Ah, the simple pleasures of the NFL in May.
Every team is a contender, off-season programs are underway, and hopes and expectations are at an annual high. Every situation is viewed through a rose-colored lens, and fans everywhere are fantasizing about the possibilities the coming season will bring.
Most NFL fans have fallen victim to this sort of thought process at some point.Iit’s nearly impossible not to. The fresh start, the new beginning that accompanies the spring is infectious. And for one NFL franchise a new beginning may very well be on the way.
Don’t Sleep on the 2016 Jacksonville Jaguars
Much has been written about the Jacksonville Jaguars organization in recent weeks. After making several aggressive free agent signings and earning nearly-unanimously respect for its draft class, this team is firmly established as a pre-season hype pick. Some people are talking about them as a potential playoff contender, while others are thinking in even more ambitious terms. While much of the spring hype in the NFL can be dismissed as fanciful dreaming, this new found hope for this group is not without merit. There are many valid reasons to be excited about the 2016 Jacksonville Jaguars.
For starters, an already potent offense figures to be even better in 2016. As is almost always the case, this offense’s success is tied to its quarterback. In 2015, Blake Bortles took a huge step as a sophomore signal caller as the former UCF standout threw for 4,428 yards with 35 touchdown passes and 18 interceptions. Entering his third season, Bortles figures to mature even more as a passer, and if he cuts down on his interception total, his potential is enormous.
Part of Bortles’ success can be attributed to the breakout wide receiver duo of Allen Robinson and Allen Hurns. “The Allens”, 2015 sophomores in their own right, emerged as one of the better one-two punches in the league and gave the passing game an enormous boost, with each man surpassing 1,000 yards in the process. Robinson (80-1,400-14) figures to pick up where he left off as a top-notch number one receiver, while Hurns (64-1,031-10) returns as one of the better complementary pass-catchers in the league. Expect both men to refine their respective games as they enter their third season in the league.
The Jaguars running game figures to improve as well. While the team finished 27th in the league in rushing yards last season, sophomore runner T.J. Yeldon figures to improve significantly. Yeldon acclimated himself well last year, rushing for 740 yards and catching 36 passes for another 279 yards in only twelve games. In 2016, he will have company in the back-field with free agent pick-up Chris Ivory ready to pitch in for some heavy-lifting. Ivory signed a five year, $32.5 million deal with the Jags and will have a significant role in the offense. He and Yeldon will likely form an effective tandem and take some pressure off the passing game.
Speaking of taking pressure off the passing game, one clear need for the Jaguars entering this off-season was along the offensive line. The Jags surrendered an enormous 51 sacks last year, and generally struggled throughout the season. Recognizing this need, the Jaguars made their move in free agency, signing former Steelers tackle Kelvin Beachum and former Cowboys guards Mackenzy Bernardeau to help this unit out. Beachum figures to open the season as the team’s starting left tackle, while Bernardeau can contribute to the team’s interior line.
Clearly the Jaguars’ offense is in excellent shape entering 2016, but where do things stand on defense? The Jags’ top unit struggled last year, allowing 448 points (second worst in the NFL) and 6,000 yards of offense. The team also lacked a true pass-rush threat and only forced nine interceptions on the season.
So what did the Jaguars do to address this problem?
A better question might be, “what didn’t they do?” In free agency, the Jags opened their wallet and signed arguably the biggest name in free agency, former Broncos’ defensive tackle Malik Jackson, to a six-year, $90 million contract. Jackson will immediately give the Jags interior pass-rush a jolt and will make an impact from day one.
The club also went out and signed former Cleveland Browns safety Tashaun Gipson to a five-year, $35.5 million contract. Gibson will bring a ball-hawking presence to the Jacksonville secondary that it has sorely needed for some time. Taking it one step further, the Jags also picked up former New York Giants cornerback Prince Amukamara to a one-year, $5 million deal. It’s a low-risk, high-reward signing, as Amukamara is a talented player trying to prove he can stay healthy while searching for a long-term pact.
And then there was the draft.
The Jaguars assembled arguably the best draft class in the NFL this year, spending six of their seven selections on the defensive side of the football. In the first round, they nabbed Florida State cornerback Jalen Ramsey, the top player on more than a few big boards, with the fifth overall selection. Ramsey fills an area of dire need for this franchise and we might be talking about this pick as one of the draft’s best values had it not been for what the Jags pulled off in the second round.
UCLA linebacker Myles Jack was seen as one of the very best players in this draft class. Based on ability alone, he was certainly a top five prospect, and quite possibly a top three talent. However, leading up to draft day, concerns about Jack’s recovery from a torn meniscus he suffered last September seemed to bubble to the surface. All of a sudden there were whispers about the long-term health of the former Bruin’s knee. Rumors circulated that he might drop a bit on draft day, and that some teams with high picks might opt to go with “safer” players, triggering a small slide for the highly-touted prospect.
The end result was much worse.
It seems almost criminal that this young man had to sit in the green room for the draft’s entire opening round and never heard his name called. A terrible situation, and a stunning example of the negative impact that whispers such as these can have on a young athlete’s life, but nonetheless, Jack’s name remained on the board as round two opened. The Jaguars continued their aggressive off-season by trading away a fifth-round pick to move up two slots in the second round, selecting Jack with the 36th overall pick of the 2016 NFL draft.
Jack was a player that many pundits had expected the Jaguars to take a long look at with the fifth overall pick and getting him in the second round is highway robbey. Somehow, this franchise acquired two of the top five players in the draft, while filling positions of huge need in the process.
But it gets even better. This season, the Jaguars will finally get to see what they have in 2015 third overall pick Dante Fowler Jr. A top-notch edge-rushing prospect, the Jags had high hopes for Fowler Jr. before an ACL tear sustained during his first NFL practice sidelined him for his entire rookie season. With Fowler Jr. back in the fold, the Jaguars will essentially have three top five draft talents making their debuts in 2016, and we haven’t even mentioned rookies like Yannick Nagakoue and Sheldon Day, who are expected to contribute on defense as rookies. To be certain, the Jaguars added an absolute haul of talent on defense this off-season and it should be exciting to see how this unit rebounds in 2016.
So are the Jaguars a potential 2016 playoff team? Quite possibly, but it’s far too soon to say. All of a sudden, the AFC South is becoming a strong division with the Indianapolis Colts expected to bounce back, the Houston Texans completing an off-season that saw them completely revamp their offense, and the Tennessee Titans having found their franchise quarterback in Marcus Mariota, while stock-piling resources from their trade with the Los Angeles Rams in the process.
Still though, it’s impossible to ignore what the Jaguars have built over the last three years. Shrewd drafting, patience from ownership, and aggressive moves in free agency have become the staples of this rebuild, and this team appears ready to enjoy some success in the very near future.
Having established a solid core of young players and established veteran acquisitions, 2016 could be the year the Jacksonville Jaguars take the next step as an NFL franchise. This is a team that has tasted success in the past and appears poised to do so again in the very near future.
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