(07-06-2023, 12:29 PM)Caldrac Wrote:

(07-06-2023, 10:43 AM)Bullseye Wrote: In no particular order...

1.  Now that the Jaguars are established as a 3-4 team, I want to see the development of last year's rookie linebackers-Travon Walker, Devin Lloyd and Chad Muma.  I also want to see how this year's rookies are added to the mix.  If all goes according to plan, LB will be a deep and versatile group that will be much more of a catalyst than they were the past two years.

2.  How Ridley is incorporated into the offense.  How has the layoff impacted him?  Will he show signs of rust, or will he be healthy and rejuvenated.  If it is the former, I reiterate that at minimum, he should be an improvement over Marvin Jones.  If, however, he shows no fall off from his 2020 form, I look forward to some great things from the passing game.

3.  Will the secondary produce some pleasant surprises?  Last year, the secondary was problematic.  By the time it showed any semblance of stability, a lot of damage was done.  On top of that, the team didn't make anything resembling substantial investment in the secondary in terms of free agency, trades, or early draft choices.  We will need guys from unexpected
 sources-mid to late round draftees-to step up.  My money is on Antonio Johnson to win a roster spot and eventually replace the current nickel back.  But this area will have me holding my breath for much of the early part of cemp and the early regular season until they prove consistent ability.

4.  I think an underrated and pleasant surprise will be the depth of the RB corps.  I don't think Etienne will get many carries in the preseason.  But I think the backups will get plenty of snaps behind the starting OL.  I also think our backups will have some good runs.

5.  As odd as it is for me to type this, I think the kicker we got from Denver will be under a lot of scrutiny after the local kid from last year-Riley Patterson- got traded to Detroit.  In most instances, teams switching kickers or bringing in a new kicker gets barely a mention in most fan bases.  But there were many fans here who groused over the change, even though McManus has proven to have more experience and a much stronger leg.  If there were such a thing as a kicking controversy, this is the closest thing we'll have to it.  Let's hope McManus puts that to bed really quickly in camp.

6.  How will the offensive line shake out with Cam Robinson's 4 game suspension and the drafting of Anton Harrison?  If the OL performs well in Cam's absence, will Cam get his starting job back?  Will the team void his signing bonus, making it easier to trade or cut him?  If so, which of the pending free agents coming up next off season become a priority to re-sign?  My guess?  Evan Engram or Josh Allen.


7.    Any picks for surprise cuts?

Good points. In particular, I bolded your 4th and 7th points because these are good ones. I think the RB room got really, really good this off season. I am excited to see Etienne in his 2nd year truly off of that injury from his rookie season. He's very quick and I hope they use him more in the passing game. I think we know what we have in Hasty and he's also a capable playmaker when we need him to be in moments. I think Bigsby is going to turn some heads, my only concern is his ball security. We had enough of that last year. That needs to be tightened up heavily in the RB room by the RB coach this summer and all year long. Cannot put the football on the ground. It absolutely killed us last year at crucial moments. 

Johnson, Hasty and Conner are probably duking it out for that odd flex role as a 4th man. That player will more than likely have to cut his teeth on special team's and it's very well likely neither one of them makes it this year because of Etienne's abilities, because of Bigsby's overall selection in the draft. Hasty has the advantage of being in the system last year, making splash plays for the team, etc. It will be a very fun group to watch this summer as the weeks progress here shortly. 

I think, surprise cut wise, that's a tough one. I really can't think of anybody that would jump off the page as a surprise cut. Even if they decided to cut Cam Robinson at some point this month or next month. I wouldn't really consider it a surprise. Maybe if one of these rookie safeties clearly separates himself and gives Jenkins a run for his money? Or Wingard? Maybe a surprise cut happens in the safety room. That would be about it for me.

I thought about mentioning the Saftey spot as well. 
definitely a possibility since Jenkins is a coverage liability and there are three late rounders hanging around camp this year that might push him (and Wingard). 

Wingard's mention introduces a good topic in the "big nickel" role. (and back seven strategy in general) 

Last year - the usage of Wingard at the big nickel in ~3 games appeared to be a combination of trying to mitigate the poor performance when in a more traditional formation of personnel, + a way for Caldwell to get more out of his "zone-oriented" players, and a response to certain teams' anticipated method of attack. 

THIS YEAR - do we see that role being utilized more in certain matchups, or in response to various formations from an offense? Will one of these young rookie safeties be more suited to the coverage aspects of the big nickel role? 
Is Caldwell fully embracing a large percentage of zone play from his secondary in 2023, or does he want to get more "man-coverage-capable" personnel on the field?  

Considering the pre-bye-week approach by Caldwell with his back seven compared to the latter half adjusted approach in 2022, I think Caldwell is at a bit of a crossroads here where he must find the best way forward with the talent available in a way that doesn't need a mid-season adjustment to be effective. They need to come out of the gate in better form in year two of his system.

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