Jaguars Offseason Mailbag: Which Starters Could Change From Last Season?
As the 2020 offseason progresses, JaguarReport will take Jacksonville Jaguars-related questions from social media and give our takes on the most pressing questions fans have about their team.
You can send questions to us this offseason via the JaguarReport Twitter or Facebook accounts.
This week, we take questions on the changes to the Jaguars' starting, if any trades make sense for Yannick Ngakoue and more.
From @Rateus_Johanson: Having seen what [Jamal] Adams went for do you think [the Jaguars were] well out of that deal or do you think it's a price worth paying?
I can't imagine the Jaguars were even in the running for Jamal Adams considering the massive haul of draft picks Seattle had to give away. Dave Caldwell has never traded one of his first-rounders for a player, and he typically holds a high value on his stockpile of picks each year. Going all-in for a safety just doesn't seem like a move the Jaguars would have, or should have, made. Adams is a top-3 safety in the league but having to sacrifice two premium picks while also having to take on Adams' eventual massive deal in the midst of uncertain cap space situations is a tough pill to swallow.
From @JonByrd71: Can you reassure me that at least some people in the Jags front office see Minshew as just a guy, and not the long term answer?
Well, I can't reassure you because I don't know the feelings of the countless members of Jacksonville's front office, but it can be presumed the Jaguars are aware that 2020 is a prove-it year for Minshew. If Minshew doesn't play like "the guy" this year, then the Jaguars will likely get an entire regime change anyways, meaning the opinion this group has on Minshew would be moot.
From @sikwitit98: Do you see any last year starters losing their job? If so who, and who will replace them?
There are a few who could be in jeopardy. The most obvious ones are left tackle Cam Robinson and strong side linebacker Leon Jacobs.
Robinson will be entering into a training camp battle with third-year offensive lineman Will Richardson, though this will be the first training camp Richardson is slotted to play left tackle at. Richardson started two games at left tackle on the fly at the start of last season, but he spent most of his season at right guard. Robinson has been a mainstay at left tackle for the Jaguars since being made a second-round pick in 2017, and he has started every game he has physically been able to.
Leon Jacobs had a strong sophomore season for the Jaguars but he could fall victim to one of Jacksonville's first-round investments. No. 20 overall pick K'Lavon Chaisson gives the Jaguars a completely different skill set than Jacobs considering his bend, explosiveness, agility and just plain athleticism off of the edge. Jacobs is a terrific run defender who has flashes as a blitzer, but the Jaguars are hoping Chaisson can develop into a pass-rush partner for Josh Allen sooner than later.
From @codyr_h2o: Who is the front runner (if there is one) for Yannick [Ngakoue] now that Seattle is no longer in play? Atlanta? Do you see the Jets giving up a 1?
I don't think there is one right now because, for the most part, there has been zero momentum on any talks. The Jaguars have set a hard price for Ngakoue and it is hard to envision any team meeting that price now that Ngakoue can only play on a one-year contract in 2020.
The Jets would make the most sense of any team simply because they have few quality edge rushers. Jamal Adams was their most productive player in terms of getting to the quarterback last season (yes, really), and they will need to find some way to generate a pass-rush off of the edge. With that said, it is hard to see the Jets flip a first for Ngakoue when they would have to either pay him at the end of the season or risk having sent a first-round pick for a rental.
From @CoachNiesen: After seeing the [Jamal] Adams trade, are the chances at dealing Yannick [Ngakoue] dwindling even more?
I don't think the Adams trade says much about the odds of Ngakoue being dealt outside of the fact that the Seahawks made a ton of sense on paper to trade for Ngakoue. Simply put, the chances of Ngakoue being dealt dwindled greatly once the July 15 deadline passed without Ngakoue signing a multi-year deal with any team. Jacksonville won't trade Ngakoue without receiving premium draft capital in return, and teams simply have no reason to offer the steep asking price for a one-year rental.
From @Regtwin27: By the end of the season, who will be the top 2 receivers on the Jaguars?
I will go with DJ Chark and Laviska Shenault. Nobody is going to unseat Chark as Jacksonville's tip wideout anytime soon, but Shenault should be expected to push Chris Conley for starters snaps at wide receiver by the end of the season. Conley is an athletic specimen who is a walking big-play threat, but he does have issues with consistency and his hands. Meanwhile, Shenault is just as much of a big-play threat thanks to his size and speed combination, but he proved to be a much more reliable possession threat during his time at Colorado.
From @_K3nnyg: Still think J.R. Reed has a chance to overtake the starting FS job over Jarrod Wilson?
When there was still a chance of a normal training camp and offseason, then perhaps. But now that roster sizes with be diminished, camps will be partially virtual and much, much more, all rookies are going to be left playing catchup in a major way. Meanwhile, Jarrod Wilson played every single snap for the Jaguars' defense last season and he is known as one of the unit's brightest players from a football IQ standpoint. Wilson already knows Jacksonville's scheme like the back of his hand and he now has starter experience under his belt. In fact, I'd be surprised to see more than maybe a handful of undrafted rookies crack a starting lineup this season.
From @iktriad: Could you see the Jags & the Jets put together a deal for Ngakoue now that New York has so much draft capital? If so, what would that deal would look like? 1st in 2022 (SEA) & 3rd next year for example?
While the Jets badly need a premier edge rusher, I can't them pulling off a major deal to bring in Ngakoue. The Jets have made it clear for years that they don't value an edge rush, and it is more likely the Jets prefer to keep their picks from the Adams trade to rebuild the roster as opposed to dealing them for a player they will have to risk losing in a year anyways.