The Jacksonville Jaguars are coming off another free agent spending spree that has significantly reduced overall team needs.
Signing big-ticket free agents like A.J. Bouye, Barry Church and Calias Campbell has filled the last holes on the Jacksonville Jaguars defense. They have some real standout talent on defense and that unit should be one of the better ones in the league.
The areas the Jaguars need to work on are on the offensive side of the ball. However, they have made some moves of the past few years that even those needs aren’t glaring.
Below are the top three needs for the Jacksonville Jaguars.
No. 1- Offensive Tackle
Jacksonville is hoping that the trade they made with the Miami Dolphins to acquire Branden Albert will solve this need. However, Albert has a long injury history and is a candidate to miss time at any moment.
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The depth behind Albert is non-existent which would make an injury a major disaster. Things on the right side of the offensive line isn’t exactly solidified. Jermey Parnell is a solid veteran but has is struggles in pass protection.
Again, the depth behind Parnell is an issue which means the Jaguars really need to do some work in the upcoming draft.
No. 2- Tight End
Trading Julius Thomas means that Mercedes Lewis is yet again the team’s most talented tight end. The issue with this is Lewis lacks explosiveness and isn’t someone who’ll stretch the field. Luckily, the 2017 NFL Draft offers plenty of tight end options.
This year’s class features elite prospects like Alabama’s O.J. Howard and Miami’s David Njoku. The later rounds have the likes of Ole Miss’ Evan Engram and Michigan’s Jake Butt. Either way, the Jaguars can easily find themselves a play maker at the position.
No. 3- Guard
The Jaguars are looking to fill one of their starting guard positions with either Patrick Omameh, Earl Watford or Jeremiah Poutasi. None of these options really jump out as a long-term solution. It’s possible the Jaguars aggressively attack the position in the draft.
Jacksonville could target mid-round prospects such as USC’s Damien Mama, Utah’s Issac Asiata or Pittsburgh’s Dorian Johnson.