Jacksonville Jaguars 2017’s worst to first?
Of the eight teams to finish in the gutter of their respective divisions, the Jaguars have the best odds to rise to the top.
It’s not often that a team goes from worst in their division to first over the span of a single season. There have only been 38 teams in the history of the league to engineer such a dramatic turnaround.
This season, the odds of most of the teams that finished last in 2016 to rise to first in 2017 are not too high. The Jets, Chargers, Browns, 49ers and Bears aren’t likely to even get off the floor of their divisions. The Panthers may move up a bit with the addition of multi-purpose back Christian McCaffrey, but they’re not usurping the NFC Champion Atlanta Falcons.
That leaves the Philadelphia Eagles and the Jacksonville Jaguars. Philly added two targets for sophomore signal-caller Carson Wentz in Alshon Jeffery and Torrey Smith earlier in the offseason. The City of Brotherly Love also snagged bruising halfback LeGarrette Blount and veteran defensive end Chris Long from the Patriots. After finishing 7-9 in 2016, the Eagles certainly will be much improved with better receivers, a solid backfield presence and depth on the defensive line.
However, there are too many shortcomings defensively to project the Eagles as a potential division winner. Their secondary is swiss cheese, and the linebacking corps leaves much to be desired. Also, the NFC East is one of, if not the strongest division in the NFL. The Cowboys and Giants are essentially playoff locks and it would be hard to imagine the Eagles leapfrogging either one of them, let alone both of them.
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That makes the Jacksonville Jaguars the likeliest of last season’s bottom-feeders to step up to the top in 2017. Tom Coughlin was hired as the executive vice president of football operations, as well as the man to make personnel decisions. Headlined by fourth overall pick Leonard Fournette, the Jaguars have added some capable new faces into the mix.
The Jags reeled in Branden Albert from the Dolphins, sending Julius Thomas the other way to Miami, and Mychal Rivera was signed to replace Thomas. Earl Watford was also signed to bolster the offensive line further. Former Cowboy Barry Church signed to fill one safety spot for the Jags. Calais Campbell, arguably the best defensive lineman to hit free agency, as well as former Texans standout safety A.J. Bouye, were Jacksonville’s prized acquisitions. Campbell helps the defensive front, and Bouye will slot in opposite Church at safety.
All of those acquisitions are very nice, but the burden will fall on the youth movement in North Florida. Leonard Fournette will have to live up to the football world’s lofty expectations in his rookie year to lift this team up. Draft pick Dede Westbrook will have to make the most of his targets, most of which presumably come in the slot. Myles Jack and Dante Fowler need to prove they aren’t busts at the NFL level after dominating the college ranks, terrorizing offenses.
However, the biggest question of them all is under center. Blake Bortles will either make or break this team. Everything looked great during his dominant 2015 campaign, as the future for the then franchise passer and his team looked bright. The 2016 season, on the other hand, was an ugly one for Bortles. His disastrous output led fans and analysts alike to question whether or not Bortles is even the guy to run the show. He needs to find himself and rebound in 2017.
If he can, Jacksonville could put on a show next season, with the division crown within reach. If he fails to find the success he enjoyed in 2015, Jacksonville won’t be able to outmuscle the reigning division champion Texans, in particular with the addition of national champion quarterback DeShaun Watson through the draft.
No pressure Blake.