The Jacksonville Jaguars almost made a splash in free agency, tossing their hat in the ring for Calais Campbell. That reunion didn’t come to fruition, though, as the 36-year-old defensive lineman instead chose to sign with the Atlanta Falcons.
Where that leaves the Jaguars is still in need of help when it comes to the task of applying pressure to opposing quarterbacks.
Only six teams recorded fewer sacks than Jacksonville last season, and losing Arden Key in free agency will only exacerbate the issue.
Adding a veteran pass rusher on a short-term deal to give the team a boost seems like a no-brainer given the lack of depth behind Travon Walker and Josh Allen. Current options on the market that’d instantly upgrade the Jacksonville defensive front include Melvin Ingram, Kyle Van Noy, and Yannick Ngakoue.
So why haven’t the Jaguars snatched one up yet? Compensatory draft picks may be part of the reason.
For the first time in over a decade, the Jaguars are likely to get additional draft picks for lost free agents. Jawaan Taylor’s massive contract with the Kansas City Chiefs will probably net the Jaguars a third-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft and Key’s deal with the Titans is projected to yield a sixth-rounder.
The only way those picks don’t land in Jacksonville is if the team made a big addition that cancelled out one of its losses. While the third-rounder for Taylor is probably safe, a deal with a veteran pass rusher would likely erase the sixth-round compensation for losing Key.
Unless … the Jaguars wait another month.
As of the Monday after the 2023 NFL Draft (May 1), free agent signings no longer factor into the compensatory formula. No matter how much money the Jaguars spend in May, June, July, and August, their compensation for Taylor and Key will be locked in.
While there are more than a few veteran edge rushers on the market who could help the Jaguars right away, those aging players aren’t exactly flying off the shelf. There isn’t much sense for Jacksonville to toss away a sixth-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft when it can simply wait a month to get its cake and eat it too.
A long story short: don’t mistake the Jaguars’ current inactivity for disinterest. There’s little incentive for the team to pursue a player unless there’s going to be active competition like there was for Campbell, or if that player was previously released and doesn’t count toward the compensatory formula.
It makes perfect sense to wait another month or so to put the finishing touches on the 2023 roster.
