Jaguars Mailbag: What Are the Best Options To Improve the Roster in April?

In this week's mailbag, we discuss James Robinson, the Jaguars' draft options, and more.

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.

You can submit your questions every week by tweeting them to the Jaguar Report Twitter handle or by submitting them here.

This week we take questions on where the Jaguars go from here over the next five games, the James Robinson, and more.

Q: How many top-25 free agents do you think we will actually get? With all the cap space it should be at least two but with Urban stuff who knows at this point if we even get one.

A: Well it would depend on how you classify the top-25 free agents, but I am honestly skeptical. The Jaguars will have cap space out the wazoo in the upcoming offseason, but they are far from alone. There will always be a number of teams flush with cash who top free agents will have the ability to flock to, so simply having the money doesn't make a team a destination. There are many other factors in play, and right now the Jaguars likely still have a ways to go from making enough progress in those departments to truly swing for the fences. 

Couple this with the strategy the Jaguars showed in free agency last season and I am not sure it is fair to expect one of the truly top free agents to arrive, though perhaps one of the top-25 could be in play. The Jaguars will spend money, but I am skeptical that they can lure in an elite-level free agent like a Chris Godwin. Money talks, but lots of teams have money and thus have a voice come March.

Q: With the Jags looking at yet another top-5 pick, what are the chances they try to trade down for picks to fill the many holes in the roster?

A: It depends on what the offer is. In most cases, I am of the opinion that you should just take a blue-chip prospect in the top-5 as opposed to moving down for picks. This is unless of course there is an offer that is so flush with value that it is impossible to turn down, which we have seen a few times over the years. If the Jaguars have a chance to get an extra first-round selection without moving too far down in the first-round in 2021, they should be interested. But that doesn't mean there won't be risk involved. Just look at the Jaguars' returns on the Jalen Ramsey trade thus far for an example of how much of a crapshoot having these types of picks can be. Having more picks doesn't eliminate bad scouting and decision-making, so sometimes it is simpler to just take the sure thing. 

Q: Your mocks and others I’ve seen show us taking Evan Neal at 3rd overall, would there be any concern rolling into the season relying on two tackles (Walker Little) who have no real NFL experience?

A: I think you would of course have to have some concern about that, but you would also have to simply trust your evaluations and your coaching. If they take Neal, they will have two tackles who were college stars, top recruits, and top-45 picks. Those are players you expect to be able to play in the NFL, so the hope would be they could grow as they roll with the punches. I do think having two young tackles would be a worry for any team, but it could also turn out to be a huge advantage once they get their feet wet.

Q: The apparent disrespect from the coaching staff to James Robinson sets a worrying precedent and feels like it will have a knock-on effect on the rest of the locker room. What do you think about this scenario and it's possible ramifications?

A: I touched on my thoughts on the James Robinson situation here. I think the fact that Trevor Lawrence stated on Wednesday that he voiced his opinion on Robinson's role speaks volumes to how important of a topic this truly was and the impact it had on the locker room, but I don't think ramifications are going to truly be prevalent moving forward as long as the Jaguars don't continue to mishandle the running back room, which I don't expect them to do. I think this situation is mostly over, but I do think the Jaguars will have to continue to show their players that the best players are going to play, which wasn't the case here.

Q: If Thibs and Hutch are off the board, why isn't Jameson Williams the pick?

A: I just don't think you can take a receiver that high, especially one who has one year of production. If you are going to take a wide receiver in the top-5, it needs to be a Ja'Marr Chase, Amari Cooper-type of alpha receiver prospect who can step in and be a No. 1 guy right away. Jameson Williams is a terrific prospect who belongs in the first-round, but I just don't think it is a good idea to force that pick based off needs of the roster. There will be a receiver in the second-round who I believe will be able to give similar production simply based on the depth of this receiver class.

Q: What will you be looking at closer as the season ends?

