Last Year:

Record: 5-11

Offense: 348.8 YPG (18th), 23.5 PPG (14th)

Defense: 375.0 yards allowed (24th), 28.0 points allowed (31st)

Jacksonville might have been 1 of the most exciting 5-win teams to watch in recent NFL history. Yea they couldn’t stop a nose bleed with a first aid kit, but they were 1 of the most explosive passing attacks in the league during the 2nd half of the season. Allen Robinson and Allen Hurns broke out and became 1 of the best receiver duos in the NFL and Bortles showed a lot of flashes of being a franchise QB one day. They had the 10th-best passing attack overall and that’s with a shady offensive line. Defensively, they were a mess which most likely explains why their 1st 5 picks in the draft were all defensive players. The Jags secondary was an atrocity and the lack of a difference maker rushing the passer didn’t help matters.

Offseason: 

Key Acquisitions: DT. Malik Jackson, RB. Chris Ivory, S. Tashaun Gipson, OG. Mackenzy Bernadeau, CB. Prince Amukamar, OT. Kelvin Beachum, P. Brad Nortman

Key Loses: S. Dwight Lowery, OG. Zane Beadles, DE. Chris Clemons, P. Bryan Anger

2016 Draft Picks

2016 Outlook

Coaching Staff:

HC: Gus Bradley

OC: Greg Olson

DC: Todd Wash

ST: Mike Mallory

 

Projected Depth Chart

Offense 

QB. Blake Bortles, Chad Henne

RB. Chris Ivory, T.J. Yeldon

WR. Allen Robinson, Marquise Lee

WR. Allen Hurns, Tony Washington

WR. Rashad Green, Neal Sterling

TE. Julius Thomas, Marcedes Lewis

LT. Kelvin Beachum, Jeremy Parnell

LG. Mackenzy Bernadeau, Jeff Linkenbach

C. Luke Bowanko, Tyler Shantley

RG. A.J. Cann, Brandon Linder

RT. Luke Joeckel, Josh Wells

Defense

DE. Jared Odrick, Chris Smith

DT. Malik Jackson, Sen’Derrick Marks

DT. Roy Miller, Sheldon Day

DE. Dante Fowler, Ryan Davis

OLB. Telvin Smith, Jordan Tripp

MLB. Paul Posluszny, Thurston Armbrister

OLB. Myles Jack, Dan Skuta

CB. Prince Amukamara, Dwayne Gratz

SS. Jonathan Cyprien, Josh Evans

FS. Tashaun Gipson, Jarrod Wilsoon

CB. Jalen Ramsey, Aaron Colvin

NB. Davon House

Special Teams

K. Jason Myers

P. Brad Nortman

Breakdown

Offense:

I’m a big believer in this year’s Jaguars on both sides of the ball, but especially on offense. The only real question mark I have about this team is its offensive line and I even expect that group to play better than last year. The additions of Bernadeau and Beachum should make a huge difference as should moving Joeckel to the right side (that’s not official yet, but that would be the smart move). I don’t really have many questions about the rest of the Jags offense at all. I expect Bortles to continue to grow and be even better than he was last year. The addition of Chris Ivory means Jacksonville won’t have to be so pass-reliant and can actually have a quality run game. But the stars of this show are the receiving options. The Allen duo at receiver might be the best in the NFL and Julius Thomas could be a lot better this season if he can stay healthy. I expect this team to put up a ton of points.

Defense:

We know about the Jags potential to put up points, but defensively is where they must improve if they want to be any better than a 7 or 8-win team. I like what they’ve got going in the front 7. They are absolutely loaded at defensive tackle. Last season, their best DT Marks was hurt. He’ll be back this season to go along with their big time free agent acquisition Malik Jackson. They also still have Roy Miller and Tyson Alalu as run pluggers to use early in downs and younger players Sheldon Day and Michael Bennett are talented and looking to contribute as well. They seem to have a bit of a log jam, but that’s always a good problem to have. The defensive end situation isn’t as good and what ultimately might have to happen is guys like Day or Marks, who are very athletic for their size, might have to spend some time at end. The key will be former top 10 pick Dante Fowler breaking out and becoming a stud edge rusher. At linebacker, the Jags have a ton of speed between Telvin Smith and Myles Jack. Coverage shouldn’t be an issue at the LB position and Posluszny is a solid veteran to man the middle. The secondary was the biggest weakness for Jacksonville in 2015 and has really been a problem for this team for years now. But they have definitely made an effort to address it drafting the best defensive back in the draft in Ramsey and signing Gibson and Prince in free agency. It remains to be seen if Prince can stay healthy and play up to all the potential that made him a high 1st-round pick years ago, but the talent is there. There are a lot of ifs when thinking about how good this team can be on defense this year, but there is no doubt they should be a lot better than last year.