percent of the team’s total snaps on offense, which seems like too little because Trevor Lawrence seemed to favor him whenever he was on the field. In fact, he only played more than 70 percent of the offensive snaps in just two games.
Even though the Jaguars’ brass signed former New York Giants tight end Evan Engram in free agency, they must find a way to feature Arnold as much as possible. As the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, Doug Pederson often deployed two-tight-end formations and it wouldn’t be shocking to see him do the same in Jacksonville. Either way, Arnold needs to get more playing time and targets.
No. 2 Jaguars player who must earn a bigger role – Ryquell Armstead.
In theory, the Jaguars were going to have one of the most dynamic running back tandems in the league last year. However, rookie Travis Etienne suffered a Lisfranc injury in the preseason, and James Robinson was a victim of Urban Meyer’s poor coaching decisions.
To make matters worse, Robinson tore his Achilles toward the end of the 2021 season and will probably miss a good chunk of training camp. Etienne should be back for offseason activities but the Jaguars can’t rush either one and may need to rely on their other running backs.
This past draft, the Jaguars used a fifth-round pick on Ole Miss’ Snoop Conner. The former Rebel could get plenty of reps while Robinson recovers but he will have to beat Ryquell Armstead first and that may prove to be a difficult task.
A fifth-round pick in the 2019 draft, Armstead played all 16 games but only toted the rock 35 times for 108 yards. He caught COVID-19 in 2020 and developed myocarditis, which forced him to sit out the whole season. He was released in 2021 and spent time with the New York Giants, the New Orleans Saints, and the Green Bay Packers before returning to the Jags toward the end of the season.
Armstead ended up appearing in two games and racking up 15 carries for 80 yards. He has a realistic shot at backing Etienne up and getting a big workload early in the 2022 season.
No. 3 Jaguars player who must earn a bigger role – Laviska Sheneault, WR.
As of this writing, it’s unknown what the Jaguars plan to do with third-year wide receiver Laviska Shenault Jr. in 2022. The team’s brass reportedly placed him on the trade block earlier this year but ended up keeping him.
If a club suffers an injury at wide receiver or isn’t pleased with the group they have, the Jags will probably get a call about Viska. However, there’s a good chance he will remain in place and if that’s the outcome, the coaching staff needs to put him in a position to succeed. Last year, the former Colorado Buffalo caught 63 passes but only averaged 9.8 yards per reception and didn’t score a single touchdown.
There’s no doubt Shenault can play better than he did last year but the Jags also need to help him. They must craft a game plan that maximizes his skill set and help him create separation. Oftentimes in 2021, he was targeted near the line of scrimmage and was asked to create yards on his own but by the time the caught the ball, he already had two or three defenders in his face.
Make no mistake, Shenault is good at forcing missed tackles but he’s not a one-trick pone and can get deep too. The Jaguars signed wide receivers Christian Kirk and Zay Jones in free agency. Both of them will get plenty of playing time but offensive coordinator Press Taylor must also find a way to get Shenault involved.
No. 4 Jaguars player who must earn a bigger role – Walker Little, OT.
Of all the players on the list, offensive tackle Walker Little might face the steepest hill to climb in 2022. A second-round pick in 2021, the former Stanford Cardinal spent most of his rookie campaign on the sidelines and only got to start when left tackle Cam Robinson wasn’t good to go.
Looking back, the Jags took a moderate gamble when they selected Little. After all, he tore his ACL back in 2019 and opted out of the 2020 season. It had been almost two years since he played a football game that mattered. However, he quickly put any potential doubts about his physical condition to rest when he showed up to offseason activities, getting praise from both Urban Meyer and former Jaguars offensive line coach George Warhop.
Little ended up starting three games last season and showed flashes in the last two. He allowed two sacks in Week 6 but none in Weeks 17 and 18. The problem he’s facing in 2022 is that there aren’t currently any spots available in the starting lineup. Cam Robinson is entrenched as the starting left tackle after signing a three-year deal worth $54 million while Jawaan Taylor is slated to start at right tackle. Similarly, a move to left guard seems unlikely, meaning that Little will have to either ride the bench or compete with Taylor for the starting job.
Barring injuries to Robinson or Taylor, Little might start the season in a backup role but that doesn’t mean he should.
No. 5 Jaguars player who must earn a bigger role – Andre Cisco.
The Jaguars found their quarterback of the future in Trevor Lawrence but he’s not the only player of their 2021 draft class that could and should have a featured role in 2021. Travis Etienne will be the number one running back and cornerback Tyson Campbell had a promising rookie campaign. Walker Little should also start next season (see the previous entry) and then, there’s safety Andre Cisco.
Safety was one of the Jags’ most pressing needs entering last year’s draft but instead of addressing it in the first or even the second round, they waited until the third to take Cisco. This was somewhat of a risky pick when you considered that he had to deal with injuries over the last two years at Syracuse. Back in 2019, it was a lower-body injury and he tore his ACL early in the 2020 season.
In the end, the former Orangeman had no setbacks and was at full speed in training camp. However, Andrew Wingard earned the starting role next to Rayshawn Jenkins and Cisco was mostly relegated to special teams throughout most of the season. Near the end of the year, Wingard was placed on the COVID-19/Reserve list, which gave Cisco the chance to show what he brought to the table. Right off the bat, he displayed the speed and the range that made him a ballhawk at the collegiate level.
Cisco might need to compete with Dewey for the starting job once again but with one year of experience under his belt and a new coaching staff in place, he will most likely have a legitimate chance to win it.