2015 NFL Season Predictions: AFC South Preview

Jan 11, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos tight end

(80) in the 2014 AFC Divisional playoff football game against the Indianapolis Colts at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

Jacksonville Jaguars: 

Key Additions: TE Julius Thomas, C Steve Wisniewski, T Jeremy Parnell, DL Jared Odrick, CB Davon House, FS Sergio Brown, DE Dante Fowler Jr., RB T.J. Yeldon

 The Jags made some smart additions in free agency. First they made a big splash by signing Julius Thomas. They might have overpaid a bit on Thomas, but they seem to be trying to give Bortles as many good targets as possible, so that he can succeed. They also added two offensive linemen in Wisniewski and Parnell who both figure to start in Jacksonville.

Neither of them are top lineman, but they are both solid and should give Bortles some time in the pocket. They are really putting solid talent around Bortles, putting the pressure on him to succeed. Picking Yeldon so early in the second round was maybe a bit of a reach, but Yeldon is a good running back who can be a three down player for the Jags and will help the offense.

On defense they also made some very good signing. Odrick is a very capable defensive lineman who came from the Dolphins and played very good in Miami. To me Fowler wasn’t worth the third pick of a draft. His injury is unfortunate and the Jaguars will have to wait a year to see how Fowler turns out. The secondary really needed a lot of help and they brought some. Davon House figures to start for the Jags and is a solid option for them and while Sergio Brown isn’t an especially good safety, he is definitely better than what they had.

Nov 9, 2014; London, UNITED KINGDOM; Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver

(84) breaks through the Dallas Cowboys defence during the second half of the game Dallas Cowboys and the Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley Stadium Mandatory Credit: Steve Flynn-USA TODAY Sports

Key Losses: WR Cecil Shorts, OLB J.T. Thomas, CB Will Blackmon 

Like many teams that weren’t good in the previous year, the Jaguars didn’t really lose many key players. Shorts is talented wide receiver when on the field, but there simply wasn’t room in the young and talented receiving corps of the Jaguars.

J.T. Thomas had a great year in Jacksonville last year and that earned him a three year, 12 million a year contract elsewhere. He will be missed in Jacksonville, but he is replaceable and the Jags home Dan Skuta will be able to fit that role. Losing Blackmon won’t hurt much. He didn’t play much last year and when he did, he wasn’t very good. Here the Jaguars really upgraded in getting House.

Verdict: 

Jacksonville is finally putting together a team that seems like it could be competitive, especially if a few young players live up to their potential, especially on offense. The offensive line should be better than last year giving Bortles more time.

They have a slew of young promising wide receivers in Allen Robinson, Allen Hurns, Marqise Lee, Rashad Greene. I expect Robinson to really have a break out year this year, as he showed a lot of promise last year. Adding Thomas also gives them a great red zone threat and a top 5 tight end. If they give Yeldon the starting job, leaving Robinson in the change of pace role, their backfield will be very talented as well.

On defense the front seven should show quite an improvement in comparison to last year. Odrick will help the run defense that had so many issues last year. I think their run defense should be able to be at least decent, which is a huge upgrade in comparison to last year. Their secondary is the part of the defense where I still see the most flaws.

They don’t have any cornerback who is anything close to a shut down corner. Outside of Johnathan Cyprien I would still be quite worried about the secondary, and that is where they might lose a lot of games. Still, this who team is quite young and promising and maybe this could be the year where some players breakout and they don’t have a terrible year.

Predictions: 

Jun 16, 2015; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars running back T.J. Yeldon (24) runs during minicamp at the Florida Blue Health and Wellness Practice Fields. Mandatory Credit: Phil Sears-USA TODAY Sports

Best Case Record: 6-10

Worst Case Record: 1-15

Prediction: 4-12

Team’s Offensive MVP: WR Allen Robinson

Team’s Defensive MVP: MLB Paul Posluszny

Rookie Standout: RB T.J. Yeldon

While I do really like the direction in which the Jaguars are going, I also think their roster has too many holes. If Bortles can really show improvement in his second year I think the best case scenario is very attainable due to his very good targets, but without a greatly improved Bortles, the offense won’t be good enough. The defense now definitely has some good players, but the secondary still doesn’t look very good and will likely struggle. I think they will have another tough year and get another high pick which they can use to improve their team.

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