The Jacksonville Jaguars have officially named Grant Udinski as the team’s next offensive coordinator under head coach Liam Coen.
Udinski comes to the Jaguars as a fast riser in the coaching ranks and has worked very closely with Vikings’ head coach Kevin O’Connell and this past season with quarterback Sam Darnold, who had a career year in Minnesota.
Of course, the top item on the to-do list for Udinski and Coen will be getting quarterback Trevor Lawrence back on track.
Like any four-win team, there are positions of need for this Jaguars’ team to address this offseason. The team currently has just over $32 million in available cap space, which ranks as the 17th-most in football, although the Jaguars do have the means to create quite a bit more room if needed.
So, are there any pending Vikings’ free agents who could follow Udinski to Jacksonville? Potentially helping the transition would be that there is some overlap between what Coen does schematically and what O’Connell does in Minnesota.
Let’s take a look at three options.
RB Aaron Jones
With Tank Bigsby and Travis Etienne, running back certainly isn’t a pressing need for the Jaguars. However, as Coen described in his introductory press conference, a big factor in getting Lawrence and the passing game going will be having a strong running game to lean on.
In Jones’ first season with the Vikings, he rushed for 1,186 yards at 4.4 yards per attempt with five touchdowns. He was also a big factor in the passing game with 64 targets, and as we look at the Bucs’ offense from 2024 under Coen, both Rachaad White and Bucky Irving were featured often in the pass game.
G Dalton Risner
In order to have a strong run game to lean on, as Coen said, the offensive line play in Jacksonville has to improve, and potentially that will have to be accomplished without Brandon Scherff who is set to be a free agent as well.
Throughout his career, Risner has been a steady presence as a pass protector and can provide the Jaguars’ offensive line unit with added experience along the interior having played over 5,100 career snaps.
TE Johnny Mundt
At a minimum, depth at the tight end position is needed for the Jaguars this season. Mundt had just 28 targets in the passing game in 2024, but was often utilized as a blocker. And as you can sense from the theme of these additions, an added blocking presence at the tight end position will further help the Jaguars’ running game.
