Pair of Jaguars players named 2nd-year breakout candidates heading into 2022

Trevor Lawrence and Andre Cisco could be poised to make big jumps in Year 2.

It was a fairly disappointing season from Jacksonville’s rookie class. Aside from Tyson Campbell, who started most of the year at cornerback on the outside and improved quite a bit, there wasn’t much encouraging from this class.

But there is hope that the group could take a big leap in Year 2, and Pro Football Focus identified two of them as potential breakout candidates in 2022: quarterback Trevor Lawrence and safety Andre Cisco.

Lawrence finished the year with nine touchdowns to seven interceptions, and he completed less than 60% of his passes on the season. Still, he showed enough positives for there to be optimism about his play moving forward.

File this one under “no duh.” Look no further than an 85.1 passing grade in an upset win over the Indianapolis Colts and their top-10 defense in Week 18 to see what Lawrence is capable of. Outside of that, there really wasn’t too much in the way of positive takeaways from his rookie season. Between one of the ugliest coaching situations in recent memory and a banged-up supporting cast, Lawrence wasn’t put in near the situation to succeed that he should be in this upcoming season.

Unlike Lawrence, Cisco didn’t see a lot of action until later in the season. He appeared in every game but only started the final three due to injury. He impressed in those contests and could be poised to win the starting job in 2022.

Cisco was an afterthought when Urban Meyer was the Jaguars’ head coach, but the Syracuse product looked like one of the team’s best defenders when he took over as a starter in Week 16. He allowed only one catch for 12 yards while adding a pass breakup over the final three games of the season. The range Cisco was known for with the Orange stood out amongst the Jaguars safeties. Expect considerably more ball production in Year 2.

The Jaguars expected more from both players this season, but they both had impressive moments and ended the season on high notes. The early returns on the 2021 draft class haven’t been great so far, but the team will hope that changes down the line.

2022 NFL mock draft roundup: Eagles land dynamic SEC talent, trade up for QB

2022 #NFL mock draft roundup: #Eagles land dynamic #SEC talent in #DanielJeremiah’s latest, trade up for a raw #Liberty quarterback in #NBCSportsPhiladelphia latest mock

As the NFL transitions away from the postseason all-star games and moves forward towards the start of free agency, all eyes are on the Eagles and their three first-round picks in April’s draft.

Some of the league’s top draft prognosticators are ramping up the scouting and there will likely be several changes atop various draft boards as the combine and select pro days near.

With one week left in the month of February, here’s our final mock draft roundup, with a few heavy hitters predicting that Philadelphia leans heavy towards Georgia, a linebacker and potential addition to the quarterback room.

Eagles make a PFF list of 15 trades to watch out for in the 2022 NFL offseason

#Philadelphia #Eagles make a #PFF list of 15 trades to watch out for in the 2022 #NFL offseason

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The Eagles have stated that they are committed to quarterback Jalen Hurts, but Howie Roseman has three first-round picks, an expiring contract, and an owner that loves elite quarterback play.

Despite badly needing to rebuild the defense and provide more weapons for Hurts on offense, critics and pundits believe Philadelphia will ultimately take the Rams route of rebuilding around an elite, aging quarterback.

Pro Football Focus recently listed 15 trades to watch out for during the 2022 NFL offseason, and the potential acquisition of Russell Wilson made the top spot.

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS TRADE QB RUSSELL WILSON TO PHILADELPHIA EAGLES
Terms: Eagles send 2022 1st, 2023 1st, 2022 3rd
Seahawks dead money: $26M
Eagles inherited contract: Two years, $51M
The Eagles try to follow the Los Angeles Rams’ precedent here with a similar value trade for Russell Wilson, who is the same age as Matthew Stafford and has a similar remaining contract as Stafford did last offseason. The issue with trying to reconcile the Stafford-for-Jared Goff trade value is: How was Goff valued in the deal?

The contract numbers for Wilson are below the current market value, but it would leave Philadelphia will seven total 2022 draft picks, and several glaring holes on both sides of the ball.

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PFF named CB Avonte Maddox the Eagles most improved player in 2021

#PFF names #AvonteMaddox the #Philadelphia #Eagles most improved player in 2021 after a move back to the slot cornerback position

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The Eagles returned to the postseason in 2021 thanks to the improvement of several key players on both sides of the ball. The path to success in the NFL stems from an organization’s ability to hit and develop homegrown talent.

