3 positions Jacksonville Jaguars must address this offseason
1. Tight End
The Jacksonville Jaguars need to figure out the tight end position.
Tight end, a position the Jags always seem to find themselves needing to address every offseason, certainly needs to be one of the focal points this offseason. The most popular choice would be to bring back tight end Evan Engram.
After all, he was one of the biggest reasons the Jaguars and quarterback Trevor Lawrence found offensive success in 2022. His one-year $9 million contract, the 14th highest at his position in 2022, ended up being a relative bargain.
He had a breakout season in which he set career highs in catches (73) and receiving yards (766). Those are numbers that are also Jaguars’ records for a tight end. But bringing Engram back next season is certainly easier said than done.
General Manager Trent Baalke will almost certainly attempt to retain Engram’s services by either signing him to a long-term deal or by using the exclusive franchise tag, which is expected to be set at $11.4 million.
The latter of which, however, may be the preferred option given that the Jags may be priced out of his services long-term.
The Jags are projected to be $31.4 million over the projected cap of $224.8 million so unless Baalke is able to use his magic by re-structuring several existing contracts and/or releasing a few expensive, non-essential veterans, handing out another lucrative, long-term contract to a position that traditionally is seen as a luxury to be elite at, may not be the answer.
After finishing the season tied for third in receptions with Mark Andrews and fourth in receiving yards among tight ends, Engram will most likely be seeking a deal in the $13 to $15 million-a-year range.
However, if they can get creative with the structuring of the contract and Engram is willing to accept a discounted $10 to $12 million a year pact, Baalke may pull the trigger and sign one of Lawrence’s favorite weapons in his arsenal long-term.
If they choose to move on from Engram, the situation suddenly becomes a lot murkier. The only tight end the Jaguars have signed going forward is Luke Farrell, a former Ohio State Buckeye who has only 11 receptions combined in the last two seasons.
While he may be a solid depth piece with above-average blocking skills, he is certainly not thought of as the primary answer at the position going forward.
Another depth piece they may bring back is tight end Chris Manhertz, an unrestricted free agent who played well as a blocking tight end but is certainly not the solution as far as a legitimate weapon in the offense.
The Jags could also look to other free-agent options to address the tight-end position but if they are seeking to replicate Engram’s success through free agency, they may as well spend the money on Engram himself rather than taking a flyer on a player such as Dalton Schultz or Hayden Hurst.
If they cannot come to an agreement with Engram, however, and they choose to not tag him, former Dallas Cowboys tight end Dalton Schultz would be a nice choice as a promising free agent target.
He’s still very young (26), has shown he has exceptional athleticism for a tight end and has the size to be a legitimate red zone threat (6’5, 244 lbs).
Another viable solution to addressing the tight end position would be to address it through the 2023 NFL draft, which is said to be well stocked with talent at the position.
The problem with that, however, is that it typically takes a few years for a tight end to adjust from college to the pros. Given the grind of a seventeen-game NFL season, tight ends usually need to bulk up considerably after college.
Ultimately, the best solution would be to bring Engram back using the franchise tag and then snagging one of the numerous talented tight-end prospects in this year’s draft.
The Jags should be able to find one in the 3rd to 5th rounds. This scenario would buy themselves time to create the cap space needed to sign Evan Engram long-term next off-season while adding an insurance policy that could very well develop into a starting-caliber option down the road.
Tight-end prospects such as Sam LaPorta (Iowa) and Tucker Kraft (South Dakota State) would be nice pieces to draft and watch develop as both are great pass-catching, chain-moving options. If all worked out as planned, the Jags could very well end up with a true one-two punch at the tight end position.