NFL training camp is finally upon us, and the 2021 NFL season will be kicking off before we even know it. With the Jacksonville Jaguars veterans joining the rookies at training camp on Tuesday, the preseason festivities have finally commenced.
With the season just around the corner, Bleacher Report released updated power rankings for the NFL, and once again, it isn’t high on the Jacksonville Jaguars. The team, led by a first-time NFL coach in Urban Meyer, and a rookie quarterback in Trevor Lawrence, ranked 30th on the power rankings, ahead of only the Houston Texans and Detroit Lions.
High: 28
Low: 30
It’s not that often that a one-win football team heads into the following season amid considerable excitement and hype. But last year’s 1-15 debacle earned the Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence, and his arrival has injected hope for the franchise’s future.
Lawrence was limited in OTAs after offseason shoulder surgery, but per Judy Battista of the NFL Network, he’s expected to be a full-go for training camp. With DJ Chark Jr., Marvin Jones Jr. and Laviska Shenault Jr. at wide receiver and James Robinson and rookie Travis Etienne at running back, Lawrence isn’t hurting for weapons.
However, the Jaguars also have a bottom-10 offensive line according to Pro Football Focus and a defense that checked in last in the AFC in both yards and points allowed.
“The Jaguars are going to be better this year than last,” Davenport said, “and the offense could actually be quite good. But the defense will be Jacksonville’s undoing. The Jags won’t be a last-place team again in 2021—but the team’s ceiling is about half a dozen wins.
With Lawrence finally at 100%, he can make a real push for the starting job in camp. Between him and an offense loaded with weapons at the skill positions, Jacksonville should be much improved on that side of the ball. Obviously, most of the concerns lie on defense, where the team was one of the worst units in the NFL last season.
The Jaguars made some nice value pickups defensively this offseason and gave a big contract to former Seattle corner Shaquill Griffin, and the defense is expected to improve — especially with new defensive coordinator Joe Cullen, whose scheme should fit the front seven more than what was run under Todd Wash, coming to town.
With one of the youngest rosters in football and a large percentage of their contributors playing on rookie deals, the Jaguars aren’t expected to be competitive for a playoff spot this season. But the team should improve from its 1-15 finish considerably, and it will hope to do better than third-worst in the league.