JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Don’t expect the Jacksonville Jaguars to be big players in free agency in 2023.
While the franchise has been a major player in free agency over the past nine years, their spending sprees have rarely paid off. General manager Trent Baalke wants to end that trend and believes the team is in the right spot to be able to do so.
“The last two years, we’ve delved heavily into free agency, and we’re at the point now where it’s draft and develop,” Baalke said at the NFL scouting combine. “We’ve got a nice core, a nice core of young players. I feel really good about that group, with a good mix of veteran guys with a lot of experience.
“The whole thing for us now is about the locker room, making sure we keep the locker room where we’ve got it.”
Investing heavily in free agency has given the Jaguars two winning seasons in the past nine years, though last year’s signees are now the team’s core players. The Jaguars gave out a total of $175.3 million in guaranteed money — headlined by the $37 million to receiver Christian Kirk, $30 million to right guard Brandon Scherff, $28 million to linebacker Foyesade Oluokun and $20 million to defensive tackle Folorunso Fatukasi — to set an NFL record. That broke the previous mark of $163 million set by the New England Patriots in 2021.
That investment did pay off because those free agents — as well as cornerback Darious Williams, receiver Zay Jones, tight end Evan Engram — played key roles in the Jaguars’ AFC South title and wild-card playoff victory. Four players signed in 2021 — receiver Marvin Jones Jr., tight end Chris Manhertz, safety Rayshawn Jenkins and defensive tackle Roy Robertson-Harris — played major roles, too. Those four were given a total of $43.25 million in guaranteed money.
The Jaguars have restructured the contracts of Oluokun, Kirk and Scherff and signed Robertson-Harris to an extension over the past two weeks and went from $31 million over the 2023 salary cap to having $16 million in space.
They will add another $13.15 million with the expected release of cornerback Shaquill Griffin, which gives the Jaguars plenty of room to sign draft picks, get a deal done with Engram, and sign some selective free agents. Baalke won’t go on a shopping spree but fixing some depth issues and trying to grab one starter would be realistic.
Here are five under-the-radar players the Jaguars could consider in free agency:
Terrell Edmunds, S, Pittsburgh Steelers: The Jaguars want to upgrade the depth behind starters Jenkins and Andre Cisco, and Edmunds could do that. He isn’t a flashy player but he is solid in run support and had some success as a blitzer last season (two sacks). He made $2.5 million on a one-year deal in Pittsburgh last season, so he wouldn’t be expensive.
Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, DE/LB, Houston Texans: The Jaguars’ pass rush ranked 25th in 2022 with 35 sacks. That’s not good enough if they want to be considered a legitimate AFC contender. With the uncertainty regarding Dawuane Smoot’s status (he suffered a torn Achilles in December and is a free agent), Okoronkwo would be a solid signing. He can play outside linebacker and defensive end, which is where he was last season in Houston and had a career-high five sacks.
Khalen Saunders, DT, Kansas City Chiefs: The interior of the defensive line needs an upgrade, especially in terms of the pass rush, but Saunders would likely be the most costly signing of the group. He had a career year (3.5 sacks, 48 tackles) in 2022, but was that because he was playing next to game-wrecker Chris Jones or because he was finally healthy (he played in 16 games after playing in 22 in his first three seasons)? If his best football is ahead of him the Jaguars could potentially get a bargain.
Robert Tonyan, TE, Green Bay Packers: Tight end is the Jaguars’ top offensive need, with only Luke Farrell currently under contract for 2023. Evan Engram will either be back on a new deal or under the franchise tag, but expect the Jaguars to address the position in the draft, too. Tonyan did have a career-high 53 catches in 2022 but averaged just 8.9 yards per catch. He’d be a good complement to Engram and the Jaguars would have a better receiving option with Tonyan in two tight end sets than they had last season.
Isaiah Wynn, OL, New England Patriots: He has missed 23 games in his four seasons because of various injuries, but he just turned 27 last December and he can play both tackle spots and guard. Give him a chance to win the left guard spot and if he can’t he could be the swing tackle (a big need if right tackle Jawaan Taylor doesn’t re-sign).
