The Jacksonville Jaguars have several foundational pieces in place but also recognized that their roster wasn't good enough last year. That's why nobody batted an eye when they moved on from several notable players ahead of free agency, including Christian Kirk and Evan Engram.
Sure, both Kirk and Engram were important offensive pieces, but the front office had to let them go to "address the large scale roster." In fact, the Jags may not be done making moves and could part ways with the following players before the start of the 2025 NFL regular season.
DaVon Hamilton, defensive tackle
Back in 2020, Davon Hamilton was a rookie who flashed when he was thrust into action. He made enough strides the following two seasons that the team's brass decided to reward him with a long-term deal in 2023. So far, the former Ohio State Buckeye has failed to live up to expectations.
Hamilton suffered a non-football injury in 2023 that held him back for most of the season. Expected to bounce back last year, he instead was a non-factor. Maason Smith showed promise late in 2024 and Arik Armstead is switching back to defensive tackle after mostly lining up on the edge last season. Add the fact that the Jags may draft Mason Graham with the fifth overall pick, and Hamilton could be shown the door in the upcoming months.
Granted, releasing the Ohio native would leave $15 million in dead money but Jacksonville could designate him as a post-June 1 cut, split the cap charge in two, and free up $4.5 million in 2025.
Ezra Clevand, left guard
Back in 2023, left guard was among the Jaguars' biggest needs, but then-general manager Trent Baalke left it unaddressed until he traded for Ezra Cleveland at that year's deadline. Even though he wasn't particularly great during his brief stint in Duval, he got a three-year deal worth $24 million last offseason. Fast forward to 2025, and the decision hasn't paid dividends.
Cleveland struggled to stay healthy last year and was just average when he was on the field. Like Davon Hamilton, the one thing that could help him stick around is his contract, but the Jags may cut their losses and move on. This is a reasonable outcome when you take into account that they've laid the groundwork to improve the offensive line.
Already, the team's brass signed four offensive linemen, two expected to start, and could still make further additions to the line of scrimmage in the draft. That may not bode well for Cleveland's future with the Jags.
Andrew Wingard, safety/special teams
The new Jaguars regime has shown that it's afraid to move on from locker room leaders to raise the roster floor. That may not be great news for safety Andrew Wingard, a prominent veteran who's carved a niche on special teams but isn't much more than a depth piece on defense.
The Jags signed Eric Murray in the offseason. He could start next to Darnell Savage in the back end, and Antonio Johnson could be the primary backup. That leaves Dewey and Daniel Thomas as the other safeties on the depth chart.
Both Wingard and Thomas got new contracts from the past regime but the Jags would free up more cap space ($1 million) with a minimal dead money hit if they release the former before the start of the 2025 season.
Travis Etienne, running back
Travis Etienne has been the subject of speculation this offseason, but he appears to be safe for the moment. That could change in the upcoming months.
Once an important cog on offense, Etienne dealt with injuries and was underwhelming last season. Couple that with the ascension of Tank Bigsby, and the Jags may consider moving on from him.
In his defense, Etienne ran behind a porous offensive line last year but so did Bigsby, and still played much better. When you take into account that this is going to be a deep running back class, the Jags could afford to use one or two picks to replenish the position.