If the Jacksonville Jaguars can manage to stay healthy and driven, I believe that they can become a force to be reckoned with in the NFL.
The Jacksonville Jaguars haven’t fielded a competitive football team for a number of years now, but after a couple of strong drafts, the team appears to be on the upswing. Jacksonville has shown signs of growth over the past three seasons, and while they still need a bit more time to grow and develop as a unit, I believe the Jaguars possess a great deal of talent and potential.
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On the offensive side of the ball, it appears as if Jacksonville has found the guy to lead their team in quarterback Blake Bortles. His numbers improved greatly in 2015, as he managed to more than triple his touchdown totals from the year prior – Bortles completed 58.6% of his passes for 4,428 yards with 35 touchdowns and 18 interceptions in 2015 vs. completing 58.8% of his passes for 2,908 yards with 11 touchdowns and 17 interceptions in 2014.
The amount of progression that Blake Bortles has shown is certainly promising, and he undoubtedly deserves praise for his play and development as an NFL passer. That being said, I believe that his supporting cast deserves a lot of credit, most notably Allen Robinson and Allen Hurns, a pair of young wideouts that have played remarkably well for Jacksonville.
In my opinion, the duo of Robinson and Hurns has been instrumental to the development of Bortles. It’s likely that he would still become a very good quarterback without the two wideouts at his disposal, just at a slower rate.
Hurns and Robinson combined to catch 144 passes for 2,431 yards and 24 touchdowns last season. With 80 receptions for 1,400 yards and 14 touchdowns, Robinson was selected to his first Pro Bowl in 2015. Hurns, although he wasn’t selected to the Pro Bowl, still managed to record solid numbers – his 64 catches for 1,031 yards and 10 touchdowns were second best on the team, with only Robinson finishing ahead of him in each category.
Since Blake Bortles, Allen Robinson, and Allen Hurns joined the team two seasons ago, the offense has only grown stronger and more cohesive. In 2013, the season before the talented trio came aboard, the Jacksonville Jaguars only managed to score 247 points all season. Their offensive scored the least amount of points in the NFL that season, while finishing 31st in yards gained.
Fast forward two seasons and their offensive unit appears to be on the verge of dominance. Jacksonville’s offense, in just two seasons with Bortles and company, have increased their scoring output by more than 100 points, recording a total of 376 points in 2015.
The Jacksonville Jaguars have gotten better, yes, but, for the most part, only on the offensive side of the ball. Their defense, statistically speaking, has shown very little growth over the past few seasons, something that will have to change if they are to take the next step as a franchise.
They possess young talent on defense, there’s no questioning that. However, players like Dante Fowler Jr., Jalen Ramsey, and Myles Jack will have to overcome early-career injury problems for the unit to reach their true potential.
If Fowler Jr., Ramsey, and Jack can return to full strength after their injuries subside, opposing offenses will have to deal with a playmaker at every level of the defense. Add players like Telvin Smith, Malik Jackson, Jonathan Cyprien, and Tashaun Gipson to the mix, and you have the recipe for a stout defensive unit.
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The offense has already shown that they have what it takes to become an elite unit, meaning their long-term success hinges largely on the health of the defense. If the players on the Jacksonville Jaguars defense can find a way to stay healthy, and their offensive unit continues to grow together, there is no doubt in my mind that they will become one of the better teams in the league.