The Jacksonville Jaguars entered free agency with a concrete objective: Raise the roster floor. While they refrained from going after big-name players, they managed to address most of their top needs. But as promising as nearly all of their signings were, the Jags got flak for a handful of them.
ESPN had a roundtable and had some of their analysts discuss the best and worst signings in free agency. Jacksonville had the dubious distinction of having a couple of their players make the cut.
Matt Bowen isn't thrilled about the Eric Murray signing, pointing out that he's a fine safety but the Jaguars overpaid for his services. Lindsey Thiry and Field Yates are equally unimpressed.
A fourth-round pick in 2016, Murray spent his first three NFL seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs and bolted for the Cleveland Browns in 2019. He then signed with the Houston Texans in 2021. The Minnesota product has appeared in 134 games with 58 starts and registered three interceptions and 24 passes defensed.
With Andre Cisco leaving in free agency, Jacksonville had a void at safety. While they could've gone after Javon Holland or Tre'vor Moehrig, they would have forked out more money than they might've liked. That's why they went with the less-expensive but reliable Murray. Sure, he's not a playmaker like Holland and Moehrig, but he'll get the job done at half the price.
Moreover, Murray isn't likely the long-term answer at safety but rather a short-term patch. The same is true for Robert Hainsey, who didn't get a rave review either. Then again, the Jags didn't earn nearly as much criticism for signing him as they did with Murray. Nevertheless, Jeremy Fowler held no punches when questioning the move.
"The Jaguars signing center Robert Hainsey. No other team was paying him $21 million over three years -- he wasn't a starter last season. He has familiarity with coach Liam Coen from Tampa Bay, and you want to see quality veterans get paid. But the Jaguars probably could have gotten him for less."
Sure, Hainsay was phased out on in favor of Graham Barton in 2024 but proved to be a dependable starter the prior two seasons.
Both Hainsey and Murray were two of the Jags' top acquisitions in free agency. Aside from those two, they also gave big contracts to cornerback Jourdan Lewis and offensive lineman Patrick Mekari.
Related story: AFC South power rankings post free agency: Where do the Jaguars land?
Robert Hainsay and Eric Murray will raise the Jaguars roster floor
As noted before, the Jacksonville Jaguars didn't go into free agency with the intention to spend big. Instead, they looked for value and they got when with Eric Murray, Robert Hainsay, Patrick Mekari, and Jourdan Lewis. Granted, none of them will probably make the Pro Bowl, but the Jags had several holes and wanted to patch most of them. The fact that they didn't overspend should not be dismissed.
Moreover, Jacksonville has made it clear that it won't build through free agency but will rather use it as a tool to raise the roster floor. This will in turn put them in a position to fortify several position groups in the draft. Sure, you could make the case that the strategy isn't flashy or that the team's brass should have at least made a splash signing. However, Jacksonville has a clear vision and won't deviate from it.
This is to say that the Jacksonville Jaguars could've made a couple big signings in free agency but are aware that they won't help much in the long term and could instead prevent them from building the roster in a way that will allow them to enjoy sustained success.
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