JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – It was a great start and a bad finish. The Jaguars are picking up the pieces after finishing 9-8 and missing the playoffs. As they head into a critical offseason, Jamal St. Cyr and Justin Barney debate several topics on changes that should happen.
What needs to happen for the Jaguars to get back on track?
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JSC: The Jaguars have to improve in the trenches. The offensive and defensive line groups were not good. That’s where I would start to fix the team. The Jaguars have talent at other spots, but football is won and lost at the line of scrimmage. More often than not, the Jaguars lost there this year. With two new guards, a new center, and anyone on the D line that can provide a push up the middle, the Jaguars would look like a brand new team.
JB: Agree totally with Jamal. Jacksonville was abysmal along both lines, and that significantly affected the offense and defense. The offensive line leaked like a sieve, but I attribute much of that to injuries and player regression (Walker Little, Brandon Scherff and Luke Fortner). The defensive line was bad. The Jaguars stroked a big offseason check to DaVon Hamilton, and he turned in a forgettable season. Roy Robertson-Harris was just OK. Both lines need an infusion of talent in the worst way. The unforgivable part of this — everyone familiar with the team identified these issues before the season began.
If you could make a change, what would it be?
JSC: I would hire a new executive vice president of football operations. The old “Tom Coughlin” position. Shad Khan needs a football voice in his ear that would let him be the hands-off owner that he wants to be. Khan could just set it and forget it. I also just so happen to have the perfect person in mind! The people of Jacksonville love him! The current players respect him and he takes pride in the Jaguars that would go beyond just the job title. Tony Boselli. He would be the perfect fit to evaluate the football stuff and decide what is working and what isn’t. No one is going to confuse Khan for a football genius. That isn’t a shot at him, it is just the reality. On the other hand, Boselli has a gold jacket for goodness sake. Let him make the recommendations on who the GM or head coach should be and decide when it is time to cut the cord. It would be perfect.
JB: Get rid of general manager Trent Baalke. In some ways, Baalke’s tenure reminds me a bit of Tom Coughlin’s return in 2017 as the executive vice president of football operations. It went smooth for a bit (the Jaguars went to the AFC championship game in 2017) and then imploded spectacularly before he was fired in December 2019. Baalke’s first full year of overseeing the roster paid off with an unexpected run to the AFC divisional playoffs. The roster he built in 2023 flamed out. Baalke’s 2021 draft alongside Urban Meyer was solid beyond the first round. Tyson Campbell, Walker Little and Andre Cisco were picks that year. The 2022 draft has been underwhelming, although Travon Walker and Devin Lloyd showed promise in Year 2. Jacksonville’s 13-player draft class last year produced one full-time starter (Anton Harrison). A fresh start at GM would be ideal.
Who is one notable player from the 2023 roster who won’t be on the team this year?
JSC: WR Calvin Ridley. The Jaguars are in a tough spot where they are already on the hook to send a third-round pick to the Falcons. It would jump up to a second-round pick if the Jaguars sign him to a new deal during free agency. That is a hefty price. The Jaguars could try and cheat the system and sign him to a new deal after the new league year starts. Hitting Ridley with the franchise tag would be perfect but the Jaguars will need to use that on Josh Allen to make sure they keep him in Jacksonville. Ridley is a good player. The Jaguars are better if they have him on the team and will have trouble replacing what he brings to the field. It is just a tough situation. On the other hand, if they can get a deal done with Allen then keeping Ridley on the tag to avoid the extra pick is a no-brainer.
JB: Several players come to mind. The team could save $10 million by releasing CB Darious Williams, who has just a $500,000 dead money charge. OG Brandon Scherff has a $24 million cap hit and OT Cam Robinson has a $21 million cap hit. The dead money between Scherff and Robinson comes in at $20 million, which could be spread out across multiple seasons. The reason for ditching Scherff is declining ability. The reason for getting rid of Robinson is availability. He missed eight games this year. I’d like to see an upgrade at Scherff’s spot, but I’m going to say S Rayshawn Jenkins is the player who won’t be back. He’s the eighth-highest paid safety in the league and they could replace him with Antonio Johnson.
Did Doug Pederson fire the right coaches?
JS: I think he missed the mark a little bit on this one. While the defensive staff needed to be turned over, so did the offensive staff. Chad Hall has only been in Jacksonville for one year, but none of the new receivers seemed to have a clue what was going on at times. The Jaguars could trust Zay Jones and Christian Kirk; that is the list. That sort of mass confusion points towards the coach.
JB: It was a start. I don’t think the offensive staff should be absolved of blame. The defense was bad down the stretch and definitely regressed. The offense was erratic much of the season. There’s not one unit on the offensive side of the ball that you can say overachieved. Is that coaching or is that not having the right personnel? I don’t see how the offensive coaching staff was all but untouched with the exception of running backs coach Bernie Parmalee.