Big Cat Country
Nine early signings - do they change the focus on draft weekend?
The James Gladstone era in Jacksonville began with a bang on Tuesday, the new Jaguars’ GM agreeing deals with nine free agents. Considering the raft of releases and trades in the days prior, the roster already looks significantly different to the one that finished 4-13 last season. But of course the job is far from done, and the NFL Draft still looms large for this front office. How will recent personnel moves affect the team’s approach to draft weekend? Let’s dive in:
The post-mortem of a catastrophic 2024 campaign began with a culling of coaches, and ultimately the departure of general manager Trent Baalke. But there was also common consensus of the areas on the Jaguars roster that needed significant upgrading, namely the offensive line and the secondary. In that regard, perhaps not much has changed, as a lot of the incoming names seem to be direct replacements for outgoing talent…
The biggest signing of free agency so far appears to be corner Jourdan Lewis, who looks set to assume the nickel role. This will allow Jarrian Jones to move more permanently to an outside role, negating the release of Ronald Darby. Similarly, Eric Murray coming in at safety from the Houston Texans will compensate for the loss of Andre Cisco to the New York Jets. Have the Jags upgraded in this department? Maybe, maybe not. But at the very least they’ve broken even.
It’s the same story on the offensive line. With Brandon Scherff and Blake Hance hitting free agency and center Mitch Morse retiring, the additions of Patrick Mekari, Chuma Edoga and Robert Hainsey are almost perfect like for like replacements. Dyami Brown for Christian Kirk, Nick Mullens for Mac Jones, even the combo of Johnny Mundt and Hunter Long for Evan Engram and Luke Farrell; everywhere you look, the Jaguars have plugged holes without necessarily getting better. As such, the focus heading to the draft looks to be unchanged.
The lack of net losses the Jaguars have suffered in this early stage of free agency is significant; without breaking the bank, James Gladstone has been able to keep his options open when it comes to draft weekend. In previous years, the Jags have been hamstrung with pressing needs from their early round...
