Where Do the Jaguars Land in SI's Post-Free Agency Power Rankings?

Where does Conor Orr place the Jaguars in his latest NFL power rankings?

While the Jacksonville Jaguars have been among the least active of any of the NFL's 32 teams this offseason, that hasn't dampened many expectations for the surging franchise entering 2023. 

Sure, the Jaguars haven't made the splashy free agent signings or head coach hirings that they made to spark enthusiasm this time last year. But thanks to their efforts during last year's 9-8 playoff campaign and AFC South title, the Jaguars no longer need to win the offseason to generate excitement. 

Instead, the Jaguars are seen as an up-and-coming team that is still building toward its ceiling. This can be best reflected in Sports Illustrated's latest power rankings from Conor Orr, which explore the landscape of the NFL following the first wave of free agency. 

In the rankings, the Jaguars found themselves slotted in at No. 8 overall, sandwiched between the Miami Dolphins and Dallas Cowboys.

"While the Jaguars made most of their efforts to keep their own this offseason, it’s hard to imagine them coming out of the gates stagnant this year," Orr wrote. 

"The appeal of this team was its youth and relative inexperience in 2022. Travon Walker and Devin Lloyd should both take some major steps toward stardom. That helps."

On one hand, the Jaguars managing to leave the first week of free-agency while still being seen as a top-10 team is impressive considering the Jaguars have signed zero new players. Not only have the Jaguars not added to their arsenal this month, but they also lost two key players in right tackle Jawaan Taylor and pass-rusher Arden Key.

Even despite the slow month, the Jaguars are still seen as consensus AFC South favorites entering 2023. This is in part due to the massive step they took last year, in part due to the mess that is the rest of the AFC South in its current state, and in part due to the blockbuster trade for Calvin Ridley that the Jaguars executed last November. 

"I want them to feel that kind of pressure where you have to perform week in and week out," Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said at the NFL Scouting Combine earlier this month. 

"This past year, we were just playing to win a game, then ultimately, we found ourselves winning more games at the end of the season, putting ourselves in a position to win the AFC South, but now those are the expectations that I as the head coach expect our football team to have, and that will start April 17 when we start our offseason program.”

The Jaguars are well ahead of the Tennessee Titans (No. 24), Indianapolis Colts (No. 29, and Houston Texans (No. 31) on this list. They are the sixth-highest AFC team, behind the Kansas City Chiefs (No. 1), the Cincinnati Bengals (No. 3), New York Jets (No. 5), Buffalo Bills (No. 6), and Miami Dolphins (No. 7).