PFF lists secondary as the Jacksonville Jaguars biggest offseason need

The Jacksonville Jaguars have a core of young players but they’ll need to reload their roster if they want to return to the playoffs next season. One group that will require their attention is their secondary, according to Sam Monson of Pro Football Focus.

Monson discussed every NFL team’s offseason needs and believes the secondary is the Jags’ biggest one. He thinks Jacksonville has a promising corner in Tyson Campbell but believes they’ll need to bolster the depth behind him.

"Tyson Campbell had an outstanding season, but the investment the team has made at cornerback in recent seasons still aren’t paying off. Shaquill Griffin produced a 61.8 PFF grade from five games, and Darious Williams put up a mark of just 63.9.Williams at least tallied 15 pass breakups, but Jacksonville needs to improve its secondary depth, particularly if Griffin can’t bounce back to his best form."

Shaquill Griffin was the Jaguars’ best cornerback in 2021. However, he suffered a back injury in training camp and struggled throughout most of the 2022 season before landing on the Injured Reserve. He’s set to count $17.14 million in cap space in 2023 but releasing him would free up $13.1 million in cap space with $ 4 million in dead money. This makes him a likely candidate to get released in the offseason.

On the other hand, Darious Williams played much better when he lined up opposite Tyson Campbell. He started the season in the slot but moved outside once Griffin was placed on IR. Head coach Doug Pederson believes Williams’ natural position is in the perimeter, so there’s a good chance he’ll stay there in 2023.

The Jacksonville Jaguars safety group could also use some help

Shaquill Griffin isn’t the only corner the Jags might need to replace in the offseason. Tre Herndon is set to become a free agent, and he wasn’t particularly good when he took the field, so the front office will most likely explore options to make upgrades to the unit. Given the limited amount of cap space they’ll be working with, they will probably turn to the 2023 NFL Draft to find a nickel cornerback and add depth to the position.

Having said that, the Jaguars might also need to make additions to their secondary group. Special teams ace and backup safety Andrew Wingard is also scheduled to hit the open market. Bringing him back shouldn’t be cost-prohibitive but if he leaves, the Jags will need to look for a replacement. Similarly, Rayshawn Jenkins, who’s coming off a productive season, still has two years left on the $35 million deal he signed in 2021 but he may be a cap casualty.

Reloading the roster is one of the biggest challenges the Jacksonville Jaguars will face this offseason. If they can replenish their secondary, they should be in a position to pick up where they left off last year.