The Jacksonville Jaguars enter the offseason with a ton of needs, but perhaps chief among them is this team’s desperate necessity to add more playmakers on offense at the receiver position.
A perfect storm of injuries, poor play design, and flat-out talent deficiencies culminated in a group that gave Trevor Lawrence almost no help during his rookie season. Heading into Year 2 for Lawrence, upgrading the position is of critical importance.
That’s not to say there’s nothing to work with. Marvin Jones Jr. is a reliable veteran and D.J. Chark Jr. can be a great big-play threat when healthy (assuming the team keeps him around, as his contract is expiring). Jamal Agnew is a unique and dynamic threat and Laquon Treadwell showed off some of the talent that made him a first-round pick, likely securing a roster spot in 2022.
But none of those players are a true No. 1, and that group on its own just isn’t enough depth even if it can stay healthy — which it didn’t in 2021, as Chark and Agnew were both lost to season-ending injuries.
The team will likely draft multiple receivers, and it may look to sign a big name in free agency, too. If it goes with the latter strategy, one name to watch could be Arizona’s Christian Kirk. He’s been a bit overshadowed in an offense that features DeAndre Hopkins, A.J. Green, and electric rookie Rondale Moore, but he’s been productive and a reliable target for quarterback Kyler Murray.
NFL Network’s Gil Brandt ran through his best fits for the top free agents this offseason, and he said that Kirk would be a good fit in Jacksonville.
The Jaguars are loaded with projected cap space and, as ever, roster needs. Kirk has yet to crack the 1,000-yard mark after four NFL seasons, but with stud DeAndre Hopkins limited to 10 games in 2021, he led the Cardinals with 77 catches and 982 receiving yards. Perhaps especially relevant for developing QB Trevor Lawrence is the fact that Kirk ranked second in catch rate over expectation (9.4%) among all NFL players with at least 100 targets last season; Marvin Jones (5.1%) and Laquon Treadwell (4.6%) were the only two Jaguars players with four-plus targets to earn positive marks in that category. The team would have to figure out how to incorporate Kirk, who thrived in the slot last season, into an offense that already features Laviska Shenault in that role. But splitting targets among multiple talented pass-catchers would be a good problem to have in Jacksonville.
While Brandt mentions Shenault’s presence as a potential hangup here, it’s entirely reasonable that Kirk would simply beat Shenault out. Though the second-year player out of Colorado made some nice plays as a rookie in 2020, the coaching staff couldn’t find a way to consistently get him involved this past season.
There’s hope that he can bounce back in Year 3, but given his lack of production this year and the need at the position, it’s not exactly something this team can bank on.
Adding a player like Kirk may not be as flashy as someone like Tampa Bay’s Chris Godwin or even the Los Angeles Chargers’ Mike Williams, but it would be a solid pickup for an offense that needs whatever help it can get.
In this week’s episode of “Touchdown Jaguars!”we looked at the top needs for the Jags heading into the NFL Combine. Progressing forward, we will continue to put out weekly episodes, giving Jags Wire readers a new go-to podcast, which will discuss the latest in news, rumors, and more. To stay up to date, subscribe via Apple Podcasts and Spotify, and also feel free to rate and comment.
