AFC Championship: 5 players Jaguars would love to sign in free agency

The trailing for The Boogeyman, a movie based on a Stephen King story, will be premiered during the AFC Championship but that’s not the only reason the Jacksonville Jaguars will be watching the Kansas City Chiefs take on the Cincinnati Bengals.

The Jags would have surely loved to play rather than watch from home. On the bright side, they have a head start and can begin scouting players that might be available in free agency. Here are five that will be suiting up in the Conference Championship.

No. 5 AFC Championship free agent target:  Carlos Dunlap, DE

Chiefs defensive end Carlos Dunlap will face off against the team that made him a second-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. Following an 11-year tenure with Cincy, he spent two years with the Seattle Seahawks before joining the Chiefs last year.

Dunlap’s name won’t pop up when discussing the top edge rushers in the NFL but he’s had a productive career. The former Florida Gator has appeared in 197 games with 125 starts and has logged 100 sacks, 15 forced fumbles, 77 passes defensed, and two interceptions.

Even though Dunlap hasn’t missed a game over the last two years, he’s only made four starts and has seen his defensive snaps decrease. Then again, he might be better suited for a reserve role at this point in his career. In Jacksonville, he would join a pass-rush rotation that includes Josh Allen, Travon Walker.

The one hurdle that could prevent the Jaguars from pursuing Dunlap is system compatibility. They run a 3-4 defense and he’s played in a 4-3 defense throughout most of his career. Then again, defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell could find a way to maximize his skill set, so they shouldn’t rule out signing him just yet.