The Jacksonville Jaguars have emphasized that they want to put their players in better position to win and one way they could start that process is by moving linebacker Myles Jack back to the outside. The former 2016 second-round pick struggled mightily at the spot last season, acquiring a Pro Football Focus grade of 46.1.
For him to make his return to outside linebacker, the Jags will need a new inside linebacker to warrant the move. With the inside linebacker position being one of the hardest to learn, they may prefer a veteran free agent there instead of a rookie out of the draft. Here are three options who could be on the open market for them to acquire:
Cory Littleton – Los Angeles Rams
With him being so young at 26 years of age, Cory Littleton is exactly the type of free agent the Jags like to target. He’ll be coming off a 2019 campaign where he acquired a solid Pro Football Focus grade of 78.9 after racking up 134 combined tackles, good for ninth in the league. He also had a coverage grade of 90.6 over the past two seasons and that’s the part of his game that would greatly benefit them. In fact, the only two players to have a better grade in the department were Lavonte David and Luke Kuechly.
Unfortunately, his age and skills could make him too high in price for the Jags’ blood. Our comrades at the Rams Wire believe he could command a contract similar to Jack’s (four-years, $57 million with $33 million guaranteed). Though the Jags could set him up with a reasonable cap hit for 2020, they may be more enticed by a significantly cheaper option on the open market or free agency to avoid another hefty contract at the position.