3 Jacksonville Jaguars winners early in free-agency frenzy, 2 losers

Jaguars early winner of free agency No. 1: Trevor Lawrence

Trevor Lawrence is coming off a somewhat underwhelming season. In his defense, he was playing behind a subpar offensive line and injuries hampered the team's overall performance. Heck, Lawrence himself dealt with a myriad of ailments at the end of 2023. Fortunately for him, it looks like the team's brass realized that they needed to help their quarterback more.

The Jags recognize that they weren't great in the offensive trenches last season, so they signed veteran Mitch Morse after he was released by the Buffalo Bills. While he's far from a Pro Bowl-caliber player, he should be much better than Luke Fortner, last year's starter. Moreover, the Jags re-signed Ezra Cleveland, so left guard shouldn't be a question mark like it was last offseason. Similarly, they reworked Brandon Scherff's deal, ensuring he stays in 2024.

Having said that, one of the Jaguars' top acquisitions in free agency is wide receiver Gabe Davis. While he has never topped 1,000 yards in a season, he can get deep and draw coverage away from other players, giving everyone more favorable matchups. His career average of 16.7 yards per reception should have Lawrence excited about his big-play potential.

Jaguars early loser of free agency No. 1: Luke Fortner, center

The Jaguars' brass decided to keep most of their offense line from last year intact, with one big exception. After regressing last year, Luke Fortner will no longer be in the starting lineup, with Mitch Morse taking over at center.

General manager Trent Baalke had previously expressed support for Fortner, but the Mitch Morse signing shows that the Jaguars think he was part of the problem in 2023. The silver lining is that Fortner will have the chance to step back, see what went wrong, and fix it behind Morse. Still, he's probably disappointed he'll get demoted next season.

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