Offseason Preview: Jacksonville Jaguars

Jacksonville Jaguars' Offseason "To Do" List

Jacksonville has suffered through another subpar season.  They have experienced only mild success since becoming an NFL franchise in 1995.  The question surrounding Jacksonville this offseason is, "Is it going to get better any time soon?"

The Jaguars were led by NFL's leading rusher, Maurice Jones-Drew.  It's not often a team with the league's leading rusher is drafting in the top 10.  The offense was so inept it really highlights Jones-Drew's ability to dominate as a rusher and receiver on a bad football team.   It also makes you wonder what went wrong.

Jacksonville drafted Blaine Gabbert with the 10th overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft.  It looks like they didn't have a solid plan in place to groom Blaine Gabbert, and get him ready to be the franchise quarterback a top 10 pick suggests.  It looked from the outside like Jacksonville would be content with Gabbert sitting the bench and learning for an entire season.  Then on the eve of the regular season, Jacksonville cut long time starter David Garrard.  Gabbert started his first game in Week 3.  Limited pre-season snaps and transitioning to a pro style offense, along with one of the league's worst receiving corps has grumbles of Gabbert not being the guy for the Jags.

Defensively, they have a struggled at times but this is a solid group.  They've been stout in run defense.  Their passing game has been the weak link in recent seasons.  Without Kampman, their outside pass rush has suffered.  He's likely not to be back next season.  Rashean Mathis has not aged well and is a free agent.  He is also likely not to return.  Expect this year's draft to focus on the passing game (offensively and defensively).

Jacksonville will also have a new Head Coach, Mike Mularkey.  He is regarded as forward-thinking and offensive minded.  It is his first job as a head coach since 2005 with the Buffalo Bills.  He was previously offensive coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons.  Mel Tucker, who was the interim coach after Jack Del Rio was fired, is returning as defensive coordinator.  With the coaching staff ironed, Jacksonville will look to get in full offseason swing.  Here's there "To Do" list:

Re-sign Marcedes Lewis: Jacksonville has one "must sign" free agent.  Tight End Marcedes Lewis.  He's there only red zone threat if MoJo can't punch it in on the ground.  He's 6'6 with hands surely made from Charmin.

Get a Wide Receiver: Blaine Gabbert wasn't as successful as fellow rookies Cam Newton and Andy Dalton (both made Pro Bowl).  Part of the problem was Gabbert didn't get to throw to Steve Smith or A.J. Green.  A legit #1 receiver would go along to establishing Gabbert in the passing game.

Find Pass Rushers: If Jacksonville is to compete in this day and age, they will have to get to the quarterback.  Tyson Alualu has been better than expected (I thought he was a reach in the '10 draft).  He still need helps along the defensive front.  The Jags can't get to opposing quarterbacks enough. In 2011 they were ranked 25th in sacks.  They will need to make this a priority during the draft and free agency.

Revamp Secondary: Once the Jaguars bolster their pass rush, they will need to turn their attention to the secondary.  With Rashean Mathis possibly on his way out of town, the need for cornerbacks has increased dramatically.  With the new breed of receivers, corners are in higher demand than ever before. Drafting Dre Kirkpatrick (Alabama) or Morris Claiborne (LSU) if available may be a good idea.  Carlos Rogers could become a free agent if San Francisco doesn't place the franchise tag on him.

Running Back By Committee: Maurice Jones-Drew is possibly the best back in the game.  Unless they want him to wear out, they should look to lighten his load.  No more thirty carry games.  It will be a hard thing to do with him meaning so much to the offense, but as we seen with Indianapolis this year, relying on one guy is a bad thing.  This will strengthen the entire roster and increase MoJo's longevity in the NFL.

The reason I didn't offensive line to the "To Do" is because they used early draft picks in recent years.  There have been obvious health issues at offensive tackle.  With the organization having obvious holes in other places, Jacksonville should give the offensive line another full year to see if it can gel.  The only thing they could do is add depth through free agency.

Jacksonville will likely spend their top pick on a wide receiver or cornerback.   Other than receiver, it looks to be a defense heavy draft.  The AFC South is an extremely competitive division.  I believe if Jacksonville plays their cards right, they will be able to compete with Houston, Tennessee and Indianapolis but they are definitely in the backseat.