Jaguars Mailbag: Which Offensive Free Agent Pairings Could Make Instant Impacts?
Each week during this year's season, Jaguar Report will take Jacksonville Jaguars-related questions from our readers across social media and answer them in a question-and-answer format, giving readers a chance to have their voices heard.
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In this week's mailbag, we take a look at the upcoming free agency period, DJ Chark and Cam Robinson and more.
Q: Who has a better chance to return between DJ Chark and Cam Robinson?
A: I personally do not anticipate either will be on the Jaguars' roster next season, but I would give DJ Chark better odds than Cam Robinson. Robinson's market will likely be a bit more active since teams will be desperate for left tackles with starting experience, while Chark is coming off a season where he appeared in just four games due to injury. Plus, the Jaguars already have a cheap and formidable replacement for Robinson on the roster in Walker Little. They do not have the same in-house replacement for Chark. Now, this doesn't make me think Chark is likely to be re-signed by the new staff, but it does make me think if the Jaguars had to choose one player to keep that it would be Chark given their needs and current roster construction.
Q: Imagine you can sign three offensive free agents to make an instant impact: 1 OL, 1 WR and 1 TE. Who are you signing and why?
A: Terrific question. There are obvious names like Chris Godwin and Terron Armstead but instead I will go with three names who aren't the clear top free agents.
OL: IOL James Daniels. Daniels is a 24-year-old guard with plenty of starting experience at several spots along the line and he could step in to replace either Andrew Norwell or A.J. Cann right away. Plus, he played in a similar scheme in Chicago and would likely be right at home in the Jaguars' zone-based blocking scheme.
WR: Christian Kirk. Kirk is better in the slot than on the outside but he would give the Jaguars a speedy and vertical-based threat to add to the offense, and I actually like his fit quite a bit with Doug Pederson's scheme. He isn't a No. 1, but he is a nice piece to have.
TE: Zach Ertz. Ertz isn't the dynamic playmaker he once was but he is still a savvy and productive pro who has plenty of experience with Pederson. Pederson knows how to get the most out of him and Ertz knows how he would fit into Pederson's scheme.
Q: Does Mike Caldwell's scheme put a premium on defensive backs who excel in zone and on attacking linebackers who can cover and blitz well such as Nakobe Dean from Georgia?
A: I think you will see more zone coverage from Mike Caldwell than the early stages of the Joe Cullen era. In short, I do not think the Jaguars will be looking for press-man cornerbacks all offseason like they did last offseason. And as for linebacker, I think every defense wants linebackers who can both cover and blitz, but this scheme would especially place a premium on linebackers who can cover a lot of ground. Dean is my LB1 in this class and I think he would be a fantastic pick if he somehow fell to No. 33 overall, but I just don't see that happening.
Q: Which reported hire on the coaching staff you like & dislike the most & why?
A: I am a giant fan of Mike Caldwell. I think he has the right mindset and demeanor as a coordinator while it was clear to me in my single exposure to him at his opening press conference that he will be a player's coach who will have no issues relating to his locker room. Add in the fact that he is a Jim Johnson and Todd Bowles disciple and I think there is a lot to like when it comes to Caldwell.
I wouldn't say I "dislike" any hire, but I do wonder where Jim Bob Cooter will help the most. Cooter's offensive philosophies as a play-caller in Detroit don't seem to mesh all that well with Pederson's own, especially in a passing-game coordinator type-role.
Q: I think Jermaine Johnson will end up having a better NFL career than Hutchinson. Thoughts on their respective NFL career outlooks and how they compare in regards to skill set?
A: I actually think they are extremely similar. If Jermaine Johnson was on Bruce Feldman's Freaks List and wasn't a transfer this year, I bet you would see him with similar hype to Hutchinson. Each has the same flaws (lack of bend and ability to run the arc) with similar strengths. Each is an elite edge setter who will be instant impact players against the run while offering a power element to their team's pass-rush. I could see them having very similar careers because I am not seeing that many differences between their skill sets.
Q: What's your ideal Jags WR room next year?
A: Mike Williams, Jahan Dotson, Laviska Shenault, Marvin Jones, Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Jamal Agnew. I would add Williams as an X, Dotson as a Z who can play inside, hope you can get the most out of Shenault, and then have Jones around as a veteran presence who can provide depth. Agnew would be mostly depth and a special teams impact, but he is worth a look as a WR4 after the season he had last year. Marquez Valdes-Scantling could be a deep threat specialist to replace DJ Chark, too.
Q: Do we make DJ Chark the first Jaguar to sign an extension after their rookie contract since Blake Bottles? If not, how do we replace him?
A: I don't think so. If the timing wasn't so off with the Jaguars bringing in a completely new staff after Chark's rookie deal expired I would likely feel differently, but this has simply never felt like an extension set to happen, even when Urban Meyer was still at the helm. In terms of how you replace him, there are plenty of speedy deep threat options in the draft who could be there at No. 33 or No. 65, while there is a deep group of free agent receivers who could function as deep threats. Two names I think make sense: Will Fuller and Marquez Valdes-Scantling.
Q: Do you think the lesson from the SB that dominant pass rush and as Daniel Jeremiah put it 'simply no tomato cans' on the O-line will lead us away from OT at 1 and toward EDGE?
A: I don't think so. The Bengals likely win the Super Bowl if they had a better offensive line after all, while the Rams don't have an offensive line of nobodies. I think the Jaguars will focus on the trenches but I do not think recent league results will push them in either direction, whether it be prioritizing the offensive or defensive sides of the ball. I still expect the Jaguars to take an OL at No. 1 due to the much-needed overhaul set to take place along their line.
Q: A team this bad can't flip the entire roster in 1 year. Give me 1 reason why the Jaguars shouldn't fix just one side of the ball (offense) heading into next season?
A: I can't give you any reasons other than the fact that I think it takes an offense more than one year to put together. Former general manager Dave Caldwell had what, in my opinion, was a smart way to look at the two sides. He would say that you could build a defense rather quickly, but offenses take longer. I think the Jaguars' offense is a couple offseasons away from being set, not just one.
Q: Realistic free agents? There are always the big names that every fan base wants their team to sign. Who are some lesser-known names you could see us signing (especially knowing Baalkes FA history)
A: Good question. Here are some I think make sense given the team's needs.
- WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling: Speedy deep threat who could replace DJ Chark's long speed in the offense.
- OG Austin Corbett: Played well in a similar blocking scheme in Los Angeles and shouldn't be a tier 1 or 2 guard signed.
- LB Foyesade Oluokun: sideline-to-sideline linebacker who can blitz and would slot next to Myles Jack in starting defense.
- OG Alex Cappa: Several years of starting experience inside and has gotten better with each year.
- CB Bryce Callahan: The Jaguars need a slot cornerback and Bryce Callahan has been one of the NFL's best since entering the league.
