Talking Teal: Jacksonville Jaguars Off-Season Additions

Talking Teal: Off-season Additions. Thoughts on the Jaguars' off-season additions through free agency and what positions the team should have gone after.

With the 2017 off-season under way for Jacksonville, this installment of “Talking Teal” featuring John Shirey, William Frost, Brandon Eisenman, James Plumb, and I will revolve around our thoughts on the Jaguars’ off-season additions through free agency and what positions the team should have gone after with more urgency.

Talking Teal: Jacksonville Jaguars Off-Season Additions

Which signing were you the most excited about and why?

John: Definitely A.J. Bouye. Playing opposite of Jalen Ramsey is going to do wonders for him. Turning just 26 years old in August, Bouye is just now entering the prime of his career after a breakout campaign with the Houston Texans last season. The Jaguars should have one of the top cornerback tandems in football for the foreseeable future.

William: Unquestionably most excited by A.J. Bouye, while I think that the addition of Calais Campbell might elevate our defense further as we may finally have some pass rushing presence. The thought of Jalen Ramsey and Bouye creating a no-fly zone at the bank has me hot under the collar. Not only does it make our already talented defense considerably better, we may have made rivals Houston Texans’ defense worse which can only be a good thing in an always evolving AFC South.

Ben: A.J. Bouye by a mile. Pairing the former Houston Texan with promising second year player Jalen Ramsey potentially gives the Jaguars their best cornerback tandem in the team’s history if both players can continue their growth as shutdown corners.

Brandon: A.J. Bouye, because he will be lockdown at his position, record timely interceptions, and can keep opposing receivers from making long ball catches game in and game out.

James: Calais Campbell. Although the Jags had a strong defense last season, they struggled getting to opposing quarterbacks as often as they should have. The addition of Campbell makes the defensive line just that bit more aggressive, which should see an improvement in the pass rush.

Which free agent did you want the most that we didn’t end up signing?

John: There isn’t necessarily one player I feel that the Jaguars missed out on. However, there are still major question marks along the offensive line. Bringing in an offensive guard would have made a lot of sense. Now, it appears the team will look to improve the interior of the offensive line via the draft, which may ultimately end up as a better long term solution.

William: No name in particular, but an interior offensive lineman was a really big miss here. While only one or two of the linemen available were worth the payday that they got, the Jaguars certainly had the cap space to hardball teams like the Cleveland Browns for stars like Kevin Zeitler. I’m finding it hard to believe that anyone would rather play for the Browns than Jacksonville, and so I think if we were willing to throw sufficient money at someone, our line would have fewer holes going into 2017.

Ben: Coin flip between Kevin Zeitler and Ricky Wagner, but I’ll settle on Wagner because of how important the right tackle position is in today’s NFL. Teams can get by with average guard play, but right tackles are at a premium because of the plethora of great rushers coming off the edge on the defense’s left side. Jermey Parnell had a rough season, is expensive, and is only getting older, so Wagner could have given Jacksonville a good improvement along the trenches.

Brandon: Kevin Zeitler. I wanted Zeitler in a Jaguars uniform because he can boost the offense and fill one of the gaps that the team has on the offensive line. He was the best offensive lineman in free agency, and the Jaguars missed out heavily on not getting him.

James: I’d probably say Martellus Bennett. When the team traded Julius Thomas, there was an obvious lack of depth at tight end. Although Doug Marrone is not a coach whose system heavily features a player in that position, Bennett would have been a great asset in both passing and blocking.

Did the front office do enough?

John: Absolutely. General manager David Caldwell gets plenty of blame for the team’s struggles of late, some of which is certainly warranted. With that said, he hit a home run in the initial free agent signings. It’s interesting to note that both Bouye and Calais Campbell said that their agents dealt directly with Caldwell and assistant General manager John Idzik, not newly appointed executive Vice President Tom Coughlin.

