The Athletic Tabs the Jaguars As One of the Losers of the Offseason

Was the Jaguars' offseason as bad as national pundits say?

Feb 27, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke talks to the media at the 2024 NFL Combine at Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports / Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

The Jacksonville Jaguars are no strangers to winning the offseason. At this point, perhaps it should be a good sign that they are no longer listed among the annual offseason champions.

The Jaguars made a flurry of moves to churn the roster this offseason, moving on from former key players such as Rayshawn Jenkins, Darious Williams, Jamal Agnew, Dawuane Smoot, Foley Fatukasi and others. They also saw their leading receiver from 2023 sign with an AFC South rival in the Tennessee Titans.

To their own credit, the Jaguars weren't afraid to bring in new blood. Free agency saw the Jaguars add wide receiver Gabe Davis, center Mitch Morse, defensive lineman Arik Armstead, cornerback Ronald Darby, safety Darnell Savage and wide receiver/returner Devin Duvernay.

But while the Jaguars attempted to rebuild certain parts of their roster after last year's disappointing season, not all were sold by their efforts. The Jaguars were listed among the Carolina Panthers, Buffalo Bills, Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers as the offseason's "losers", with The Athletic's Mike Jones noting that the Jaguars were hurt by the loss of Calvin Ridley and the rise of the Houston Texans.

"Locking up Trevor Lawrence for the long-term is a win. But losing Calvin Ridley to AFC South-rival Tennessee will hurt; Gabe Davis is a downgrade at wide receiver. Free-agent signings of Arik Armstead on defense and Mitch Morse on offense strengthens the trenches. But after getting leap-frogged last season by a rising Texans team, the Jaguars still look like a second-place AFC South squad."

- Mike Jones, The Athletic

Whether the Jaguars are able to make the doubters into believers will come down to the results on Sundays. Until then, the Jaguars will likely continue to be seen as second fiddle to the Houston Texans.

"I think, number one, we've gotten bigger, just physically bigger, with some of the draft picks and undrafted guys, and even some of our players coming back, we've gotten bigger there," Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said in May.

"I think speed, we've got a tick faster. Obviously we know Brian's [WR Brian Thomas Jr.] speed as a wide receiver and some of the DBs now. We've gotten faster. Then when we put the pads on in July and August we'll see where we are physically.”

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