Philadelphia had several players make huge jumps in 2021, but none bigger than Avonte Maddox according to Pro Football Focus.

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES: CB AVONTE MADDOX
PFF Grade change from 2020 to 2021: 37.8 → 71.0 (+33.2)

Maddox was moved exclusively to outside corner for 2020, and it went poorly, as evidenced by his 37.8 PFF grade. In 2021, Maddox moved to the slot where he belongs and saw a drastic improvement. He actually finished the year as a top-five-graded defensive back in the slot. Maddox’s tackling was on point, with just five misses on 77 attempts and 24 defensive stops.

Maddox was among the highest graded cornerbacks in the NFL for the bulk of the season and year-by-year improvement resulted in a team-friendly, market-value contract extension that benefited both sides.

With Maddox firmly entrenched as the slot cornerback, Philadelphia can focus on adding a talented cornerback to pair with Darius Slay.

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PFF names Josh Allen Jags’ most improved player

Josh Allen’s grade drastically improved this past season after he registered a 69.6 in 2020.

Despite registering a better season than in 2020, it didn’t feel like the Jacksonville Jaguars were a better team in 2021. A lot of that was due to how much the offense struggled under the new regime, even before factoring in the injuries the unit endured.

However, if there were some positives to take from the season it was that the defense took a step in the right direction. And while the unit was far from elite, they left fans feeling as though there was something to build on.

Among those who flashed at times was pass-rusher Josh Allen, who ended the season with his second-highest sack total (7.5) and a career-high in tackles with 71. He especially turned heads with his performance against the Buffalo Bills where he garnered a sack, forced fumble, and an interception against the quarterback Josh Allen.

Ultimately, at the end of the season, it was performances like that one and others that allowed Allen to have a Pro Football Focus grade of 78.5, which was the highest figure on the Jags’ defense. It also marked marginal improvement over his 2020 grade, which was a 69.6 (an increase of +8.9).

As a result, PFF’s Anthony Treash listed him as the Jags’ most improved player this week, though he simmered down towards the end of the season.

PFF Grade change from 2020 to 2021: 69.6 → 78.5 (+8.9)

Allen’s 0.19 PFF Wins Above Replacement in 2021 was three times more than either of his first two seasons in the NFL. The 2019 seventh overall pick started out the 2021 season hot with an 86.9 PFF grade through Week 11 — the fourth-best at the position — but teetered off down the stretch. Allen produced far more high-level reps this past season and needs to find some consistency in 2022.

Allen’s improvement comes as the team will have to decide on picking up his fifth-year option, and when looking at the state of the roster, there is little doubt that they won’t. Additionally, it appears help could be on the way for Allen as the Jags could draft Kayvon Thibodeaux or Aidan Hutchinson to help the rest of the defense get to the quarterback.

If that happens, or the Jags land a solid free agent to rush the passer like Chandler Jones or Harold Landry, Allen’s career could take off. As fans witnessed when the Jags had other Pro Bowl-caliber players in the trenches with him like Yannick Ngakoue and Calais Campbell, Allen has the skills to be a solid No. 2 edge-rusher, but will struggle with consistency as the No. 1.

Jaguars nowhere to be found on Pro Football Focus’ top 101 players list

Jacksonville was shut out from this year’s list after a league-worst 3-14 finish.

It was a disappointing season across the board for Jacksonville in 2021.

Quarterback Trevor Lawrence was held back (partially by his own mistakes and partially by the play of those around him), and the receiving corps ultimately disappointed after being decimated by injuries. Then on defense, the team showed improvement by the end of the season but was far from good enough to make up for everything else.

After registering a league-worst 3-14 finish, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the Jaguars didn’t have any players among the league’s best. On Pro Football Focus’ list of the top 101 players in the NFL this year, Jacksonville was M.I.A.

It’s certainly not a surprise that there were no offensive players on this list. The highest-graded player that saw significant game time was receiver Laquon Treadwell, earning a 71.9 grade from PFF.

Defensively, Josh Allen could have had an argument to be here. His 78.6 season grade puts him within the range of some of the lower-graded players on the top 101. He finished with 7.5 sacks and a career-high 71 tackles, but he had problems with inconsistency. He had some huge games, but there were others where he was virtually a non-factor.

It’s not groundbreaking to say that bad teams tend to not have elite players, but this team’s lack of bona fide stars highlights how bad the roster situation has gotten. Jags fans can only hope the team isn’t omitted from this list next season.

