The construction of the Jacksonville Jaguars in the last two seasons hasn’t been great, and that has been reflected through their win total. In 2020, they only won one game, then in 2021 they only won three, bringing them to a total of four.
However, with the changes made this offseason after the team spent a record amount of money in free agency and named a new coach, many expect the Jags to double their win total. Then, on the other hand, some feel the roster needs a lot more.
When utilizing Pro Football Focus’ database, the Jags’ need for more talent is especially reflected when looking at the grades of their projected starters. There aren’t too many returning starters on the team who registered a 70 or higher in the database, which is why the roster ended up being ranked 28th by ESPN recently.
Despite the lackluster grades, though, PFF’s Ben Linsey says he believes the biggest strength for the team is quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who flashed despite registering a grade of 59.6 as a rookie.
Biggest strength: Not many numbers will reflect it, but there were promising takeaways from Trevor Lawrence’s rookie performance in about as bad a situation as he could have been thrown into. One such takeaway was the way that Lawrence avoided sacks when under pressure. He took a sack on just 14% of his pressured dropbacks last season, sixth among 32 qualifying quarterbacks. His supporting cast still leaves a lot to be desired, but the Urban Meyer subtraction and Doug Pederson addition as head
As Linsey points out, Lawrence’s season wasn’t statically impressive, but there is more than meets the eye when it comes to Lawrence. He didn’t have the best supporting cast on the field, and the issues caused by Urban Meyer on and off the field certainly didn’t help.
However, the Jags now have a coach and offensive mind in Doug Pederson who knows how the NFL works, and he’s already built a solid bond with Lawrence. That said, the Jags could double their win total and at least hit six as the subtraction of Meyer should bolster the team’s ability to perform.
As for what Linsey viewed as the Jags’ biggest weakness, it was the offensive line.
Biggest weakness: Left tackle Cam Robinson is coming off a career-best 67.4 PFF grade in 2021 (31st among 39 qualifying left tackles), and that was enough for Jacksonville to give him a three-year extension worth over $50 million. That speaks to where Jacksonville’s offensive line is as a unit. Brandon Scherff was a quality free-agent addition, but that is balanced by Brandon Linder’s retirement at center. On paper, Jacksonville’s offensive line remains one of the weaker units in the league, unless Robinson, Jawaan Taylor and Ben Bartch take a step forward.
This isn’t all that shocking. Most fans would say that the receivers group is the Jags’ weakness, but when looking at the PFF grades of the group individually, they are the strongest group on offense. Christian Kirk’s grade was 72.1, and Zay Jones wasn’t far behind with a 70.6. Additionally, Marvin Jones Jr. registered a grade just below both free-agent signings with a 68.3.
However, when it comes to the offensive line, there is only one starter with a grade over 70, and that’s Brandon Scherff (73.6). Cam Robinson registered the second-highest grade on the unit, which was 67.4.
There will be changes to the offensive line when they take the field for the first regular-season game, though. Both of the team’s starting guards from 2021 (A.J. Cann and Andrew Norwell) are gone. Of course, Scherff is replacing Cann and Ben Bartch, who played right guard last season, seems to be the front-runner to be the starter in Norwell’s place at left guard. The Jags could also have a new starting right tackle if Walker Little can beat out Jawaan Taylor in camp.
As for the overall roster ranking 28th, they should be able to make a notable jump by the end of the season, though they likely won’t be near the elite rosters just yet. They especially should improve on defense after revamping the linebacking group and spending the top pick in the draft on Travon Walker, who has tremendous upside.
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