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With Ryan Nielsen hired, what are the Jaguars' top priorities this offseason?
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- With Ryan Nielsen hired, what are the Jaguars' top priorities this offseason?
The 2024 offseason has quickly begun for the Jacksonville Jaguars after the team moved to add to its coaching staff, hiring defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen to replace two-year defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell after a disappointing end to the team's 2023 campaign.
With Nielsen on board, Jacksonville can begin the process of hiring assistants to join Nielsen.
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According to 1010XL's Rick Ballou, former Falcons senior defensive assistant Dave Huxtable will join Nielsen on his staff . Huxtable reunited with Nielsen last year in Atlanta after spending four years (2013-16) at NC State together with Huxtable as the team's defensive coordinator, and Nielsen as the team's defensive line coach.
Reports of different hires onto Nielsen's staff will occur quickly over the coming weeks, which is typically an automated process as coaches look for landing spots ahead of major events such as the NFL Scouting Combine and other off-season tasks that require a fully-built staff.
Jacksonville Jaguars General Manager Trent Baalke looks on as Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson is wired for a microphone during filing by NFL Films at Monday morning's training camp. The Jacksonville Jaguars held training camp Monday, August 1, 2022, at the Episcopal School of Jacksonville Knight Campus practice fields on Atlantic Blvd.
In the meantime, however, Jacksonville will also have to accomplish plenty this offseason to correct what went wrong this year during the team's late-season collapse that saw the Houston Texans enjoying the spoils instead.
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Here are five priorities the Jaguars must have this offseason:
Jaguars must re-sign OLB Josh Allen
Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Josh Allen (41) wipes his face as he walks off the field after Sunday night's loss to the Ravens. The Jacksonville Jaguars hosted the Baltimore Ravens at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida Sunday Night, December 17, 2023. The Jaguars trailed 10 to 0 at the half and lost 23 to 7.
To point out the obvious first, the Jaguars cannot afford to let outside linebacker Josh Allen leave the building.
Drafted with the seventh-overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, Allen finished the final year of his rookie contract this past season with an explosive 17.5-sack (franchise record) performance. He finished tied for second in the league in sacks behind Steelers ' T.J. Watt who finished with 19.
Thus far in Allen's career, he has accounted for 45 sacks, 251 total tackles, 53 tackles for loss, 103 quarterback hits, nine forced fumbles and two interceptions. Allen ranks second all-time in sacks, surpassing Yannick Ngankoue this year. He is 10 sacks away from Tony Brackens' record. Brackens played for Jacksonville from 1996-03.
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The Jaguars simply don't have the luxury of allowing Allen to walk out the door. Allen and second-year OLB Travon Walker accounted for 68.75% (27.5/40) of the team's sacks this year. Applying a franchise tag and forcing Allen to play on it this season is a non-starter. No matter the method used, Allen should be locked into a deal with Jacksonville before training camp.
Jaguars offseason focus should be pointed at the trenches
Jacksonville Jaguars defensive line coach Brentson Buckner gets his players pumped up before the start of Sunday's game against the San Francisco 49ers. The Jacksonville Jaguars hosted the San Francisco 49ers at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, FL Sunday, November 12, 2023. The Jaguars trailed 13 to 3 at the half. [Bob Self/Florida Times-Union]
While Allen's contract situation needs to be addressed quickly with the franchise tag window opening Feb. 20, and closing March 5, Jacksonville will have to center its focus on the recruitment and procurement of talent in the trenches of both sides of the football.
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Jacksonville's struggles last season can be directly correlated to how well they played on the line of scrimmage. In games that Jacksonville lost down the stretch, the team appeared gassed defensively, giving up an average of 29.9 points per game and 146.8 yards per game on the ground.
Jaguars offensive line coach Phil Rauscher shows players details of a formation during Monday's training camp practice at the Miller Electric Indoor Center.
According to Sports Info Solutions, during the team's final six weeks of the season Jacksonville's running backs were hit at the line of scrimmage on 56.8% (32nd in the league) of the carries, they were stuffed at the line of scrimmage on 28.6% (31st). These metrics correlate directly line of scrimmage battles the team faced.
On the defensive side of the ball from Weeks 13-18, the Jaguars' run-stuff percentage, according to SIS, was surprisingly higher than expected at 20.2% (13th). They graded poorly in boom percentage at 10.7% (28th), which is the percentage of rushes that resulted in an EPA (expected points added) of at least one. They also graded poorly in bust percentage at 5.1%, which is the percentage of rushes that resulted in an EPA of less than -1.
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Where Jacksonville failed, primarily, on defense was with their tackling or lack thereof. Through Weeks 1-12, the Jaguars had a missed (finesse) and/or broken (strength) tackle percentage of 9.36%. From Week 13-18, the average skyrocketed to 14.1%, the worst in the NFL.
Jaguars must make Calvin Ridley decision before new league year
Jacksonville Jaguars receiver Calvin Ridley (0), seen here going to the ground against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, did what most NFL players do in free agency and took a whopping $92 million contract from hated AFC South rival Tennessee Titans.
After Allen, Jacksonville's biggest decision regarding a player will be about receiver Calvin Ridley.
