Jaguars Mailbag: Will Tre Herndon or Antonio Johnson Be the 5th DB?
Throughout the offseason, we will be taking questions on the biggest questions facing the Jacksonville Jaguars until Week 1.
You can submit your questions every week by tweeting them to the Jaguar Report Twitter handle or by submitting them here.
In this week's mailbag, we take questions on the fifth defensive back, the offensive line following Cam Robinson's suspension, and more.
Q: Which Day 3 2023 draft pick do you expect to have the biggest impact on the Jags' 2023-24 season and why?
A: This is tough. I really do think they have several defenders who can contribute as key role players for the defense early on, with three names coming to mind first and foremost.
Defensive lineman Tyler Lacy probably won't see a ton of pass-rush opportunities, but he has the ability to play defensive end in 3-4 looks as well as inside when the Jaguars have four-man fronts. He has a solid base to build off of as a run-defender and should help fortify that part of the defense.
Antonio Johnson has some versatility, too. He profiles as a natural strong safety and box defender who could also potentially play in the slot against bigger looks from offenses, especially ones that like to line their tight ends up in the slot. Johnson is going to be a core special-teamer, too, which means something as a rookie.
Then there is Yasir Abdullah. Abdullah's get-off and overall play speed are legitimately special and there are snaps to be won in the Jaguars' pass-rush package after Arden Key's and Dawuane Smoot's contracts expired. Like Johnson, I think Abdullah will also play a role on special teams.
Overall, Abdullah is probably my pick but it isn't by a large margin. I think all three have a chance to make similar impacts.
Q: My biggest concern and or least able to access how well they will play is the OT positions on offense. I worry Little isn't as good as we think and Harrison never played RT. Harrison is not only new to the position but is new to the NFL and how much faster everything is. How do you think these two players will perform this year?
A: It is more than fair to ask this question. Walker Little only has eight NFL starts under his belt and Anton Harrison has zero, so the Jaguars will be entering the season with less experience at the tackle spots than most teams. No matter how high the Jaguars may be on Little and Harrison, there is still a lack of experience that has to be accounted for.
With that said, it isn't like the Jaguars are trotting out two low-investment options at tackle. Little was a second-round pick who would have likely been an early first-round pick in 2021 were it not for injuries and the COVID-19 pandemic. Harrison, meanwhile, is a legitimate first-round talent who has the traits to translate as a pass-protector.
If the Jaguars were going with a Day 3 rookie or a journeyman veteran, there should be concerns. But there should be at least some confidence in knowing that each player is young, talented and athletic. I think each has a solid season, but my answer to the next question explains this take a bit more.
Q: Is the Jags’ OL as bad as the data people claim? I understand Trevor probably has some to do with maybe making the OL look better than it is, but some of these sites have the Jags OL in the 28-32 range in a lot of metrics.
A: I don't think it is anywhere near as bad as some projections have them. I am honestly surprised to see so many point to the offensive line as potentially one of the league's weakest and as one of the team's weakest overall units. It makes sense to a degree because, as the previous question mentioned, the Jaguars have two very inexperienced tackles. They also have a second-year center who struggled at times as a run-blocker and questions about who will start at left guard.
But ... did it ever really feel like this same offensive line, more or less, was a major issue last season? Perhaps the Kansas City Chiefs playoff game. Otherwise, the line never prevented the Jaguars from offensive success, at least from a big-picture perspective. They need to be better in short-yardage situations and overall as a run-blocking unit, but this unit was never one that played like a bottom five unit last year. Sure they have questions at the tackle positions in terms of experience, but that is why they have two top-45 picks on hand.
Is the line going to be a top unit? That would be an ambitious projection. They likely will come out somewhere in the middle of the pack, with Doug Pederson and Trevor Lawrence helping elevate the final product. But bottom-five bad? That is hard to see.
Q: When Cam comes back and if it’s dead even between him and Little, how do you handling the starting OL? Presuming, Anton is playing well I think I insert Cam over Little. After reading your tackle logjam story, I think Little gives more versatility to play RT
A: The general feeling following the offseason program is that Cam Robinson will return to his left tackle role when his suspension is over. Robinson is a left tackle only since he has never played elsewhere and just doesn't have a guard skill-set. The fact that Robinson is due to be one of the Jaguars' highest-paid players will likely make it tough for the Jaguars to keep him on the sidelines, and the only place in the line-up he can take is left tackle.
Anton Harrison will remain at right tackle, in my opinion, because it looks like the general consensus inside TIAA Bank Field is that Walker Little can play either tackle or guard, but it would have to be on the left side. Little just seems more comfortable moving and blocking on the left side of the line. I could see Little stepping into left guard once Robinson comes back, but that would probably be far from a guarantee since the Jaguars will also have options like Tyler Shatley and Ben Bartch.
Q: Tyson Campbell-Darious Williams-Rayshawn Jenkins-Andre Cisco. Who will be the 5th DB ? Antonio Johnson, Tre Herndon etc
A: I think it will be Tre Herndon. There will be other names the Jaguars can roll with in the slot, including rookies like Antonio Johnson, Christian Braswell and Erick Hallett II, but Herndon is the most logical move for a team that is looking to win now. Herndon may struggle in man coverage against receivers with speed, but he is a solid zone cover man who also can blitz and fit against the run. Herndon is well-liked by the Jaguars staff, which has more or less been true for him for every staff he has played for since making the team in 2018 as an undrafted free agent.
I do think Johnson has the potential to find some slots there if the Jaguars want to include more big nickel looks into their scheme. Johnson won't be able to cover receivers in man-to-man coverage, but he could have the potential to be an answer to the question of how the Jaguars can start defending tight ends.
Q: Who leads the team in touchdowns this season?
A: I say either Travis Etienne or Calvin Ridley, though Christian Kirk is close, too. The way Trevor Lawrence -- and Doug Pederson's offense by design -- spreads the football around the offense. Etienne has a bit of an advantage over other players because he is going to be the focal point of the running game while also seeing a share of targets that, while not significant, does give him a few chances to score. Just look back at Week 1 vs. Washington last year when he had two different chances to do so through the air.
Ridley does figure to be the Jaguars' top red-zone weapon thanks to his quickness and ability to separate on the outside. While Kirk's familiarity with Lawrence and his own ability to get open with relative ease out of the slot gives him plenty of chances to score, too.
