It’s no surprise that once again that one of the busiest teams this offseason in terms of free-agent acquisitions are the Jacksonville Jaguars. Unfortunately, all the moves the franchise has made in recent years have failed to pay off. The club finished 3-13 in 2016, the sixth consecutive season the Jaguars have lost 11 or more games. How will things be different this year? Well, keep in mind that the team now has a familiar face in the front office in executive vice president of football operations Tom Coughlin. He was the franchise’s first sideline leader back in 1995 and led the team to the playoffs four straight seasons from 1996-99.
Now the two-time Super Bowl champion Head Coach with the New York Giants is helping his old team (and head coach Doug Marrone) in a different way.
Bring him back
Last offseason, the Jacksonville Jaguars focused on defense during free agency but did sign running back Chris Ivory away from the New York Jets. Once he got on the field, he paired with T.J. Yeldon as the main faces on the backfield. Still, the club ranked only 22nd in the NFL in rushing. Lurking in the background was Denard Robinson, who back in 2014 started nine games for the team. The former University of Michigan signal-caller turned running back played in 13 games last season and made one start, totaling 144 yards on 41 carries without a touchdown.
Meanwhile, the acquisition of left tackle Branden Albert via trade from the Miami Dolphins and the free-agent signing of guard Earl Watford should certainly help, especially when it comes to run-blocking. And Robinson is worth hanging onto.
Let him go
With the addition of former Dallas Cowboys strong safety Barry Church, Jonathan Cyrpien became very expendable and wound up signing with the Tennessee Titans.
And with the Jacksonville Jaguars picking up veteran defensive end Calais Campbell for the Arizona Cardinals, it would be surprising to see 2010 first-round selection Tyson Alualu back with the club. This was a club that made big strides on the defensive side of the ball this past season but the seven-year pro doesn’t appear to be in Jacksonville’s future plans – at least for now.
