We get a closer look at the Jacksonville Jaguars with some Big Cat Country assistance.
The Miami Dolphins open their 2024 NFL regular season schedule on Sunday when they welcome the Jacksonville Jaguars into Hard Rock Stadium. Miami begins their campaign with more than just a playoff berth on their minds, looking to end a 24-year stretch of not having a postseason victory. They start in Week 1 against a team that was disappointed by a late-season collapse last year, but who expect to be in the AFC playoff picture this year.
The Jaguars started 2023 6-2 and looked like a threat in the AFC South. After their bye week, they dropped their Week 10 game before winning the next two to sit at 8-3 with six games remaining. Losing five of those six games, the team fell to 9-8 on the season and missed the playoffs. How are the fans feeling about that collapse and what are they expecting from the team this year?
To answer those question and get a better look at the 2024 edition of Jacksonville’s team, I turned to SB Nation’s Jaguars team site, Big Cat Country. Site manager Gus Logue was kind enough to sit down with me to discuss Jaguars’ head coach (and former Dolphins quarterback) Doug Pederson, quarterback Trevor Lawrence, and how the fans are feeling heading into the season.
Check out the Dolphins focused side of the conversation as well.
The 2023 season ended with Jacksonville losing five of their final six games and elimination from playoff contention – not precisely the finish the team or the fans wanted. How much of that bad taste is still in the mouths of the fans, and could Doug Pederson find himself on the proverbial hot seat this year?
That bad taste is very much still in the mouths of fans. Various injuries played a big hand, and defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell was fired after the season, but Pederson’s offense wasn’t a bright spot either. Calvin Ridley was mismanaged (he ran a limited route tree, played too much on the perimeter, and was rarely given free access of the line of scrimmage) and the running game and red zone offense struggled mightily.
A few hours before last year’s season opener, news broke that offensive coordinator Press Taylor would be calling plays. That Sunday morning leak didn’t turn out the way Taylor’s camp hoped. Pederson is now refusing to say who will be calling plays this year, so if the team isn’t playing well by midseason, his seat will definitely be heating up. Jaguars owner Shad Khan recently expressed his desire for Pederson to call plays again and for the team to deliver results now, which only adds more fuel to the fire.
Another postseason whiff could bring significant changes in Jacksonville.
After the head coach, the focus during struggles usually turns toward the quarterback. Trevor Lawrence appeared set to become a true elite-level quarterback last year, but injuries sometimes had him struggling. Lawrence signed an extension this offseason, but are fans fully on-board with him as the long-term answer or are doubts starting to creep in?
I think most fans are fully onboard. They recognize that Lawrence is the team’s best quarterback in over a decade, even if his production doesn’t quite match his pedigree. And last year’s injuries plus a lack of surrounding talent are fair excuses. But doubts will creep in if Lawrence, now in his third season with Pederson and with a first-round receiver added in Brian Thomas Jr., has another forgettable late-season stretch. His fumbing tendencies certainly don’t help.
Personally, I was immediately all-in on Lawrence because I saw how much Gardner Minshew limited the offense. Seeing firsthand how he operates on a day-to-day level has only made me more confident that he’s deserving of his face-of-the-franchise caliber contract. Lawrence’s process is elite (on and off the field) and I think it’s only a matter of time before the results follow suit.
What should we expect to see from the defense under new defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen? How does the defense match up to the speed of Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle?
Nielsen has been the talk of the town since he was hired to replace Caldwell. He has an infectious energy and a respected resume. Jacksonville is hoping that all the athleticism it’s stockpiled on defense will be unleashed by the development and coaching provided by Nielsen and his staff.
The motto of the defense is “attack” which is short for “attacking and aggressive” — you get the picture. The Jaguars want their defense to be more physical. Another Nielsen expression is “nothing cheap and nothing deep”. He brings a press-heavy scheme that throws off short timing concepts with a two-high safety system to prevent explosive plays.
The Jaguars got unlucky by drawing offensive genius Mike McDaniel in Week 1, but I do think their new approach matches up as well as any defense could against the Dolphins. Jacksonville’s physicality could go a long way against a porous offensive line, undersized skill players and a sometimes skittish quarterback.
Which newcomer to the Jaguars should we expect to have the most significant impact in this game? Over the course of the season?
This is a good question, as Jacksonville has a lot of newcomers who should make a sizable but not gargantuan impact.
I’ll go with Thomas Jr. for both this game and the full season. He’s a big reason I’m bullish on Lawrence this year. Thomas Jr. shouldn’t be expected to push for Offensive Rookie of the Year, but even if he doesn’t fill up the stat sheet right away, his presence will be felt from Week 1. The former LSU Tiger led the nation in receiving touchdowns last year (17) for a reason — speed like that doesn’t come around often. His wheels will open up the entire offense, and don’t be surprised if Jaguars coaches try to scheme him up early to ensure opposing coaches are forced to respect him.
Considering last year’s dreadful run game, the Jaguars may be hoping C Mitch Morse makes the biggest impact this season. DT Arik Armstead will provide much-need juice from the interior and is also expected to have a role on the edge (Jacksonville’s depth behind Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker is heinous). I’m a fan of CB Ronald Darby but the 30-year-old expected to start full-time opposite Tyson Campbell — we’ll see if he can hold up for the full season. CB Darnell Savage could be better than expected now that he’s playing slot corner instead of safety; same goes for WR Gabe Davis, who will be more of a midrange mamba after being pigeonholed as a deep threat in Buffalo. And the special teams unit could ascend from above-average to top-of-the-league depending on sixth-round rookie K Cam Little and former All-Pro RS Devin Duvernay.
What do you think are realistic expectations of the Jaguars this year?
Realistic high-end expectations for the Jaguars is Lawrence earning MVP votes and leading the Jaguars to a divisional title plus one or two playoff wins. Even if Lawrence can be as good as I think, there’s enough lingering questions (interior blocking, EDGE depth, Press Taylor, etc.) for me to doubt Jacksonville as true Super Bowl contenders.
A more middle-ground expectation is that the Jaguars will finish second in the AFC South and have a chance in Week 18 to make the postseason as a Wild Card team. Jacksonville has an objectively above-average quarterback, and an average-at-worst defense and special teams, so I’d be surprised by a total collapse of a season. Even if they don’t yet have a championship roster, they’re well-rounded enough that 8 wins should be the absolute floor.