The Jacksonville Jaguars addressed several roster holes in free agency and will take care of the remaining ones in the 2025 NFL Draft. General manager James Gladstone has said as much, but they could also go bargain shopping and get a quality player or two. Jeff Howe of The Athletic strongly believes they should. In fact, they recommend the Jags bolster their wide receiver room.
The Athletic put together a list of the biggest remaining needs for each NFL team and writes that Jacksonville should add a receiver before the draft, arguing that veterans such as Amari Cooper or Elijah Moore could come in and help contribute right off the bat without costing too much.
"The Jags still have plenty of needs, but there’s a glaring hole at receiver behind Brian Thomas. Stefon Diggs, Keenan Allen, Amari Cooper, Tyler Lockett, Josh Reynolds and Elijah Moore are among the best available. It’s probably not a spot where they want to draft a wideout at No. 5, so they should find a lower-cost veteran beforehand. — Jeff Howe "
For the sake of transparency, Josh Reynolds and Stefon Diggs are off the market, having found new homes not long after The Athletic posted the column. Nevertheless, the Jags still have a myriad of options to bolster Trevor Lawrence's options.
Of the group Howe suggests, Cooper makes the most sense. After all, he might've lost a step but has posted four 1,000 seasons since 2019 and is still a viable No. 2. That said, Allen and Lockett could also help Jacksonville.
Like Cooper, Allen and Lockett are no longer feature No. 1s but are savvy enough to find ways to produce. Both of them were let go in the offseason because their respective teams needed to free up space, not because they're no longer productive.
After the first (and second) wave of free agency, the Jags have $29 million in space, so they could afford to sign whoever they chose. A one-year, prove-it deal would make sense.
Why the Jaguars won't sign Amari Cooper or another receiver before the draft
The Jacksonville Jaguars could most definitely use veteran help at receiver despite the fact that they just signed Dyami Brown in free agency. After all, they moved on from Christian Kirk, Josh Reynolds, and Devin Duvernay and haven't fully replaced them. They need help at the position and having someone like Amari Cooper would be great.
Having said that, the Jags will probably wait until after the draft to make further signings. They have 10 picks, so they should have no trouble filling their remaining holes. Simply put, it wouldn't make sense to go after a vested veteran and double-dip in the draft. This makes sense from a depth standpoint, but not from a developmental one: Valuable reps that could go to the youngsters would instead go to someone who isn't in need of them.
Sure, adding Cooper, Tyler Lockett, or Keenan Allen would give the Jaguars ample depth, but the same is true if they drafted Travis Hunter, Matthew Golden, or Tre Harris. Either way, they'll have plenty of options on Days 1 and 2.
If the Jaguars don't take a receiver early in the draft, they should then add a veteran receiver before training camp. But it doesn't make sense at this moment.
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