Jacksonville locks down Odrick, Parnell after missing out on Suh
As far as consolation prizes go, the Jacksonville Jaguars could have done far worse than Jared Odrick.
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Jacksonville was chasing Ndamukong Suh, but when the Dolphinswon that derby—at great cost—the Jaguars shifted their attention to the 27-year-old Odrick, who played his first five seasons with Miami. The two sides quickly agreed to a deal worth a reported $7 million per season, or about $12 million less on average than Suh's deal with the Dolphins.
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Odrick does not figure to have the same type of impact in Jacksonville that Suh will in Miami, but he should be quite useful nonetheless.
At 6'5" and 301 pounds, Odrick can man either a defensive end or tackle spot; he did both for the Dolphins during his tenure there. While his sack numbers leave something to be desired (a career-low 1.5 last season), Odrick has been sturdy throughout his career against the run. That skill will come in handy within Gus Bradley's scheme.
If nothing else, Odrick provides flexibility up front. Red Bryant, the Jaguars' main run-stuffing end at the moment, could be released in the coming days. If he is not, Odrick could see additional time inside at a DT spot while Sen'Derrick Marks recovers from a knee injury.
Grade for Odrick: B-plus
This move probably will fly under the radar for a multitude of reasons—Suh stole most of the headlines, Jacksonville has struggled for years and Odrick's not exactly a household name. The Jaguars hardly will care about any of that. Odrick is a strong addition at a reasonable price. But only because the Jaguars missed out on Suh or any other splash signing up front does this grade drop a tad.
After missing out on bigger names, Raiders pay big for Rodney Hudson
There ought to be less mystery surrounding Jermey Parnell's role on offense. The Jaguars reportedly will hand the ex-Cowboys right tackle a five-year, $32 million deal on Tuesday, with $13 million guaranteed. It's a huge score for Parnell, who has just seven career NFL starts, five of which came from filling in for Doug Free last year.
Parnell did well when called upon by the Cowboys, especially in relief of Free, so it was no surprise to see him pegged as a full-time starter. The Jaguars' investment here still pushes up near the max of what Parnell could have hoped for in free agency. Oakland, which had the second-most available cap money behind Jacksonville headed into the week, made a similarly large investment in center Rodney Hudson—both because the team could afford it and to ensure that it landed a targeted player.
The Jaguars will be tossing a lot onto Parnell's plate from the get-go. He also will not benefit from the same level of O-line talent around him, as he did as part of Dallas' dominant front.
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Grade for Parnell: C-plus, with upside
Until Parnell shows what he can do as a starter for 16 games, the price tag here is mostly speculative. Jacksonville may have had to scale those heights to keep Parnell from considering other fits, but the $13 million guaranteed and $32 million overall do put some bust potential on the signing.
[daily_cut.nfl]That said, though the Jaguars' offensive line was a wreck in spots last year, Parnell adds more potential. Already in tow are 2014 rookie surprise Brandon Linder, former free-agent signee Zane Beadles and 2013 first-round pick Luke Joeckel. Sixth-rounder Luke Bowanko held his own, too, at center.
If it all comes together along the line in the near future, Jacksonville could have something rather formidable. Parnell's contract points to him being a critical piece to the puzzle.
