Jacksonville Jaguars expect to keep Marcedes Lewis, Paul Posluszny
The Jacksonville Jaguars are looking to add some more pieces to their team this offseason, with the most critical need obviously being a new quarterback. But the Jaguars have a couple of players to make decisions on, with tight end Marcedes Lewis and middle linebacker Paul Posluszny being the two most important ones.
According to Jaguars official site beat writer John Oehser, general manager David Caldwell stated that he expects the Jaguars will keep both Lewis and Posluszny, who could end up being cap casualties this offseason.
Lewis, who caught just 25 passes for 359 yards and four touchdowns for his least productive season since his rookie year, is set to have an $8.25 million cap hit against the Jaguars next season. With two years left on his deal at an expensive rate, Lewis makes sense as a potential cap casualty, but he is unlikely to be released. Not only has Caldwell stated that he doesn’t expect Lewis to receive his walking papers, but Lewis’s ability to make plays in the red zone and block are valuable. The Jaguars have always loved Lewis’s blocking ability, and they have enough cap space to keep him on board. While I think it makes perfect sense for the Jags to cut ties with him, I don’t think they want to release him and create a new position of need.
Paul Posluszny’s stats are inflated due to the garbage tackles he collects as a result of the poor players on defense around him, but he’s still a solid player and one of the best players on the Jaguars defense. The Linebacker U alum is signed through the 2016 season, but he’s also set to make a whopping $7.45 million in each of those seasons. That high price tag over three years makes him a potential cap casualty, and he is 29 years old right now. Still, middle linebackers don’t decline quickly, and Pos is a key part of the defense with 161 tackles, three sacks, and nine passes defended this past season. I’d say Lewis has a significantly better chance of getting the ax.