William: No. It was clear at the end of last season that the major place we needed to upgrade was along the offensive line. Other than the addition of former Miami Dolphins tackle Branden Albert which you can easily argue isn’t an upgrade from Kelvin Beachum at all, our line is as bad as it was at the end of the 2016 season. In a draft class where most of the offensive linemen are no better than average, Jacksonville really needed to make some improvements if they wanted to compete in 2017.

Ben: This question is tricky because on the one hand the team did a ton, but on the other hand, they didn’t fix the holes that set the team back. Yes, the defense is loaded now, although another edge rusher is still necessary. The offense was the unit that needed the huge upgrade after their dismal performance in 2016. The offensive line remains a dumpster fire of mediocrity which is concerning to say the least.

Brandon: The front office did plenty. Getting a few big name free agents to improve the defense makes the Jaguars a threat to the NFL on defense next season. A.J. Bouye will be a tremendous player in the black and teal and will help boost the team’s number of interceptions. As for Calais Campbell, he will fill a void on the defensive line and can get to opposing quarterbacks quickly and tally up a load of sacks to help make this defense elite.

James: At the moment, I’m going to say yes, but I’m not 100 percent convinced. There are still obvious needs that have to be addressed, especially on offense. If the Jags can go some way to filling these needs in the draft, I’ll say that this has been a very successful offseason for Jacksonville.

Should the team bring in some competition for Bortles?

John: Why bother? There isn’t going to be an open competition. Blake Bortles will be the starting quarterback this season. The biggest question facing the front office moving forward is going to be whether or not the team picks up Bortles’ fifth-year option. If the team elects not to pick it up, this will truly be a make or break season for the young gunslinger.

William: At this point, I can’t be bothered. We know that nobody coming in is going to displace Blake, and therefore I don’t see why we’d bring in someone worse than who we’re already complaining about. I’m not saying that we should sign him to a new deal, but I’m also not saying we should bench him either. His mechanics look as though they have improved greatly this off-season. It’s unfair to judge a guy on a season heavily plagued by injury. That being said, another poor season and I’ll see us happily draft his replacement.

Ben: It’s nearly pointless at this stage, but it would behoove the team to have a guy they can insert into the starting lineup should Bortles continue to play bad football. Chad Henne is not the person you want replacing your starter ten games into a season with the goal of breathing some life into the team. Colin Kaepernick could be that spark to finish the season strong if Bortles needs to be benched.

Brandon: Yes, the team should bring in competition for Bortles to make him realize that his job is indeed in jeopardy.

James: I’ll say no. Mainly because Bortles should have his own motivation to improve. As it’s clear he will be the starting quarterback next season, he’s already aware that this is a make or break year for him.

Who’s at fault the most, offensive line or running backs?

John: Both, as well as the previous regime’s suspect play calling. Chris Ivory and T.J. Yeldon fell far short of expectations last season, both averaged under four yards per carry and had multiple fumbles. The offensive line struggled mightily opening up holes, especially on the left side. Nevertheless, it was the ineptitude of the play callers that really set the team back, just look at the difference in the final two games of the season once Doug Marrone took over.

William: Neither are good enough. While we evidently don’t have a good line to block for these guys, mistakes, fumbles and bad reads really don’t help production. I don’t know how much Ivory can blame his fumble on the touchdown that should’ve been against the Kansas City Chiefs on his offensive linemen. The one thing I can say, is that if they were both better than below average, we’d see better production from the one we all moan about, Bortles.

Ben: Has to be the offensive line. The running backs have had minimal opportunities to make anything happen because the line consistently fails to create any push. Chris Ivory was the AFC’s leading rusher in 2015. Fast forward to 2016, and Ivory couldn’t even crack 450 yards rushing. Ivory went from averaging 4.3 yards per carry to a putrid 3.8 in his first season with the Jaguars. The offensive line must take huge steps forward in 2017 if Jacksonville is to have any semblance of a decent rushing attack.

Brandon: Running backs are to blame. Not nearly enough production coming out of the group.

James: Honestly I’m not sure which way to go on this one. The offensive line was poor to say the least and allowed Bortles to be hurried far too often. Having said that, our running game was ranked 22nd in the league last season, which speaks for itself really. Both need to be addressed in the draft.