By Now that the dust has settled on the NFL offseason, the Jaguars and other teams will have a relatively quiet month. It’s the perfect time for conjecture.
The No. 1 question for the Jaguars? Can they regain the form they showed late in 2022 and early in 2023 and become a playoff team again?
They can. If they accomplish four key goals.
Trevor Lawrence’s play
It is a simplistic thought that as the quarterback goes, so goes the football team. Last season, with Lawrence playing through injuries and his receivers missing time in the second half of the season, the Jaguars fell apart. After starting the season 8-3, the Jags lost five of their last six games, falling one win short of the playoffs.
Will Lawrence bounce back?
It’s the $275 million question.
The Jaguars signed Lawrence to the biggest deal in franchise history and one of the richest contracts in the NFL with the expectation that he would regain the form that he showed before the injuries began to pile up.
Assuming Lawrence stays healthy, the Jaguars should be postseason contenders. If he puts together a full season for the first time in his NFL career, the ceiling is much higher.
Offensive line
One of the reasons the Jaguars struggled last season — and a significant contributor to Lawrence’s injuries — was the play of the offensive line. There was very little consistency in terms of the lineup and even less in the way of positive performance.
During free agency, the Jaguars added Buffalo center Mitch Morse, who has received rave reviews for his professional approach. That’s great, but what the Jaguars need out of the position (and the rest of the offensive line) is stronger play.
The Jaguars were abysmal in short yardage situations, and the running game evaporated. After averaging over 5 yards per carry in 2022, Travis Etienne managed only 3.8 yards per attempt last season. The line must be better in order for Lawrence to fulfill his potential and for the Jaguars to return to the postseason.
Pass rush
Last season saw career years by Josh Allen and Travon Walker in the sack category. Allen set a franchise record with 17.5 sacks, while Walker improved from 3.5 sacks in his rookie campaign to 10 in 2023.
Both need to build on their big years, and the Jaguars must get more help from elsewhere. Perhaps free agent acquisition Arik Armstead will help. He had five sacks last season for San Francisco and six sacks two seasons prior. If he can add to the sack total, the Jaguars will stand a much better chance of making the postseason.
There are other possibilities to aid in the pass rush.
Veteran Trevis Gipson recorded seven sacks in 2021 with the Chicago Bears. And with new defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen installing a new scheme, linebacker Devin Lloyd could play a bigger role in situational pass rushing.
If the Jaguars can add one sack per game to last year’s total, they would be among the league leaders.
Leadership
In 2022, Doug Pederson’s first season as the Jaguars’ head coach, the team caught fire after a slow start. There was serious momentum driving the team to the playoffs. The locker room was unified. Then, in 2023, something was missing.
Perhaps the Jaguars got complacent after a strong start. Maybe they fell victim to reading the press clippings. Maybe too many players didn’t realize the need to go the extra mile. Yes, injuries were an issue, but playoff teams overcome such obstacles.
Pederson wants a player-led team. For that to happen, veteran leadership must step up. Lawrence said last week that several veteran leaders have already begun to meet. That’s a good start. How they handle the adversity that comes with every NFL season will be the true test.
