NFL voice cites roster construction as huge reason for the Jaguars struggles

The Jacksonville Jaguars are 3-6 and virtually outside of the playoff race. While their on-field performance is a huge reason why, Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team believes the way they build their roster has also been holding them back.

Meirov recently talked about the state of the Jaguars and said that the product they're getting on the field is the result of the way they assembled the roster, noting that they're paying good players "great-player money."

"It is just not great right now in Jacksonville and the situation there, it's kind of interesting. I had one executive kind of tell me this, where this is a roster where there are a bunch of good players on really, really great contracts. That's not how you build a team, and I'm going to do this on the fly right now, but you look at that job Jaguars team, where they're paying Tyson Campbell, a really, really good corner, they're paying him great cornerback money."

Meirov continued, "Trevor Lawrence is a, right now, good-at-best quarterback, getting elite quarterback money. Christian Curt is a good receiver out for the year now, getting paid really good receiver money. Cam Robinson in is a really good offensive tackle getting paid great offensive tackle money. And it's like there's too many players on this team where they're good players and they're way overpriced on their salary cap."

"When you have a roster that is that uneven from a financial standpoint, this is the product you're going to get on the field. And that is kind of what we're looking at right now at the Jaguars, where they are in some games, they're getting blown out. In other games, they were able to win a game, and blown out in other games, they were able to win a game in London versus the Patriots, which is a team they should beat."

Meirov goes on to say that there's nothing the Jaguars can do nothing about the Trevor Lawrence contract, but the NFL executive he got in touch with suggests they need a roster reset. He isn't necessarily wrong.

The Jaguars gave Lawrence a five-year deal worth $275 million in the offseason. They also gave cornerback Tyson Campbell and Josh Hines-Allen top-market contracts. Yet, they're 2-6, and none of them are among the top players at their respective positions. Something similar happened with some of the players the front office signed in free agency.

Jacksonville gave Arik Armstead a three-year deal worth $43.5 million in the offseason because they had a need at defensive tackle. However, the former Oregon Duck has been mostly a non-factor in 2024. This is to say that Meirov is right when he says the Jaguars aren't getting enough bang for the buck. That said, that's not the only reason they are among the worst teams in the NFL right now.

Bad draft choices and on-field mistakes are also hindering the Jaguars

There's no denying the Jaguars are "overpaying" certain players, but other factors have played a role in their underwhelming record. Mistakes such as drops, penalties, and missed tackles have plagued the team this season. That falls on head coach Doug Pederson and his staff. On the other hand, general manager Trent Baalke has blown several draft picks.

Granted, Baalke has had a few hits, rookie sensation Brian Thomas Jr. being one of them. However, 2024 second-round pick Maason Smith has been a non-factor. The same is true for 2022 first-round pick Devin Lloyd, who's been outplayed by sophomore Ventrell Miller.

It's also worth noting that several players on defense have been miscast and playing out of position. That's part the coaching staff/part the front office.

The bottom line is that there's a list of things that are hindering the Jaguars this season. Roster construction is one of them. That's why they must strongly consider moving on from Trent Baalke, the man who put it together, and bringing someone else to oversee the rebuild.

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