Jaguars Mailbag: Can Season Turnaround Happen at 2-5?

In this week's Jacksonville Jaguars mailbag, we take questions on whether the Jaguars can come back from 2-5, Maason Smith and more.

Oct 20, 2024; London, United Kingdom; Jacksonville Jaguars coach Doug Pederson (right) and quarterbacks coach Mike McCoy watch from the sidelines against the New England Patriots in the first half of an NFL International Series game at Wembley Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Throughout the season, we will be taking questions on the biggest questions facing the Jacksonville Jaguars.

You can submit your questions every week by tweeting them to the Jaguars On SI Twitter handle or by submitting them here.

This week, we take questions on whether the Jaguars can come back from 2-5, Maason Smith and more.

Q: Was Campbell targeted outside of his almost INT play? Seemed quiet for him, which is usually good. Just wondering how he did coming off the hammy.

A: He was targeted one time on 32 coverage snaps and nearly picked it off. He had a terrific game and should instantly boost a Jaguars defense that has badly needed him.

Q: What is truly going with Maason Smith and the seemingly Cold War that must be assumed between Doug/Coaches and Baalke?

A: I don't have any kind of insight or inside info on that, but I will say I don't think it is outlandish that the Jaguars wanted better run-stuffing defensive tackles against the Patriots' offense. The plan worked too considering Jacksonville made New England one-dimensional on offense.

With that said, yes a second-round pick should be playing some kind of role, no matter how small. And yes, I do think the Jaguars' coaching staff and front office probably have their fair share of disagreements. But I do not know that Smith is one of them. He certainly wasn't in Week 2 the first time he was healthy scratched.

Q: Are we selling ETN or Kirk at the trade window? I don’t think they’ll send Davis off

A: I don't think so. This coaching staff and front office need to win to keep their jobs, and there is no real way to say that trading either of those players would help them do that. Trading Roy Robertson-Harris didn't impact the bottom line of winning games. Trading those two would.

Q: Was Ryan Nielsen a bad hire or is it more personnel?

A: Let's see how the defense plays down the stretch. There are no excuses in the NFL, but playing this man-heavy scheme without their top cornerback was always going to lead to poor results. I am reserving judgement for right now.

Q: Are we keeping Armstead at DT? And where is Masson Smith?

A: I'm not sure what the long-term plan is. On paper, trading Robertson-Harris should mean perhaps even more snaps on the edge since that is one less player to take snaps there. Then again, Armstead played only nine snaps on the edge on Sunday. This is something to track. As for Maason Smith, I personally think this was game-plan based. Three of the Jaguars' four defensive tackles yesterday were nose tackle types.

Q: The stretch of teams the Jags are about to face have combined for 6 losses on the season. Even if the Jags can play well (massive if), they still may lose every game. What are your thoughts on these next 4 games?

A: I think the Jaguars need to consider these playoff games. The Jaguars have very limited room for error, if any. They already lost nearly as many games as they can. For the Jaguars to make the playoffs, they can likely only lose three more games max. These next five teams are all playoff-caliber teams, so there is a chance they hit that number this month.

With that said, I think the Jaguars go down swinging. They will know what is at stake during this stretch. I think the Jaguars put up good fights with the Packers, Texans and Eagles. As for the Lions and Vikings, I don't love their odds.

Q: Did Armstead line up more often at DT relative to earlier games against the Patriots?

A: He played a season-high 20 snaps at defensive tackle and a season-low nine snaps at defensive end.

Q: Is the pain over John? Please tell me the Jags are good.

A: They beat a really bad Patriots team and aren't the worst team in the NFL. Take that as you may.

Q: With Campbell back, how did the other DBs look? When will Dewey return? Sorry for the double question but just curious how the secondary can improve.

A: I think moving back to safety was an adjustment for Darnell Savage. We'll see how he plays there moving forward. Jarrian Jones had a nice game in the slot. Ronald Darby had a better showing than past weeks. As for Dewey, I would look at the next two-to-three weeks.

Q: Walker Little's performance against NE?

A: He played well; the entire offensive line did, really. Walker Little is a good left tackle who should be a starter in this league. He particularly looked good in the running game, which has not always been the case for the left side of the Jaguars' offensive line.

Q: It doesn't make much sense for the Jaguars to be "buyers" at the trade deadline, but if they did bring in a player, who (or what position) should it be?

A: EDGE, in my mind. They need more depth there. Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker are playing really well, but they need more support.

Q: Looks like Campbell gave Brian Branch a couple of game balls this season.. how you feel?

A: VINDICATION!

Q: It's on the players, sure. But either the players arent talented enough (GM); or they ARE talented enough and they're not prepared (Coach). In your opinion, will there be any changes?

A: If I was a betting man, I would say ... yes, eventually. There is a big month of games coming up. Let's revisit after that stretch.

Q: Riddle: If a "position of depth" affords snaps to *checks notes* Joe Gaziano in the middle of the woods, does my sobbing make a sound?

A: I hope everything is OK at home.

Q: John, what's your gut tell you? Can this team turn it around and save this season?

A: My gut says no, but I would be regretful if I didn't mention the Jaguars going from 2-6 to a playoff team in 2022. They have a tougher slate this year, but they have a better roster too. They have a chance. But for now, that is all it is.

Q: Hi John. It's exhausting being a Jags fan. Hoping they lose so they can hire a new front office, but not so bad that our best players look awful. I really believe with new coaching and a new GM this roster can get flipped and be competitive quickly.

A: And a happy Halloween to you, too.

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