JACKSONVILLE – Let's get to it …
The real JT from Plano, TX
It seems with the franchise tag applied to keep left tackle Cam Robinson, the Jags' hand favors defense with the first pick. Say you're the General Manager Trent Baalke/Head Coach Doug Pederson brain trust on draft day: With the current roster and free-agent pickups, do you think it would be smarter to take edge (Aidan Hutchinson of Michigan) No. 1 overall and grab the best remaining safety at No. 33, or would you grab Notre Dame safety Kyle Hamilton No. 1 and grab the best remaining edge at No. 33? If you argue that both positions could affect every play on defense, which route would you go? We have to address the massive hole at safety before camp, and we seem to have spent our allowance. I'd love to see Jaguars safety Andre Cisco get a longer look, and please tell me you are not going to roll out Andrew Wingard for one more play. #DTWD from Texas.
This answer does not indicate that I know what the Jaguars will do with their first two selections of the 2022 Draft – and it's very possible that they don't yet know what they will do at Nos. 1 (Round 1) and 33 overall (Round 2). I would select edge rusher or offensive tackle at No. 1 overall and wide receiver at No. 33 – because the Jaguars could use good players there and because the value matches up well positionally at those two spots. Edge rusher and offensive tackle are value positions and the talent available in this draft seems to merit selecting either position No. 1 overall. I would select receiver at No. 33 overall because the Jaguars still need to draft and develop a dominant player at that spot and the bottom of Round 1 and top of Round 2 has been a "sweet spot" for the position in recent drafts. Also: I don't know that the Jaguars see safety as quite the crisis position you do. They signed Rayshawn Jenkins as an unrestricted free agent there in 2021 and selected Cisco in Round 3 of the same year's draft. It's hardly out of the question that those two are the starters in Week 1.
Al from Orange Park, FL
"Be thrifty, inexperienced and undermanned there at your peril." As we've proved for the past couple of years?
I wrote that sentence referring to the Jaguars' nickel corner position. They actually have been pretty good at that position for the most part in recent seasons. Aaron Colvin was really good there in 2017, and DJ Hayden was good there in 2018-2019. Rudy Ford played a nickel safety role pretty well most of last season. Although the Jaguars haven't been great in many places recently, their nickel generally has been at least mostly OK.
Jarret from Crosby, ND
Christian Kirk will be Jerry Porter 2.0.
Wow. So really one not fer new Jaguars wide receiver Christian Kirk, I guess.
Marc from Oceanway
John, what's the deal? I watched the videos of our new signees. It gave me chills. I'm not sure if I have EVER been more impressed by a new group of players. All were passionate, humble and well spoken. Is this recency bias or am I on to something? What's your take?
The Jaguars' 2022 free-agent class – Kirk, linebacker Foye Oluokun, defensive tackle Foley Fatukasi, wide receiver Zay Jones, offensive guard Brandon Scherff, cornerback Darious Williams and tight end Evan Engram – is an impressive group. And all indeed were impressive speaking to the media Thursday. I can't say I'm that much more impressed with this group than a lot of past Jaguars' free-agency classes, but the players were impressive.
Steve from Nashville, TN
In the weeks leading up to the announcement that former Jaguars offensive tackle Tony Boselli had been elected to the Hall of Fame, you continued to answer questions from your readers on this topic in a positive way, all the while having inside information that he had indeed been elected. Curious if you felt awkward or uncomfortable in this position for those few weeks?
I managed to sleep.
Vince from St. Augustine, FL
Yannick Ngakoue was just traded to the Indianapolis Colts from the Las Vegas Raiders. That'll be five teams he has played for in four seasons. Hmm ... as there more to the problems with the Jags than just money?
Former Jaguars defensive end Yannick Ngakoue indeed has joined the Colts, his fourth team in five seasons. Is that a lot? Of course. But there really isn't a problem that I know of with Ngakoue as a person or a teammate. I always enjoyed Ngakoue during his time with the Jaguars; he was straightforward, honest, engaging and respectful – an overall decent guy, from my perspective. He's a productive pass rusher who is effective primarily in that role and not nearly as effective against the run. Teams are often willing to pay a lot for that temporarily but find that it's difficult to pay that skill set core player money over the long term. Ngakoue seems destined to finish his career having played for multiple teams without a real connection to any particular team. He also seems destined to make a lot of money over his career, so credit to him.
Jason from Jacksonville
Like the moves on offense and defense. Great offseason so far. Go Jags!!
My guy "J" is all in …
_Damian from Outer Space _
Does the move from linebacker Myles Jack tell us that the Jags feel good about Dylan Moses? A linebacker they picked up as a college free agent last year.
I don't know that it's safe to assume one has that much to do with the other. Moses is intriguing, though. Signed as a collegiate free agent from Alabama after the 2021 NFL Draft, Moses was projected as a likely first-round selection until sustaining a pair of knee injuries in college. He missed his rookie season after surgery early last offseason. If healthy, he could be a find. A real find.
Adrian from o one checks this
Is the wide receiver room now filled with players who can: 1, Catch consistently; and 2, Get separation? I'm hoping that's what the Jags saw in these "WR2" signings? Names don't bother me, but if we still have the same kind of receivers, then Jags are just throwing money away.
You're right. If the Jaguars didn't improve at receiver by signing Kirk and Zay Jones this week, then they absolutely did the wrong thing.
Rob from PV
If the season started today who would your starting three receivers be and where would they be positioned? Do you feel better about this starting three than you did last year heading into the season?
If the season began today, I would start Kirk, the No. 33 overall selection in the 2022 NFL Draft and Marvin Jones Jr. It remains to be seen where they will be positioned because Pederson's offense emphasizes versatility at receiver, but I'd like the receiver drafted at No. 33 to be a player who eventually can play the every-down "X" outside receiver.
Bradley from Ozark Mountains, Arkansas
I studied Christian Kirk closely last year because he was on my fantasy team. He can be a Wes Welker or Julian Edelman. I'm going to predict 87-1176-7 in 2022.
OK.
Cristiano from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Did Doug P have his fingers all over this spending spree or is it something Baalke would have done by himself anyway? I guess we will never really know for sure, right?
Head Coach Doug Pederson and General Manager Trent Baalke worked together in free agency. What would one have done without the other? I haven't the foggiest.
Jacob from NY
Do you think our No. 1 wide receiver is on the roster or awaiting in the draft? Thanks.
I think there's a good chance the Jaguars use one of their Day 2 selections to draft a player who can develop into a No. 1 receiver.
Fred from Naples, FL
We seem to be in a quandary at linebacker as Jack is released, Damien Wilson signed with the Panthers and that leaves us with Foye Oluokun as a quality starter Do the Jags see something in Shaq Quarterman that the rest of us don't? There doesn't seem to be much left in the free agent market at linebacker either.
Inside linebacker is a position that can be addressed in second-tier free agency. It also can be addressed with a player such as Quarterman or Dylan Moses, both of whom are on the roster. It also can be addressed early on Day 3 of the NFL Draft. Remember: Defenses play far more nickel than base defenses these days. That doesn't mean inside linebackers are unimportant. It does mean there's sometimes a limit to the resources you invest at the position.
Daniel from Jersey City, NJ
O-man, did the team ensure they saved enough money to pay the rest of you?
Wait. What?
