How will Gabe Davis and Mitch Morse improve the Jaguars offense in 2024?

The Jacksonville Jaguars have been aggressive in free agency, adding numerous pieces on offense and defense. Of note, Trent Baalke added a pair of former Buffalo Bills who are expected to improve an inconsistent offense. Those players are Mitch Morse, who should be the new starting center for this team next season. The other is wide receiver Gabe Davis, a deep threat that could allow them to go vertical more often.

It’s no secret that the Jaguars’ offense struggled last season, scoring 377 points overall, good for 13th in the league, after putting up 404 in 2022.

Trevor Lawrence had difficulty scoring touchdowns when in the red zone throughout 2023. Offensive coordinator Press Taylor’s unit ranked 21st in red zone scoring percentage over the previous campaign (touchdowns only). In their final three regular-season contests of 2023, the Jags scored a touchdown on 33.33 percent of their trips to the red zone.

Every time you enter the red zone, you expect to score, but the most concerning trend from 2023 was the amount of time this team came away with nothing at that end of the field.

Jacksonville had the fifth-highest turnovers in the NFL, giving it away 30 times in 17 encounters. In numerous instances, the Jags were either stuffed on a fourth-and-goal situation or Lawrence turned the ball over in that area of the field.

How will Mitch Morse help the Jaguars?

Last season, Lawrence was often under duress and running for his life when the Jags were driving, which seemed to impact their red zone efficiency. He completed just 53.7 percent of his throws. Adding Mitch Morse behind center should make life easier for Lawrence, who’s entering year four of his career. Morse is a veteran at the position and a durable former Pro Bowler who rarely gets burned.

In 2023, he only gave up one sack on the Bills O-line and has started 126 games. His blocking up front helped running back James Cook go from 507 yards rushing in 2022 to 1,122 last season.
Meanwhile, Fantasy Pros ranked Josh Allen as the best red zone quarterback in the NFL last season, while Buffalo was fourth in red zone efficiency.

Morse should open up more holes for Travis Etienne to run through in the red zone, while also giving Lawrence more time to throw.

What kind of impact will Gabe Davis have on the Jaguars' offense?

Adding Gabe Davis to the receivers’ room can be risky, but there are also plenty of rewards. The risk is over his career; there is a large disparity between his targets and catches. Per ESPN, he caught 45 catches on 81 targets, some of which were mistimed throws, but some were also drops.

On the other side, though, he’s a proven big-place receiver, averaging 16.6 yards per catch, the most among Bills players last season. In 2023, Calvin Ridley and Christian Kirk were the only Jags receivers with over 50 targets who averaged over 10 yards per catch.

Davis has also proven to be efficient in the red zone. Five of his eight touchdowns during the regular season came from inside the 20.

With the additions of Morse and Davis, there’s no reason not to expect this team to be much more efficient in the red zone next season.

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