JACKSONVILLE – Let's get to it …

Paul from Orlando, FL

Here we are, once again, with you smugly and annoyingly thinking you know more than everybody else. Every reputable national analyst can see – and most have said – that the Jaguars clearly have gotten worse this offseason. They're resting on their laurels while you – like Nero – fiddle and watch it burn. It's very easy to see. They lost ETN and Lloyd – maybe their best offensive and defensive players – and decided to fix this by signing … no one. Only you fail to see the obvious. Once again.

I don't think I know more than "everybody" else, though I'm modest enough that I easily could be convinced otherwise. It's quite likely most people know at least a bit more than me about many things. I don't, for example, know what "reputable national analyst" means. I do know that free-agency losses and additions – and the corresponding offseason report cards that flood the interweb – are a poor measure of whether a team will be worse or better the following season. Yes, the Jaguars "lost" linebacker Devin Lloyd (Carolina Panthers) and running back Travis Etienne Jr. (New Orleans Saints) as unrestricted free agents earlier this month. These and a few other "losses" have convinced many observers that the Jaguars are worse offensively and defensively. I expect the Jaguars will be fine defensively next season, mainly because I expect the secondary to be better with the return to health of safety Caleb Ransaw, cornerback Travis Hunter and defensive end Travon Walker. I also expect the offense to improve because of increased chemistry and a second season for many players in Head Coach Liam Coen's offense. And yes … I expect these improvements to (perhaps quite) easily offset this offseason's free agency "losses." I don't know more than everyone else, but I do see that.

Jon from Arcanum, OH

Just give me a healthy and ascending No. 16. With that, we will be all right no matter who comes and goes in free agency. Get the big guys early and often on both lines – and let's see what happens.

You have locked in on the No. 1 truth of the NFL and of the Jaguars' current situation. It's vogue in professional sports to discuss a team's "window" – i.e., the time a team can contend for and win championships. Observers and fans often discuss many factors that need to be present in such a window – coaching, defense, depth, etc. NFL reality is if you're a well-run organization with a franchise quarterback, you're an organization with an open window, so the Jaguars' window should remain open as long as Lawrence is healthy and playing quarterback.

Kenneth from Jacksonville

Are the Jaguars going to do anything or just sit there?

My Scooby Sense – and not my Scobee or Spidey sense – tells me you're curious how the Jaguars are improving this offseason. The 2026 NFL Draft will be held April 23-25.

David from Jacksonville

Are you just going to sit there and do nothing?

Probably.

Greg from Boise, ID

Haven't heard anything about guard Cooper Hodges in quite a while. Will he be ready to go by the start of the season? Will he be buried deep down the depth chart when he is cleared to go?

Hodges, a seventh-round selection by the Jaguars in the 2023 NFL Draft, sustained two significant knee injuries in his first two NFL seasons and missed the 2025 season on the physically unable to perform list. He remains on the roster. The franchise likes him and would love for him to push to be in the rotation. The Jaguars showed last season that no player stays "buried" on the depth chart if they deserve to be playing. Hodge's two significant knee injuries will continue to be a storyline until time and performance prove otherwise. Here's hoping for the best.

