3 roster needs the Jaguars must address following the Calvin Ridley trade

No. 2 position group the Jaguars must address in 2023: Tight end

The Jaguars did of surrounding Trevor Lawrence with weapons in the offseason. However, most of their tight ends are expected to hit the open market next year and they will likely be working with a tight budget, so it will be hard to bring any of them back. Evan Engram signed a one-year deal with the Jags in March and the truth of the matter is that it’s difficult to see him taking a discount in 2023.

Dan Arnold has played well when called upon but he’s tumbled down the depth chart since the arrival of head coach Doug Pederson, so it may not make much sense to re-sign him. In fact, Arnold popped up on a list of player proposals a couple of weeks before the trade deadline due to his diminished role on the Jags’ offense.

Chris Manhertz, who’s gotten more playing time than Arnold this season, is also slated to become a free agent next year. All things considered, he’s the most likely to return of the bunch. He won’t get many targets his way but he’s pretty good in the blocking department.

But even if Manhertz returns next year, the only other tight end on the Jaguars’ roster will be Luke Farrell, who is nothing more than a backup at this stage of his career, so general manager Trent Baalke will probably need to turn to the draft to revamp the position. If the Jags aren’t able to land one of the top edge rushers, Notre Dame’s Michael Mayer then becomes an option.