The Jaguars’ season-ending shellacking of the Indianapolis Colts is more than a few weeks old by now. In the hours after their thorough 26-11 dismantling of a team that seemed headed to the playoffs, a truth emerged. And in the days since, it has only become more clear.
They have some of what they need, and they can turn this ship around and do it in short order if they do a few simple things and don’t overcomplicate it.
The first and most important step, of course, has already been taken. Trevor Lawrence is on deck to become the next great quarterback in professional football. He struggled at times during his rookie campaign, but the next few items on my to-do list will correct the mistakes of the former coach and shorten the timeline to winning for the next guy. Lawrence has everything in the physical realm needed to succeed and everything in the mental realm that you could possibly want in a quarterback. He is the reason for the Jaguars’ hope.
He needs a little hope in return. Lawrence spent almost the entire season in the red zone and I’m not talking about the opponents 20-yard line. The lack of speed down the field and a consistent running game meant the safeties squatted 10 yards from the line of scrimmage, which meant that Lawrence was playing against the defense in a crowded space just like when a team is in scoring territory…except he faced it on every square inch of the field.
Defenses could crowd the line of scrimmage without fear of being beaten down the field, which meant there were always at least eight guys in the box to stop the run. It’s popular to rip the offensive line, but there isn’t a front five in football that could consistently create space against that. It also meant the defensive coordinators could attack the quarterback with ruthless efficiency since again, they didn’t have to fear the deep pass. It was a brutal combination.
Here's how to fix it. The running game is first. That goes against the grain in most conversations, where speed down the field is the primary concern. A consistent running game is a quarterback’s best friend: It puts the quarterback in manageable second downs and moves the chains on third. It’s pretty important to the wide receivers as well. The ground game keeps safeties near the line of scrimmage and gives receivers more room to get open. Ask Jimmy Smith or Keenan McCardell what Fred Taylor meant to their production.
That means adding offensive linemen to a group that could lose left tackle Cam Robinson, left guard Andrew Norwell, right guard AJ Cann and interior swingman Tyler Shatley to the free agent market. Luckily, for the Jaguars, there are upgrades available at the top of the draft and they shouldn’t hesitate to take Alabama’s Evan Neal if he checks out this spring. He’s a 6 foot, 7 inch, 360-pound road grader who also happens to have quick feet and long arms to go with a massive frame that’s tough for pass rushers to get around.
No one is going to get excited about adding an offensive tackle with the first overall pick. But in a draft where we could see offensive or defensive line go with the first five or six picks, there isn’t likely to be a chance to trade back and add a haul of extra draft picks. They’re going to have to stay at No. 1 and take the best available player. They won’t regret taking another player who can be a cornerstone of the future of the franchise no matter what position he plays.
The next step is to add size to the defensive front. They did a terrific job against Jonathan Taylor, the NFL’s leading rusher, in the season finale but two weeks earlier they let the Jets run for 271 yards. Big bodies capable of filling multiple gaps allow the linebackers to run to the football and this season those guys were fighting through blocks way too often. Defensive tackle Malcom Brown is a good player, Roy Robertson-Harris was disruptive, Davon Hamilton had his moments, but this is a group that needs a dynamic game-wrecker in the middle of the line. When you have that guy, it frees up the rest of the front to beat their man one-on-one.
Run the ball and stop the run only sounds like an antiquated formula from the Vince Lombardi era. It remains a fundamental truth of professional football. The Jaguars have to be better at both.
The third and final item on my to-do list is to find a No.1 receiver. Maybe it’s as easy as spending some of that nearly $70 million in cap room, but alpha receivers rarely hit the free agent market. They’re too valuable in a league where the rules are tilted against defensive backs. What I know is that Davante Adams is the most explosive receiver in the game today, and if he hits free agency, the Jaguars should write the biggest check a receiver has ever seen to get him.
Keep in mind, Adams was a fifth-round draft pick in Green Bay, and the Jaguars have to find and develop their own version of Adams also. Receivers are more abundant than talented big guys, which is why it’s third on my list. They will be there in the second round and third and fourth…they’ll find guys.
They should be able to be in the conversation next season. What’s the conversation? If in December they’re watching to see if the Broncos won and the Browns and Dolphins lost so that they might be in a position to make the playoffs…that’s a massive turnaround. Imagine if they were in a position similar to the Steelers who, thanks to their win over the Colts and the Raiders’ win over the Chargers, made it to the post-season in quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s final year.
The 2016 Jaguars were 3-13. The 2017 Jaguars were 10-6. The difference? Six players added in free agency and the NFL Draft. The Jaguars have 12 draft picks, including the first pick in nearly every round, and they have a wealth of salary cap room to supplement the roster. They can, if they do it right, turn this ship around in a matter of months.
