Will the Jaguars even be able to get a new starting QB for 2018?

[pwny]

As things look now, the Jaguars may find themselves picking somewhere after 26th overall in the upcoming draft.

Should Darnold stay in school, the draft pickings could be very slim. Cleveland, Buffalo, NYJ and a few others look primed to take a QB. Indy may find themselves looking as well.

Coming to Free Agents, things are starting to get messy too. Drew Brees sits on an 8-2 Saints team that could win a title. Would the two part ways? The Redskins may transition tag and match any offer on Cousins. Beyond that, there aren’t many clear upgrades over Blake Bortles at this point.

Teddy Bridgewater’s situation is a little more fluid, but will the Vikings actually put their franchise in the hands of one year wonder Case Keenum? Would the Jaguars spend money on Keenum if the Vikings commit to Keenum? Sam Bradford’s knee is a huge uncertainty going forward, and he has never had a track record for staying healthy. Names beyond that are largely journeymen types that haven’t been able to make a name for themselves. 

Alex Smith may be on the trade block, but his play had dropped off significantly the last few weeks and may have scared some teams away.

Tyrod Taylor will likely be available, but does his play warrant an uncontested path to starting?

 

Are we effectively stuck with Blake for 2018, for better or worse?

[.Buzz]

I believe so.

Trading up is an option. Not all tgese teams in need of a QB may like this crop. We saw Watson fall to the middle of the 1st last year and I think we all viewed QB as a need.

Brees, Bridgewater, Keenum, Tyrod, Cousins, McCarron on FA/trade market potentially.

Rudolph is a potential mid round option. Dont view him as a franchise guy but I do think he could run what we're doing now and move the ball better than Blake if we provide him with sufficient weapon (keep ARob, draft a guy like Andrews, etc.).

 

[pwny]

Just now, .Buzz said:

Brees, Bridgewater, Keenum, Tyrod, Cousins, McCarron on FA market.

Brees seems more likely than ever to stay in New Orleans.

One of Bridgewater/Keenum is staying in Minnesota, at the least.

Cousins could easily be Transition tagged and see the offer matched.

McCarron is a RFA, so he isn’t likely to move, and isn’t a starter.

The Free Agent market could easily be Tyrod (via trade) and the lesser of Keenum/Bridgewater.

3 minutes ago, .Buzz said:

Rudolph is a potential mid round option.

Don’t see how you can trot him out his rookie year with the rest of the team built to win like it is. Maybe a year or so developing, but he’s not a day one starter.

 

I feel like there’s a very real possibility that the option for 2018 is Blake vs worse QB. 

[.Buzz]

1 minute ago, iPwn said:

Brees seems more likely than ever to stay in New Orleans.

One of Bridgewater/Keenum is staying in Minnesota, at the least.

Cousins could easily be Transition tagged and see the offer matched.

McCarron is a RFA, so he isn’t likely to move, and isn’t a starter.

The Free Agent market could easily be Tyrod (via trade) and the lesser of Keenum/Bridgewater.

Don’t see how you can trot him out his rookie year with the rest of the team built to win like it is. Maybe a year or so developing, but he’s not a day one starter.

 

I feel like there’s a very real possibility that the option for 2018 is Blake vs worse QB. 

There is also 3 very intriguing 1st round options that aren't viewed as elite prospects. Guys like that have a very real chance to fall to mid/late 1st.

Not so sure about the Rudolph comment. Definitely not ideal but this situation with Bortles outside of a coulple games has been an eye sore. 

I really dont see us paying him 18M of this continues and we get eliminated in first round of playoffs mostly due to his play.

[.Buzz]

Also, if Tyrod is an option than I think we go all in for him in FA. Then hope you can draft a future guy incase ala Mahomes in KC.

[pwny]

15 hours ago, .Buzz said:

There is also 3 very intriguing 1st round options that aren't viewed as elite prospects. Guys like that have a very real chance to fall to mid/late 1st.

