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After beginning the season 8-3 and seeking to be on cruise management to their second straight AFC South title, the Jacksonville Jaguars misplaced 5 of their final six video games and suffered a late-season collapse that didn’t appear possible on the finish of November.
They nonetheless have the makings of a playoff roster, however listed below are three strikes the Jaguars ought to make to load up for an additional run on the AFC South title:
TRADE: OT Cam Robinson to Washington Commanders for 2024 fourth-round choose
The Jaguars took Anton Harrison within the first spherical of the 2023 draft, and he seems to be firmly entrenched because the workforce’s proper sort out. Robinson was suspended for the primary a part of the 2023 season, and Walker Little carried out admirably in his place. Little is 4 years youthful and roughly $19M cheaper, and his manufacturing (521 snaps, 26 pressures and two sacks allowed) was just like Robinson’s (525 snaps, 13 pressures and three sacks allowed), making the latter expendable.
Washington allowed the second-most sacks within the NFL this season (65), and buying a participant like Robinson will go a good distance towards defending whichever quarterback it drafts No. 2 general in April. The Commanders have probably the most cap house within the NFL ($82.26M), they usually can simply afford Robinson’s $21.16M cap hit.
CUT: WR Zay Jones
The Jags have $25.7M in obtainable cap house, so it’s not like they’re pressed to unlock some cash. However designating Jones as a post-June 1 lower would give them an additional $7.7M within the financial institution and provides them extra ammunition to fill another wants.
With Calvin Ridley and Christian Kirk out vast, Jones was a luxurious in 2023. However there’s no want for Jacksonville to have a $10M receiver if it re-signs Ridley to an enormous take care of Kirk already making a bit of over $24M per season over the following two years. Parting methods with Jones additionally opens the door for Jamal Agnew and Parker Washington to have bigger roles within the offense, and the Jaguars can all the time use a late-round choose to draft a less expensive WR in the event that they wish to carry 5 on their roster.
SIGNING: Edge-rusher Danielle Hunter
It’s solely potential that Jacksonville’s high go rusher Josh Allen checks free company and indicators a profitable, big-money deal elsewhere. If that have been to occur, the Jags would lose 44% of their sack manufacturing from this season. Of the free-agent pass-rushers this 12 months, Hunter and Brian Burns would be the solely ones who’re in the identical league as Allen.
The 29-year-old Hunter completed with 80 pressures, 55 hurries and 16.5 sacks — all numbers that aren’t too far off from the 12 months Allen had (90 pressures, 54 hurries, 17.5 sacks). As a result of he’ll be 30 proper initially of the 2024 season, Hunter possible can be cheaper than Allen, who’s solely 26. Spotrac tasks Hunter’s market worth at $20M per 12 months on a shorter contract whereas Allen’s is $24M per 12 months on a for much longer one. With the $17.27M freed up in buying and selling Robinson and the $7.7M freed up in chopping Jones (each talked about above), Jacksonville would have greater than sufficient cap house to signal Hunter.
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