Doug Marrone’s Jacksonville Jaguars could capture the tough AFC South.
Last offseason, the Jacksonville Jaguars finally parted ways with one-time first-round quarterback Blake Bortles. The third overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft had more ups and downs during his five seasons with the team and appeared to have finally turned the corner three years ago.
But after a season in which he cut down on the mistakes and helped contribute to the team’s strong showing and playoff appearance in 2017, he digressed the following year and turned mistake-prone again.
Also a year ago, the Jaguars signed Super Bowl LII hero Nick Foles to play quarterback. Injuries and inconsistencies added up to a one-year stay with the club and he was dealt to the Bears this offseason.
The man behind center these days is Gardner Minshew, who as a rookie made 12 starts this past season but now comes into the year the main man. He and the team hope to bounce back from a 6-10 showing that saw the team finish last in the division for the third time in four seasons.
In this continuing series featuring clubs looking to rise from last to first, there have already been glances at NFC West, AFC West and NFC South. So can Doug Marrone’s Jaguars escape from the AFC South basement and get back to a place where they were as recently as 2017?
It won’t be easy in a division that has sent at least two teams to the playoffs each of the past three seasons.