Very true. But there’s also times that teams overdraft these types. It’s certainly possible they don’t make it to where the Jags are picking or would reasonably feel comfortable trading up to.

I’m not saying all of this *will* happen, but I’m starting to wonder if - even with all his issues - this team can actually end up in a position that they can upgrade over Blake.

Are we about to find outselves in QB purgatory?

[.Buzz]

5 minutes ago, iPwn said:

Very true. But there’s also times that teams overdraft these types. It’s certainly possible they don’t make it to where the Jags are picking or would reasonably feel comfortable trading up to.

I’m not saying all of this *will* happen, but I’m starting to wonder if - even with all his issues - this team can actually end up in a position that they can upgrade over Blake.

Are we about to find outselves in QB purgatory?

It's possible, but with this defense and running game we don't have to have a franchise guy to win it all if we're being honest. Would help, but it's not a must.

Either way, I feel like there is a glut of options that should improve the QB spot whether it being via draft or FA (Tyrod Taylor like I said seems like a perfect fit for what we want to do and I'd have a hard time believing there's any way he goes back to BUF with that whole situation up there). Considering the only thing truthfully holding us back is a QB, I fully expect us to use all our ammunition pick wise to trade up if we see a guy in the draft that we really want. 

Edit: Adding to this, Tyrod isn't amazing but he certainly would be a very competent starter for the next several years if we fail to find a guy in the draft to develop for a little while. I think Buffalo really underrates him. He may not be an amazing QB, but it sort of reminds me with the situation with Garrard here (Garrard is better, but still) where we just really want that young stud franchise QB without realizing we have a very solid one standing right here.

[VLoo]

1 hour ago, .Buzz said:

It's possible, but with this defense and running game we don't have to have a franchise guy to win it all if we're being honest. Would help, but it's not a must.

Either way, I feel like there is a glut of options that should improve the QB spot whether it being via draft or FA (Tyrod Taylor like I said seems like a perfect fit for what we want to do and I'd have a hard time believing there's any way he goes back to BUF with that whole situation up there). Considering the only thing truthfully holding us back is a QB, I fully expect us to use all our ammunition pick wise to trade up if we see a guy in the draft that we really want. 

Edit: Adding to this, Tyrod isn't amazing but he certainly would be a very competent starter for the next several years if we fail to find a guy in the draft to develop for a little while. I think Buffalo really underrates him. He may not be an amazing QB, but it sort of reminds me with the situation with Garrard here (Garrard is better, but still) where we just really want that young stud franchise QB without realizing we have a very solid one standing right here.

I don't necessarily trust Caldwell's QB evals, but if there's a guy there we think can be it.... What's the line we draw for what we're giving up? Are we giving up next year's first? I'm loathe to say we're "a piece away", when we thought that and we went up and got Derrick Harvey. If you draft a QB, we need at least 1 more guy on the OLine as well.

[.Buzz]

Just now, VLoo said:

I don't necessarily trust Caldwell's QB evals, but if there's a guy there we think can be it.... What's the line we draw for what we're giving up? Are we giving up next year's first? I'm loathe to say we're "a piece away", when we thought that and we went up and got Derrick Harvey. If you draft a QB, we need at least 1 more guy on the OLine as well.

We'll still have picks outside of the 1st round. For interior OL, we should be fine with 2nd/3rd/4th rd picks. Parnell isn't getting any younger but his play this year has definitely put me back on the pro-Parnell front. We do need a developmental guy behind him that can potentially be something down the road, but I don't think we need a high round OT unless it just works out.

Back in the Harvey days our defense wasn't close to what it was now with all the weapons at each level. We have two shutdown corners, one being top 3 and one being top 10 (however you want to rank them), two interchangeable safeties who have been a big part in the rise of this defense. At the LB level you have two terrific cover LB's who can bring it. Then on the DL we have 3 very quality interior DL, two of which have been considered in the past to be elite at their position (not sure that the way they're playing that is any different), with Campbell/Ngakoue/Fowler and a rookie that is producing when given snaps in Smoot.

