3 Jacksonville Jaguars free agents who could be forced into retirement in 2024
• This could be the end of the line for 3 Jaguars pending free agents.
The Jacksonville Jaguars will need to retool their roster this offseason. They need to bolster their cornerback room, the defensive front, the offensive line, and the wide receiver corps. But before they make any additions, they'll need to free up space.
To do so, the Jags will release a few players, but they'll also let others walk in free agency. Some of them could struggle to land with another team due to injuries or performance. It may be harsh, but that's the nature of the business. Teams are always looking for better and young players. That doesn't bode well for these three Jaguars set to hit the open market.
3. Jeremiah Ledbetter, defensive end
Despite the fact that the Jaguars invested considerable resources in their defensive front last year, the group underperformed last year. Players such as DaVon Hamilton or Roy Robertson-Harrison didn't live up to expectations, which would've been fine if someone else had stepped up. But that wasn't the case, and Jacksonville was routinely pushed around at the line of scrimmage.
With defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen now at the helm, the front seven should experience an improvement. That shouldn't stop the team's brass from making upgrades, though. Even if Hamilton and Robertson-Harris deliver, the rest of the rotation could use a boost. And to make room for any potential newcomers, Jacksonville may need to let Jeremiah Ledbetter go in 2024.
Ledbetter, a sixth-round pick in 2017, had barely got playing time before landing with the Jags late in 2021. Before that, he played a combined 20 games for the Detroit Lions, Baltimore Ravens, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Arizona Cardinals from 2017-2021. Heck, 16 of those contests came with the Lions during his rookie campaign.
In Jacksonville, Ledbetter was expected to fill in for Hamilton while he was dealing with a non-football injury to start the season. He ended up appearing in a career-best 17 games but didn't do much of note, tallying 24 tackles and one pass defensed.
Ledbetter is now set to become a free agent. He may join a team that will give him a chance to compete for a roster spot in training camp but based on how his career has unfolded, it wouldn't be shocking if 2023 was the last time he played in the NFL.