Jacksonville Jaguars offense has come a long way since 2021

The Jacksonville Jaguars offense was a mess under Urban Meyer in 2021, going 3-14 and ranking near the cellar in most meaningful statistics in his lone season at the helm. However, the Jags' success last year and the addition of Calvin Ridley show how long they've come since then.

The 33rd Team recently shared a post on social media in which they compare Jacksonville in Lawrence's rookie year and last season. On top of that, they take a look at how the unit could look after the addition of Calvin Ridley, who's cleared to play after applying for reinstatement.

Back in 2021, Marvin Jones Jr. led the Jags in catches (73), yards (832), and receiving touchdowns with four. Laquon Treadwell became their No. 2 receiver by default. He went on to have a career year but only got playing time because Laviska Shenault Jr. struggle to make the most of his chance and DJ Chark Jr. fractured his ankle early in the season.

Although Treadwell became a solid target on the Jaguars' offense in 2021, the Jaguars knew they needed to give Lawrence better weapons, so they brought in wide receiver Zay Jones and Christian Kirk and tight end Evan Engram. To nobody's surprise, Trevor Lawrence improved considerably and Jacksonville cracked the top 10 in the NFL in total yards and points scored.

General manager Trent Baalke originally caught flak for paying a premium for all Jones, Kirk, and Engram but all of them went on to post career numbers and the criticism faded and started to get the recognition he deserved. Nevertheless, he still thought the offense could use some upgrades and acquired Calvin Ridley late before last year's trade deadline.

Marvin Jones hit the open market and remains unsigned but the Jaguars' offense looks promising ahead of the 2023 season, with Zay Jones, Christian Kirk, Calvin Ridley, and Evan Engram poised to be their top weapons. Here's The 33rd Team's tweet showing how much the Jaguars' offense has changed over the last two years and they include Notre Dame tight end Michael Mayer as a bonus.

Can the Jacksonville Jaguars have a top 5 offense in the 2023 NFL season?

The Jags are expected to pick up where they left off last season and anything short of a trip to the playoffs will probably consider a failure. Having said that, it's hard to see the Jacksonville offense regress in 2023. In fact, there are reasons to think they should be even better.

Trevor Lawrence showed improvement in his first year playing under Doug Pederson and he should have a much better grasp of the system, which should lead to even better numbers. Moreover, Calvin Ridley was a top NFL wide receiver in 2020. Even though he's been out of the league for two years, he seems to be in great shape, and he'll have ample time to get himself acclimated to the rigors of the NFL.

Ridley's presence rounds out a pretty talented wide receiver corps. Add Evan Engram, and opposing defenses will have a hard time slowing the Jaguars next season. Having said that, the Jaguars can't overlook their defense and must add reinforcements in the draft.

Selecting a tight end, such as Mayer, to pair with Engram would make the offense even better. Similarly, the team's brass could pick an offensive tackle to replace right tackle Jawaan Taylor, who joined the Kansas Chiefs in free agency. But adding a defensive piece, maybe a cornerback or a pass rusher is also necessary.

The Jacksonville Jaguars have gotten much better since 2021 and people are taking notice. While there's still room for improvement, they're poised to have one of the hottest offenses in the NFL, probably one of the top five.