It has been an offseason full of looking back and looking forward for the Jacksonville Jaguars after going 1-5 down the stretch to end last season, which led to them missing the playoffs.
That left a sour taste in the mouths of everyone involved, from the players and coaches to the fans, and the best remedy is to start a new season and make up for it with wins and finishing the job this time around.
Since head coach Doug Pederson arrived in town, he along with general manager Trent Baalke have been instrumental in helping change the culture of the team and with it comes a change in expectations of the fanbase.
Winning and trips to the postseason have quickly become the expected norm, which means not meeting those expectations creates the emotions of shock and disappointment.
The moves made by the Jaguars through free agency this offseason was evident that they are aware of not meeting those expectations and are doing everything to fill the voids that may have been existent a year ago.
It starts with the receiving corps, which lost Calvin Ridley and Zay Jones, but added Gabe Davis in free agency and drafted Brian Thomas Jr. out of Louisiana State University in the first round.
Davis and Thomas Jr. have looked the part during training camp as they have quickly looked fluid within the Jaguars’ offensive system and although it may take some time before they are completely on the same page with quarterback Trevor Lawrence, the weapons on that side of the ball are plentiful, especially with Christian Kirk back from a late season injury and Parker Washington continuing his development in his second year.
The question remains on the offensive line, which is a veteran group, but one that has experienced their share of injuries of late.
If they can protect Lawrence and allow him the time to find the weapons out wide, it could be a big year both statistically and in the win column.
Defense was a major concern as last season wore on and it became an issue during the losing streak at the end of the year.
As a result, Ryan Nielsen was hired as the team’s defensive coordinator and the early reviews have been extremely positive during training camp and the preseason games, where the Jaguars have been flying to the ball and shown an increased physicality, especially against the run.
Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker return as arguably the league’s best defensive end duo.