Eagles have 5 players make PFF’s list of the top 101 players of 2021

The #Philadelphia #Eagles had 5 players make #PFF’s ranking of the top 101 players of the 2021 #NFL season and #AllPro center Jason #Kelce as not one of them

The 2021 NFL season is a wrap after the Los Angeles Rams defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20 on Sunday, to secure the first Super Bowl title for Sean McVay, Aaron Donald, Jalen Ramsey, Cooper Kupp, Matt Stafford, and a host of other big named players.

As we start to look towards the 2022 NFL season, Pro Football Focus took one last look back at 2021, revealing their top 101 players list.

Philadelphia had five players make the list, but it was a little confusing, with Jordan Mailata landing ahead of All-Pro right tackle Lane Johnson.

Even more confusing, Eagles’ All-Pro center Jason Kelce was omitted from the list despite making the Pro Bowl as well.

Pair of Jaguars land in top 60 of Pro Football Focus’ free agent rankings

D.J. Chark Jr. and Andrew Norwell are among the better potential free agents available this offseason, per PFF.

As Jacksonville enters a crucial offseason for the franchise, much of the emphasis has been placed on the players the team will look to add, both in free agency and the offseason. And while the Jaguars have an abundance of needs and will certainly look to spend some money in free agency, they also have some key decisions to make regarding current players with expiring contracts.

The biggest one is receiver D.J. Chark Jr. He’s coming off a broken ankle that ended his fourth season after just four games, and he hasn’t been able to match the production from his second year in 2019, when he reached the 1,000-yard threshold with Gardner Minshew II as his quarterback.

However, he has still shown a lot of promise, and keeping the big-play option in the fold is perhaps the team’s biggest priority in free agency. Pro Football Focus also values Chark fairly highly, ranking him 51st in its top 140 free agents list.

Chark’s relationship with new head coach Urban Meyer didn’t get off to the best start, as Meyer said he was a “big guy that played little.” In a wide receiver room devoid of top-end talent, Chark was supposed to be that guy. Unfortunately, an ankle injury sustained in Week 4 knocked him out for the remainder of what has been quite the eventful season in Jacksonville. Chark may look to depart for greener pastures, and there should be a handful of teams interested in adding a 6-foot-4 wide receiver with 4.3-second speed.

While Chark could certainly decide to play elsewhere, the Jags should do everything in their power to keep that from happening. His absence almost certainly handicapped the development of quarterback Trevor Lawrence, and considering how big of a need the position is, Jacksonville isn’t in a position to let talented players walk.

But Chark isn’t the only Jaguar on the PFF list, and he’s followed shortly after by left guard Andrew Norwell, who ranks at No. 57.

Norwell had two years and $25 million remaining on the five-year extension he signed in 2018, but the Jaguars negotiated a pay cut and contract reduction, making him a free agent after the 2021 season. Norwell responded with his eighth straight 70.0-plus pass-blocking grade, and there will almost certainly be a handful of teams looking for a veteran guard with his extremely high floor.

With the Jags renegotiating the terms of Norwell’s agreement, the veteran is set to hit free agency this offseason. Jacksonville could look to keep him around, especially considering it will also probably rely on Ben Bartch to start on the right side next season, but his production hasn’t necessarily earned another deal.

Though he’s been solid in pass blocking, he’s much less trustworthy in run blocking. His PFF grade for the season of 66.7 is just average, and he ranked 43rd among 82 qualifying guards in the league this season.

If the Jags choose to make an offer, it will almost certainly be considerably less than he was making on his previous deal. If he wants more or is just looking for a fresh start, he could look to leave.

The Jags have another key free agent not mentioned here in Cam Robinson, who played the 2021 season on the franchise tag. But Robinson is about to sign his second contract and will likely want more than his production in Year 5 justified.

The Jaguars are nearly certain to let at least one of these franchise centerpieces walk, with Robinson and/or Norwell seemingly the most likely candidates. They could still choose to move on from Chark, but that would make the need for receivers this offseason even greater, applying quite a bit of pressure to the front office to acquire some talent there.

Regardless, it will be interesting to see how the team approaches this offseason and building the roster for the future.

PFF ranks Jaguars’ 2021 draft class near the bottom of the NFL

The Jags’ class didn’t have many rookie contributors outside of Trevor Lawrence and Tyson Campbell, and PFF ranks it 30th as a result.