Ridley, who was traded to Jacksonville in the middle of the 2022 season, was reinstated and played all 17 games for Jacksonville. He caught 76 passes for 1,016 yards and eight touchdowns. His yards total and total receiving touchdowns were the best among Jacksonville pass catchers.
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Ridley's contract is set to expire on March 13, the start of the new league year. Before then, Jaguars GM Trent Baalke and HC Doug Pederson will have to weigh whether or not to allow Ridley to walk in free agency or to retain him before hitting the open market.
Jacksonville owes a second-round pick to the Falcons if Ridley is re-signed before the new league year. They'll give up just a third-round pick if he is allowed to explore options as a free agent.
Ridley's production in Jacksonville was up and down throughout the season. He was held to fewer than 50 receiving yards in nine games while accounting for over 100 receiving yards in four games. Jacksonville went 3-1 last year in games when Ridley accounted for 100 or more receiving yards.
The decision will be difficult to make, but the best course of action would be for Jacksonville to allow Ridley to enter free agency, and fight for his services on the open market. He's already alluded to the idea that returning to Jacksonville was a priority, but it's not up to him .
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Jaguars might need to trim roster, cut players for salary cap purposes
Jacksonville Jaguars' Folorunso Fatukasi walks on the field during the first half of an NFL football game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, Oct. 2, 2022, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)
The Jaguars will have some decisions to make when it comes to a few players who are slated to be on their roster through the 2024 season.
It is unknown exactly what Jacksonville's cap space situation will look like until the league officially sets it in the coming weeks, but as of today, OverTheCap.com has Jacksonville with $11,574,167 in cap space.
A few players stand out as far as their projected cap number is concerned, with offensive lineman Brandon Scherff slated to have the second-highest cap hit on the team at $23,967,000. Only Christian Kirk ($24,236,941) is slated to have a higher impact. Releasing Scherff will result in $9,099,000 in cap space added, according to OTC.
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Scherff's regression last season was obvious, as pointed out by the numerous metrics we've gathered for the team's offensive line. Barring an extension, it feels unlikely that Scherff will be back next season.
Fellow offensive lineman Cam Robinson is another player that could be a cap-casualty with his cap hit for 2024 coming in at $21,750,668. Jacksonville can save $7,248,000 if they release him.
What Jacksonville does with receiver Zay Jones will be intriguing to watch with his cap hit set at $10,752,628. Jones missed the majority of last season due to multiple injuries and did not produce (34 catches, 321 yards, two touchdowns) as a result. Jacksonville saves $4,183,294 if they release him as he enters the final year of his contract.
Three defenders, defensive lineman Foley Fatukasi ($12,787,922 cap hit), safety Rayshawn Jenkins ($12,264,000) and cornerback Darious Williams ($11.5 million) are also names to keep an eye on. Jacksonville can save a total of $19,946,588 if they release all three with Williams saving the most money at $11 million.
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Jaguars need to continue innovating, tailoring offense around Trevor Lawrence
Pederson spoke at his end-of-season press conference about Lawrence and how the team functions with him at quarterback. He also talked about how much the team relies on the QB to get the offense moving.
"He's your quarterback. You got to put it on somebody. The quarterback is the person to do that with. Trevor is very capable and we're very confident with that and with him. It didn't feel like it was too much at any one point," said Pederson at his end-of-season press conference a few weeks ago.
Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence, left, gets a hug from head coach Doug Pederson after defeating the New Orleans Saints in an NFL football game in New Orleans, Thursday, Oct. 19, 2023. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
The head coach also mentioned that a lot of the team's issues were "fixable," but did not elaborate on his conclusions. For Jacksonville's offense, the scheme isn't something that Lawrence is worried about.
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"I think you've seen the success that we've been able to have and we just need more consistency. That comes from everyone, players, coaches, everything," Lawrence said at the end of the season when asked whether or not the scheme can get the team where they want to go. "We all can do a little bit more to be better. I think the consistency is the piece that we struggled with this year. You see the flashes, you see what we're capable of."
Down the stretch, Jacksonville could no longer rely on its ground attack, putting more on the shoulders of Lawrence. Pederson was pointed in saying he did not feel the team put too much on Lawrence, but it could have been better.
"He's very capable of handling what we gave him. Now, there might be times where we might have a little more in a game plan than one week that might bog him down. That's on us as a staff to make sure we don't do that," said Pederson, noting that there were times coaches scaled back the game plan when Lawrence was injured.
"He's a smart guy. In fact, the point of when you sit down and talk to him (Trevor), tell me what you think. He goes, 'I want these three plays out.' Fine, let's take them out. We did. That's all healthy for your team."
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The Jaguars will need to figure out a way to work around Lawrence's injuries if they come up next year. But, they'll also need to give Lawrence the firepower from other areas of the offense to enable success for their franchise QB. Some of that is already in the works, and some of that is Lawrence's doing.
Demetrius Harvey is the Jacksonville Jaguars reporter for the Florida Times-Union. You can follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @Demetrius82 .
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This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jaguars have much to do during offseason after hiring DC Ryan Nielsen