The unit is just so terrific and young that it should be a strong, top end unit long-term and with the run game we have with Fournette we should be in good position to be a team that can run the ball with success and play suffocating defense.

When I say one player away I don't mean that we don't have areas where we could improve, but if you put a team playing like this with below average/poor QB play at times and give them even an average guy that can move the ball and not be a black hole offensively at times (Blake has his good moments, but some games there is just NOTHING that happens with him back there), than this should be a team that is in the playoffs/going deep for several years barring injuries. At least that's my opinion on the matter.

As for the picks, if we're picking in the 20's and want to get up several spots+ than a future 1st is going to have to be on the table. It's not ideal, but I'm sick of going into every week wondering if Blake is going to have a random 2+ turnover game and lose it for us due to the ineptitude of being able to move the ball with any consistency.

[JiffyJag]

Taylor, Keenum, or Smith is our best bet probably. 

[pwny]

We need:

WR - #2 and depth  #1 if ARob is gone

RB - depth

LG  - Still need a starter upgrade

OL - Depth

TE - Starter and depth

SLB - Starter

LB - Depth

Slot Corner - if Colvin leaves

DE - player to groom to take over Campbell’s role

Depth players all around

Not sure how many picks you can justifiably throw towards one position with that many missing pieces.

 

We’ve been extremely lucky to be so healthy this year. Our starting defense has missed like one combined game (I think Church missed one game). That isn’t going to happen all the time and the team needs to find depth players that can step in and help keep things on track. 

[.Buzz]

Just now, iPwn said:

We need:

WR - #2 and depth  #1 if ARob is gone

RB - depth

LG  - Still need a starter upgrade

OL - Depth

TE - Starter and depth

SLB - Starter

LB - Depth

Slot Corner - if Colvin leaves

DE - player to groom to take over Campbell’s role

Depth players all around

Not sure how many picks you can justifiably throw towards one position with that many missing pieces.

 

We’ve been extremely lucky to be so healthy this year. Our starting defense has missed like one combined game (I think Church missed one game). That isn’t going to happen all the time and the team needs to find depth players that can step in and help keep things on track. 

DE has Smoot who I'm quite sure was to be exactly that. Thus far I see no reason why he can't be the guy when Campbell is done.

Not like you are sacrificing a whole draft to move up and get a guy, but you are going to have to give 2-3 high round picks (between two drafts). You have a definite chance to find quality depth with 3rd/4th/5th round picks. A SLB in our defense we shouldn't be spending a high pick on most likely either.

Again, you aren't going to have studs/great depth all across the board on the roster. No team is that way. There IS going to be holes. There is going to be problems that some units have when injuries pop up. All those may be needs, but we aren't filling all of those/going to be well off across the board whether we keep all our picks or not. 

Texans were far from being well off everywhere and made the move to go up and get Watson last year. Obviously not all guys are going to have that type of impact (not many have), but he looked like he was solely going to take that team places with an awful secondary and a front 7 that is severely lagging behind with Watt being out for the year and Mercilus going down.

If we see a guy and think of him as a franchise QB, I'm all for doing what we need to do to get it done.

[KhanYouDigIt]

Tyrod as a FA and draft a QB to sit. Tyrod is pretty much made for our offense. 

 

[JaguarCrazy2832]

22 hours ago, Jaguarfan said:

Taylor, Keenum, or Smith is our best bet probably. 

And worst options

Would much rather get Cousins or Bridgewater but no chance Minny lets him go. Would Washington really tag Cousins AGAIN though?

[pwny]

4 minutes ago, JaguarCrazy2832 said:

Would Washington really tag Cousins AGAIN though?

A transition tag with the intent to match whatever offer a team gives? I don’t see why it wouldn’t be an option unless he makes it clear he hates the team.