Woody from Dunlap

My predictions as of March 20, 2026: Pick No. 56, the Jaguars select Texas Tech linebacker Jacob Rodriguez if available. If not available, the Jaguars select Georgia defensive tackle Christen Miller if available. If not available, the Jaguars draft Iowa State defensive tackle Domonique Orange. For Pick No. 81, the Jaguars draft a cornerback. A substantial number of high-quality candidates should still be available. For Pick No. 88, the Jaguars select an offensive tackle. There are many good quality candidates still available. At Pick No. 100, there are still some high-quality wide receivers. For Pick No. 124, if we did NOT select Rodriguez with Pick No. 56, we should consider linebackers Lander Barton (Utah), Trey Moore (Texas) or Harold Perkins Jr. (Louisiana State). If we DID select Rodriguez with Pick No. 56, we should consider defensive tackle. For Pick No. 164, I like tight end Joe Royer (Cincinnati), or tight end Oscar Delp (Georgia) or tight end J.M. Gyllenborg (Wyoming). For Pick No. 166, edge Patrick Payton (Florida State) or edge George Gumbs (Florida). For Pick No. 203, I am intrigued by Cincinnati wide receiver Jeff Caldwell's size and speed (former soccer player who is still learning to use his hands on a ball), or select Barton (if available and not already selected with Pick No. 124), or Texas Tech defensive tackle Syler Gill-Howard, or take a flier on Indiana edge Dasan McCullough. For Pick No. 233, we should consider an offensive guard or a center. For Pick No. 240, the Jaguars may still have Iowa safety Xavier Nwankpa or Oklahoma safety Robert Spears-Jennings or Toledo cornerback Andre Fuller to choose from. And for Pick No. 245, I like the big bruising running back Adam Randall of Clemson, or the Jaguars could consider North Dakota State quarterback Cole Payton or Georgia Tech quarterback Haynes King. There are several possible "hidden gems" likely available as undrafted free agents, including (but not limited to): Brigham Young linebacker Jack Kelly, Southern Methodist tight end R.J. Maryland, Louisville tight end Jaleel Skinner, Wisconsin offensive tackle Riley Mahlman, Clemson offensive tackle Tristan Leigh and Clemson guard Walter Parks.

Nailed it!

Ray from Jacksonville

John: As to Dave's question about draft picks turning out good or bad, we know baseball is 90 percent mental and the other half is physical. As to the NFL, aren't most players fairly similar in physical ability with their success is determined by their drive and professionalism? Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver Jerry Rice wasn't the fastest guy, but made the most of his abilities. I suppose another big factor is whether they land in the right situation and are used properly.

It's inaccurate to say most NFL players are similar in physical ability. While most are bigger, stronger and faster than most non-professional-football-playing human beings, the difference in ability between a player such as – for example – Jaguars defensive end Travon Walker and a practice-squad defensive end is significant. And the reality is no matter how hard most practice-squad players work, they rarely can consistently outperform a high-functioning player with Walker's physical tools. This is not to say drive and professionalism don't matter. They do. But there absolutely is often a physical difference between good NFL player and a great one.

Bradford from Orange Park, FL

I just wanted to shout you out. I often lament being driven to the point of infuriation just trying to glean NFL/sports news, with all the hyperbolic and unevenly keeled rhetoric the people on those shows pass off as "analysis." I couldn't agree more about the damper NBA referees rejecting to call traveling on players now puts on the game. And your assessment on what happened with Lynn Jones couldn't have been more accurately balanced. Was it unorthodox? Yes. Did it merit those reporters who jumped out in front to waive their petulant little brat flags about it? No. It's her press credential. If it meant that much to her to say what she said, that's her prerogative. I'm sure you will deflect the praise. But we're fortunate to be as set at senior writer as we are.

Don't be so sure about the deflecting part.

Joe from Jacksonville

John, regarding a potential extension for Travon Walker … what does the actual negotiation process look like during the season or the early offseason? Is it a constant, weekly dialogue between Jaguars General Manager James Gladstone and the agent, or is it a series of sporadic check-ins with set deadlines? I'm curious if they are actively "at the table" right now or if it's mostly a waiting game.

There's not really "a table" in such things. It's usually preliminary conversations, followed by an offer, followed by talking amongst those who have received the offer, followed by a counteroffer, followed by talking by those who have been counteroffered … and so on and so on. This is usually somewhere between "constant" and "sporadic" and can take place over days, weeks or even months depending on circumstances.

JK from NY & Fernandina Beach, FL

Hey O! "Bo Bo Ska Deeten Doten!" Go Jags!"

Skiddly oaten doten.