The 2021 NFL draft will likely always be remembered by Jaguars fans as the class that featured first overall pick quarterback Trevor Lawrence. The Clemson product was considered a generational prospect when the Jags drafted him, and though he had a frustrating rookie season, there’s still a lot of hope surrounding his future.

However, while the Lawrence pick was a no-brainer and one that should put the franchise in a good position in the future, the rest of the class was also important as the team tries to build around him.

That’s where Jacksonville faltered a bit. Travis Etienne, the team’s other first-round pick, missed his entire rookie season with a Lisfranc fracture. He remains a largely unknown commodity, as does much of the rest of the class. Second-round pick Tyson Campbell started at cornerback for most of the season, and while he improved quite a bit, he was really the only major contributor other than Lawrence in this draft class.

Third-round picks Walker Little and Andre Cisco saw minimal action earlier in the season but started the last several games and played well, while Jay Tufele and Jordan Smith barely saw the field. Luke Farrell wasn’t much more than a reserve blocking tight end, and Jalen Camp didn’t even make the final roster.

Given this, it shouldn’t be a major surprise that the Jags’ class ranks just 30th in the league after one season, according to Pro Football Focus. Here’s the justification for that ranking.

Why they’re ranked here: This Jaguars rookie class was always going to live and die with Trevor Lawrence‘s performance. There are plenty of excuses to be made for Lawrence, but the results were far from impressive. Lawrence finished the season ranked 27th among 32 qualifying quarterbacks in PFF grade, and Jacksonville didn’t get any production from their other first-round pick Travis Etienne following his preseason injury.

How their top pick fared: Lawrence had perhaps the best moments and throws of any rookie quarterback this season, and he already operates like a veteran in the pocket. Lawrence took sacks on pressured dropbacks at one of the lowest rates in the NFL this season, but the first overall pick just made too many mistakes, as he often forced the ball downfield and into non-existent windows. His 26 turnover-worthy plays were tied for third-most in the league.

Best value pick: Andre Cisco played 25 defensive snaps for the first time in Week 15, and he would go on to start each of the team’s final three games. It’s a small sample, but Cisco produced two PFF grades above 75.0 in those three starts. His playmaking ability at safety should earn him a starting role in the defense next season.

The breakdown of Lawrence’s play here is pretty fair. He did a lot of things well that you look for from young quarterbacks coming into the league, but his production was limited by some poor decision-making and even poorer play from his receiving corps.

The rest of the class is where most of the questions come from, but the Jags will hope Campbell continues to develop into one of the league’s more reliable corners and that players like Little and Cisco ultimately become starting-caliber players.

PFF views Trevor Lawrence as the Jags’ breakout candidate for 2022

Trevor Lawrence struggled as a rookie overall, but PFF believes better days are coming for him when considering the flashes he had.

The Jacksonville Jaguars have one of the league’s youngest rosters, and if their young players take a step next season, they should be able to look significantly better than they did in 2022.

Of course, the biggest key will be the strides that Trevor Lawrence makes, who was taken first overall by the Jags last April and considered a generational talent by some. And while he didn’t have a great year, he showcased why many were high on him in college at times by making several highlight plays on the season.

For that reason, Pro Football Focus’ Anthony Treash declared the former Clemson star as his breakout candidate for the Jags, though he did acknowledge that the situation around him would be a key variable.

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS: QB TREVOR LAWRENCE

2021 PFF Grade: 59.6

The 2021 No. 1 overall pick may not have had a banner rookie campaign in an awful situation, but he flashed everything that once made him a generational quarterback prospect. His pocket presence and playmaking under duress was advanced for his age. Lawrence ended his first year with the lowest pressure-to-sack rate among rookies and the third-most big-time throws under pressure (12). He also showed the ability to manipulate defenders to open up throwing lanes:

Situation will be key in a breakout for Lawrence, but it’s hard imagining him not taking a big step forward in 2022.

It’s worth noting that Lawrence lost many of his top skill weapons to season-ending injuries, including running back James Robinson, receiver DJ Chark, and tight end Dan Arnold, who tried to make a return Week 18. He also lost fellow first-round pick Travis Etienne in the preseason, who was drafted on the same day as him and was going to be a speed threat for the team.

Of course, Lawrence also had his moments where he made rookie mistakes as well. It probably didn’t help that Urban Meyer was unprepared for the NFL and didn’t exactly start trying to make Lawrence more comfortable until late in the season. However, with a better staff, the arrow would be pointing up for Lawrence as PFF predicts.