4 Jacksonville Jaguars who robbed the team blind in 2023
• Many of them delivered but these 4 failed short of expectations
• Even worse, they were well-compensated for their services
1. Brandon Scherff, right guard
The Jaguars entered the 2022 offseason with lots of cap space. They made good use of those resources and were one of the most active teams in free agency. Whereas many of the players they've acquired have gone on to have a huge impact, others have left a bit (or much) to be desired. Right guard Brandon Scherff is one such case.
A first-round pick in the 2015 draft. Scherff became one of the top guards in the league during his seven-year stint with the Washington Commanders. After getting slapped with the franchise tag in back-to-back years, the former Iowa Hawkeye finally hit the open market for the first time in his career in 2022, and Jacksonville wasted no time giving him a three-year deal worth $49 million in free agency.
While a bit pricey, the Jags needed to fortify their trenches, and who better than Scherff, who had amassed five Pro Bowl designations, and one First-Team All-Pro selection? Unfortunately, they haven't gotten enough back for their buck. While Scherff has remained healthy throughout his tenure in Duval, he's far from the player he was with the Commanders.
Now, Scherff hasn't been dreadful but he hasn't been great either, and the Jaguars have been paying him like a top player. You could make the case that they're paying a premium for his leadership — he's been named a team captain twice — but that's a bonus. The truth is that they could get similar production from a younger player and wouldn't need to fork out as much money.
This is why Brandon Scherff could be a cap casualty in the offseason. He'll leave a massive dead money charge of $14.8 million but the top brass would save $9.09 million. That's more than enough space to at least explore the possibility.
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