A: The progress of key young players. There is obviously the development of Trevor Lawrence, but that is a development that seems a bit stalled due to the current infrastructure of the offense. Still, seeing how Lawrence attempts to progress and test his limits and what he can do over the next five games is paramount. But that doesn't just go for him, it goes for the rest of the young players the Jaguars need to build positive momentum toward 2022. Can Tyson Campbell continue his upward trajectory? Can Walker Little get live-reps to prepare him for a potential starting role next season? Can Andre Cisco finally get starter-level reps? Can Jay Tufele and Jordan Smith crack the defensive line rotation? I think other young players who will be important to watch will be Laviska Shenault, Shaquille Quarterman, and Ben Bartch. These are all guys who could have to be leaned on in 2022 as the Jaguars try to fill as many holes as they can, 

Q: Give me an argument for why the Jags shouldn’t sign Michael Gallup and then also draft WRs in the second and third round

A: There isn't really one. The Jaguars need an injection of both talent and youth at the wide receiver position because most of their current receivers are older players who have plenty of experience but not a ton of upside. Laviska Shenault should return as the Jaguars try to salvage his development, but the rest of the receiver room could be reworked beside him. Ultimately the Jaguars need to find a true X receiver while also getting more speed in general throughout the depth chart. Michael Gallup would give the Jaguars that reliable veteran X receiver with solid play-speed, while the draft could supplement the need for explosiveness. The Jaguars don't have a receiver on the roster today who can win on the perimeter like Gallup, so I think he should be a priority come March. 

Michael Gallup's heat map, per TruMedia and PFF. Look at the targets near the sideline downfield. 

Q: What sort of coaching/personnel changes do you see occurring from now until the start of training camp next year?

A: I think there will be a lot of changes to the coaching staff as Meyer takes some time to reflect on Year 1 and what went wrong. Meyer hired some coaches he was comfortable with this offseason but many of the coaches on the staff are people he doesn't have deep ties with. I wouldn't be surprised to see the offensive side of the ball mostly overturned in terms of assistants just based on how the 2021 season has gone. Ultimately, though, my current prediction is both Urban Meyer and Trent Baalke return. I don't think the Jaguars will look very similar in 2022, but I think the main characters remain in place.

Q: Has Ben Bartch done enough to view him as a starting guard or is he more of a depth guy?

A: It depends on the week, honestly. Bartch has had some good games this year (vs. Buffalo and Miami, for example) but he has also had some not-so-good games, including the last two weeks against the Falcons and Rams. Each team has an elite defensive tackle in Grady Jarrett and Aaron Donald, but Bartch has also been less effective as a run-blocker at the second level in recent weeks and the progress he showed at the start of his tenure as a starter has stalled a bit during the four-game losing streak. I think you have to go into the season with the hopes of adding a starting guard while knowing Bartch has the potential to be the answer, but I think looking to him as a sure-fire starter next year would be bold. 

Ben Bartch's starts, per TruMedia and PFF

Q: Hey John! Love the work you’ve been putting in. I know they’ve mentioned Jordan Smith being a “developmental” guy but any idea of why he hasn’t played a single snap in live-action?

A: I think the Jaguars are more or less treating rookies like freshman, if that makes sense. There are a few who are either the best or among the best at their position on the team (Trevor Lawrence and Tyson Campbell), but the rest are sitting behind veterans with lot of experience under their belt. Smith is the one with the most veterans in front of him, too, as he has Josh Allen, Dawuane Smoot, K'Lavon Chaisson, Jihad Ward, and Lerentree McCray all playing the same position. Smith was called a developmental pick from the jump like you mentioned, and I think they are just staying extremely true to that mindset and to the idea of not simply giving young players snaps because they are young players. I think Smith will play before the season ends, but it has been a bit of a wasted year in terms of live-reps.

Q: Does Urban survive this season? Do we even want him to survive this season?

A: I personally think he does. I do not think Shad Khan is the type of owner who would pull the plug on a head coach after one season, especially in this scenario. Meyer likely will have a clear vision of what he needs to fix and change heading into 2022 so I expect there will be some massive developments and adjustments in some way, but I think Meyer will be the one making those calls because I don't think it is in Khan's nature to change the ranks so quickly. 

Q: What do you think the chances are that Davante Adams comes to jags next year?

A: Low. I personally think that Davante Adams will be franchise-tagged by the Green Bay Packers. And in the event that he isn't, I do not think he will view Jacksonville as a destination, even with the cap space and Trevor Lawrence working in the Jaguars' favor.