Should the Jaguars Possibly Add to the Wide Receiver position?
Through nine games, the 4-5 Jacksonville Jaguars have gotten solid production out of their wide receiver room, with second-year wide receiver DJ Chark emerging as a top-level perimeter threat, but a recent case of the injury bug has hit the group over the last several weeks.
Sixth-year veteran Marqise Lee was placed on the team's reserve/injured list with a shoulder injury on Oct. 29, likely ending his season. And over the last several weeks third-year wide receiver Dede Westbrook, an integral piece of Jacksonville's offense, has had to deal with nagging injuries as well.
Westbrook entered the team's Week 7 tilt against the Cincinnati Bengals with a questionable designation due to a shoulder injury, and this same injury knocked him out of the team's Week 8 game vs. the New York Jets. Westbrook would go on to miss Week 9's game vs. the Houston Texans in London, and his absence was felt as the Jaguars' offense failed to reach the end zone once.
Head coach Doug Marrone said Tuesday that he expects Westbrook to be able to practice beginning next Monday, as the team's Week 10 bye week will hopefully give him enough time to recover.
Jacksonville has gotten solid production from No. 4 wide receiver Keelan Cole in recent weeks and the team appears to be high on No. 5 wide receiver C.J. Board, but it is still a question worth asking with injuries already sustained to the group in mind.
But if injuries hamper the Jaguars' wide receiving room in the second half of the season, should the team look into any current free agents to step in and provide depth?
If the Jaguars were to examine the free agent market, here are some available wide receivers who would make sense.
Aldrick Robinson
The 31-year old wide receiver mostly makes sense because of his connection with offensive coordinator John DeFilippo. The 5-foot-10-inch Robinson was a depth piece for the Minnesota Vikings' passing attack in 2018, catching 15 passes for 187 yards and four touchdowns in 11 games with DeFilippo calling plays.
Emanuel Hall
The undrafted rookie out of the University of Missouri has yet to get traction in the NFL. He was waived by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Aug. 31 before being signed to their practice squad, but he was released by Tampa on Sept 16. and has been available since. He fits what seems to be Jacksonville's mold at wide receiver, as he was productive in college (16 touchdowns), ran a 4.39 forty-yard dash, and is six-foot-two-inches and 201 pounds.
Michael Crabtree
The 32-year old Crabtree was with the Arizona Cardinals earlier this season but was released a month after being signed and recorded just four catches for nine yards. The veteran had 54 catches for 607 yards and three touchdowns with the Baltimore Ravens in 2018, but they too felt comfortable moving on without him. He would make sense as a veteran depth piece, but he wouldn't be given snaps over Cole and even potentially Board.
With Nick Foles back in the lineup, the Jaguars' offense is hoping his veteran presence will provide an uptick in offensive production. Players like Westbrook, Cole and Chris Conley will be leaned on to help make that a reality.
Overall, the Jaguars like what they have in Cole and Board but the players discussed above could be worth monitoring if the wide receiver group needs reinforcements at any point.
The Jaguars should not add anyone to their group now, with the chance to make an impactful move gone now that the trade deadline has passed. But if the position suffers any more injuries over the final seven games, adding a veteran with connections or a young speedster like Hall would make sense.
What do you think? Should the Jaguars invest in the wide receiver position or stay put? Let us know in the comments below!
