The Jacksonville Jaguars raised eyebrows when they signed Dyami Brown to a one-year contract worth $10 million in free agency. While there's no doubt that they needed to improve Trevor Lawrence's arsenal of weapons, it was a bit surprising to see them give such a deal to a receiver who only has half a season's worth of production throughout his NFL career. To make matters worse, the move is affecting the Jags in more ways than one.
The NFL assigned compensatory picks for the 2026 NFL Draft, and Jacksonville was one of a handful of teams that didn't get any. That was because they signed more players in free agency than the ones they lost earlier this year. Of course, Brown was far from the only player the Jags locked up, but he's the one who stands out the most because of the contract he got.
The perceived risk of signing Brown comes with his underwhelming production early in his career. A third-round pick by the Washington Commanders in 2021, he tallied a measly 29 receptions for 476 yards with three touchdowns. It wasn't until last year that the former North Carolina Tar Heel put it all together, hauling in 24 receptions for 229 yards with one touchdown.
In the Jaguars' defense, they had too many roster holes and weren't going to be able to take care of all of them (or as many as possible) in the draft. In Brown's case, he's expected to give the Jaguars an immediate No. 2 who can draw coverage away from Thomas Jr.
Moreover, it wasn't a given that the Jaguars were going to be able to land Travis Hunter, and they needed weapons aside from Thomas, so locking up Brown made sense at the time. In fact, signing him could turn out to be a great move if he plays like he did in the 2024 playoffs. On the other hand, it might've cost the team a compensatory pick, which is why bringing him aboard, especially after drafting Travis Hunter, might feel unnecessary.
The Jaguars could've used a couple compensatory picks in the 2026 NFL Draft
You could make the case that the Jacksonville Jaguars are set to have nine or 10 picks for next year's draft, so not getting any compensatory picks isn't that big of a news. That said, imagine if they had one or two more selections in Round 3 or 4. They would be in a position to either find a potential starter or have extra assets to make a few trades next year. General manager James Glasdstone just proved that he's not afraid to make a bold move if it's going to help the team.
After trading up to select Travis Hunter, the Jags traded one of their third-round picks for two next year. Later on Day 2 of the draft, they traded back into the third round after giving up two fourth-round selections. An extra third or fourth would allow them to once again make several maneuvers in 2026.
It doesn't mean that they won't, only that the likelihood would have increased if they had acquired extra compensatory picks.