AFC runner-up shores up offense
Three Jaguars: questions facing the
Can the offense improve?
While the spotlight was often on Jacksonville’s defense a year ago, Blake Bortles and company quietly enjoyed an effective season as an offense, finishing fifth in points per game (26.1) and sixth in yards per game (365.9). There’s reason to believe the unit could be even better.
The highlight of the offseason was adding guard Andrew Norwell, who was an all-pro with the Panthers last season. The Jaguars let a pair of wide receivers leave, with Allen Robinson signing with the Bears and Allen Hurns moving on to Dallas.
But they also added LSU product DJ Chark in the draft and signed Donte Moncrief to complement Marqise Lee, Dede Westbrook and last year’s leading receiver, Keelan Cole.
Then there’s Leonard Fournette, who should build on a strong rookie campaign if he stays on the field. He had 1,040 rushing yards and nine touchdowns despite playing in just 13 games because of injuries.
Will the departure of veterans leave a void?
The Jaguars lost two influential voices this offseason. Middle linebacker Paul Posluszny retired at 33, and tight end Marcedes Lewis was released. Lewis is no longer the Pro Bowl player he was in 2010, but he still caught five touchdown passes a year ago. Jacksonville signed Austin Sefarian-Jenkins from the Jets as his replacement.
Posluszny, meanwhile, could be similarly difficult to replace given his standing as a leader within the team. Coach Doug Marrone said in a post-draft news conference that he could move Myles Jack to middle linebacker, where Posluszny was a mainstay over the past seven years. Jack is 22, and Marrone said the second-year player quietly had an outstanding season in 2017.
“I thought that a lot of times on our defense, with the performances of some of our players last year, I think some guys naturally got overlooked,” Marrone told reporters. “I think was one of those guys.” Myles
Has Bortles hit his ceiling?
Jacksonville sure hopes not. Rather than wade into the Kirk Cousins sweepstakes, the Jaguars decided to re-sign Bortles for three years and $54 million. That’s a hefty investment for a quarterback who has not completed more than 60.2 percent of his passes in four years as an NFL starter and ranked 20th in the league with a passer rating of 84.7 last year.
Despite those shortcomings, the Jaguars saw value in consistency and gave the 26-year-old Bortles credit for helping guide them to the AFC Championship Game, where a fourth-quarter collapse was all that kept them from reaching the Super Bowl.
By injecting a few new pieces into the offense — including Norwell, Sefarian-Jenkins and Chark, among others — the Jaguars are hoping that Bortles will cut back on some of the turnovers (13 interceptions in 2017) and take another step up in his development.