LB Julian Stanford

The Jaguars’ linebackers were absolutely dreadful last year, particularly against the run. They ranked in the bottom five of almost every meaningful run defense statistic and starting linebacker Myles Jack regressed heavily earning a 46.1 overall grade from PFF. The Jaguars have helped address this problem by signing strong run stopping defensive tackles Al Woods and Rodney Gunter.

The Jaguars linebackers have also had a tough time in coverage as well. Leon Jacobs was their best coverage linebacker (with a 64.4 PFF grade) before the acquisition of prized free agent Joe Schobert. They also suffered from major depth issues as each linebacker would miss multiple games due to injury. The Jaguars even relied on mid-season practice squad call-ups in Joe Giles-Harris and free agents Malcolm Smith (released shortly after signing) and Donald Payne who is more suited to be a special teams player.

Julian Stanford could be an interesting pickup for the Jags as he entered the league with them in 2012. He didn’t pan out well in his first run with the team as he was used primarily on special teams and has not played well as a solid starter since 2018 where he finished with a 72.4 PFF grade.

Stanford would not be asked to start as Jacobs, Jack, and Schobert are more than capable of holding down the linebacker duties, but the Jaguars do not want to be in the position again where they are completely ravaged with injuries to the defense. That said, a low-risk signing like Stanford would bolster the second-team unit for a cheap price.