3 winners (and 2 losers) from the Jaguars' first wave of free agency

After making several signings on the first day of the legal tampering period, the Jacksonville Jaguars have spent the remainder of free agency on the sidelines. All things considered, this made sense. For starters, the Jags already brought in nine players, so adding more may not make much sense.

On top of that, general manager James Gladstone told the local media that making further additions could get in the way of the incoming rookie class. This begs the question, how much did the team truly improve? Moreover, who benefited the most from the arrivals? Who was affected?

With that in mind, here are the biggest winners and losers from the Jaguars after the first wave of free agency.

Winner: Anthony Campanile, defensive coordinator

Heading into free agency, it seemed like the Jags were going to get defensive coordinator two of their guys: Jevon Holland, and Jaire Alexander. Instead, they signed safety Eric Murray and cornerback Jourdan Lewis.

Meanwhile, Holland went to the New York Giants and Alexander remains with the Green Bay Packers. There's no doubt Campanile would've liked to work with them again, but he should be thrilled to coach both Murray and Lewis.

Murray isn't a game-changer but will bring much-needed stability at safefy, something Jacksonville lacked in 2024. The veteran has been a starter for 10 seasons, and as James Gladstone noted, you don't last that long being a bad player. On the other hand, Lewis gives Campanille a versatile corner who can line up inside and outside.

For those who think Lewis can only thrive inside, he'll ask you (in a not very polite way) to watch the tape. Gus Logue of 1010 XL did and confirmed that the former Michigan Wolverine can indeed play outside.

Campanile can only hope that the Jaguars get him more playmakers in the draft.

Loser: Matt Edwards, defensive line coach

The Jaguars have no shortage of talent on the defensive line: A pair of bookend pass rushers in Travon Walker and Josh Hines-Allen. On top of that, defensive tackle Maason Smith flashed as a rookie and Arik Armstead will switch back to playing inside in 2025.

But as dominant as the front four is, defensive line coach Matt Edwards would've surely liked the team to bring in someone like Javon Hargrave or Milton Williams. The silver lining is that after addressing other needs in free agency, there's a legitimate chance that Jacksonville will draft Mason Smith at No. 5. That would be like a gift-wrapped present waiting for Edward under the Christmas tree.

Winner: Trevor Lawrence, quarterback

Throughout the offseason, the team's brass talked about building around Trevor Lawrence. They put their money where their mouth is and made several signings in free agency that will help No. 16 bounce back after a disappointing 2024 season.

First, the Jaguars added a couple bigs to the offensive line: Robert Hainsay and the versatile Patrick Mekari. They're slated to start at center and right guard, respectively, and should give Lawrence much better protection next season.

On top of that, the franchise quarterback got a new weapon in Dyami Brown, who's expected to draw coverage away from Brian Thomas Jr. and allow Parker Washington to find favorable matchups underneath.

There's still work left, but Lawrence's current supporting cast looks better than its 2024 counterpart.

Antonio Johnson, safety

After supplanting Tre Herndon in the slot as a rookie, Antonio Johnson seemed like an ascending star. Following a promising 2023, he moved to safety opposite Andre Cisco but struggled so badly that he got benched. The former Texas A&M eventually returned to the starting lineup but didn't show much improvement.

With Eric Murray now in the mix, Johnson will probably remain on the sidelines. Then again, he'll need to keep working on his craft, so that if he gets a chance, he gets the most out of it.

Liam Coen, head coach

Liam Coen became a hot commodity in this past coaching cycle because he turned the Tampa Bay Buccaneers into an offensive juggernaut last season. Apart from helping Baker Mayfield post career numbers, he transformed the running game into one of the best in the league one year after being the worst.

Now, Coen will try to do the same in Jacksonville. The good news is that he has ample talent to work with, and the Jags made enough additions to the offensive in free agency to make you think that their new head coach will be able to oversee another successful turnaround.

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