The Jacksonville Jaguars were hoping last year would start their rebuild after selecting Trevor Lawrence, but thanks to Urban Meyer being a massive flop, the team didn’t make a lot of progress. That put them in a situation where they had to name a new coach in February as the team hired Doug Pederson.
Due to the coaching change and other changes within the organization, many in the football community are viewing the Jags as a team that is in the early stages of a rebuild. Among them are the people at Pro Football Focus, who ranked the Jags in the “rebuilding” section of their recent power rankings.
Here is what PFF analyst Sam Monson had to say about the Jags’ placement as they came in at the No. 27 spot:
27. Jacksonville Jaguars
Jacksonville were big spenders this offseason, but it’s tough to discern a strategy to that spending beyond simply paying big money to players the team could convince to come to Jacksonville. Brandon Scherff and Christian Kirk were big investments on the offensive line and receiving corps, but even with them, neither unit should be above league average. The draft was all about rolling the dice on talent, and so there’s a real chance that the Jaguars are relying simply on the upgrade from Urban Meyer to Doug Pederson to boost Trevor Lawrence‘s play in Year 2.
Most would agree that better coaching for Lawrence alone could help the Jags add at least two to three more wins in 2022.
As for Monson’s thoughts on the offensive line, it can’t be ruled out for them to take a jump to at least become a middle-of-the-pack bunch. Brandon Scherff’s signing aside, the Jags could have a new starter at right tackle with Walker Little, at center (if rookie Luke Fortner starts), and at left guard with Ben Bartch or a dark horse candidate. That’s a group that could look significantly different than the one PFF graded as the No. 24 ranked unit in 2021.
However, the production at receiver is a little harder to gauge. The Jags let former Pro Bowler D.J. Chark hit free agency and picked up Christian Kirk and Zay Jones. Neither has had a 1,000-yard season like Chark, but at the same time, neither has had a quarterback with Lawrence’s potential.
