(07-06-2023, 12:20 PM)flsprtsgod 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?

As for #7, though some are not surprise, I think these vets are let go (replacement):

Definite:
K'lavon Chaisson (Abdullah) Salary guaranteed but still...it's time to move on.
Trey Herndon (Braswell, Johnson, Wilson, Hallett) He signed a 1 year guaranteed deal, but I can't see them cutting a high performing drafted guy over $2.5 million.
Chris Claybrooks (ditto) Time's up
Shaq Quarterman (Miller) Roster churn
Jordan Smith (Abdullah) A never was
Snoop Conner (Bigsby, Parrish) Bad pick
D'Ernest Johnson (Bigsby) Replaced before he got here
Daniel Thomas (Johnson, Hallett) Roster churn

Bubble/Surprise:
Cam Robinson (Wells, FA) Significant savings and no long term plan.
Jamal Agnew (Washington) Significant savings and not enough balls to go around.
Tyler Shatley (Hance, CVL, Hodges) He's not expensive but he's topped out, and at 32 the age of decline is here.

I could easily see Chaisson, Herndon, Claybrooks, Smith, Connor and Thomas being cut.  I think Johnson will stay though it'll depend on whether the Jaguars decide to keep a FB on the roster/how many RBs.  As for Quarterman, I think the 3-4 will reequire the team to keep a lot of LBs-maybe 9-10.  I think that works to Quarterman's advantage.  I do want to finally see Jordan Smith to see what he can do.

Bubble/Surprise

I think Cam gets cut only if Harrison makes an immediate strong impression, he and the remaining OL remains healthy, and the team decides to sign one of the future free agents like Ridley now.

Agnew stays IMO.  I can see him cut only if a couple of rookie WRs like Parker Washington and/orElijah Cook make a huge positive impact, and/orthe team finds the new kickoff/fair catch rules take kickoff returns out of the game.

Shatley started camp poorly but I think he still played decently for us.  However, at that age, a drop off can't be far away  I still trust him more than I do Bartch.  I sincerely hope that changes soon, because Bartch could easily be our starter at LG.

---