The Jacksonville Jaguars’ offense will need to take a huge step this year if the team is to have any chance at the playoffs. Thankfully, they picked up a great offensive mind in coach Doug Pederson to help them get there.
The Jags also made several offensive additions, but the most notable one was the addition of receiver Christian Kirk, who they signed to a four-year deal worth up to $84 million. Needless to say, with that kind of deal they view him as a player who could be a key contributor to the team alongside quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
When looking at how the league’s top offenses are constructed, they normally have a trio of skill players at the quarterback, running back, and pass-catching positions, whether it be at tight end or receiver. And if Kirk can be a 1,000-yard receiver or better, James Robinson can return to 100% from his Achilles tear, and Lawrence can be the quarterback prodigy that many feel he is, the Jags would be a force to be reckoned with.
However, it’s simply too early to tell how all three will play in 2022. Despite that, though, CBS Sports ranked the trio higher than expected on their skill players trios list. The three came in at the No. 22 spot, ranking them ahead of 10 other trios. That still placed them in the “Not awful, but not great” tier (No. 6) of the list, which means the Jags’ group has a lot of work to do.
Here is was CBS Sports analyst Jared Dubin had to say about their placement:
It seems to me like the Jags got a “no longer coached by Urban Meyer” bump in the rankings. Doug Pederson should put Lawrence in much better situations than he was in a year ago, and having professional receiving options should be of great help. But Kirk has never had more than 982 yards in a season, and the track record of “No. 3 wideout on a pretty good offense becomes the No. 1 wideout elsewhere” is very bad. Robinson and Travis Etienne are each coming off major injuries.
Robinson was a Top-100 player before his Achilles injury and a lot will hinge on if he can be the player he once was. If he can, that would be a huge source of offense for Pederson in Year 1 with the Jags.
As for Kirk, it’s a bit hard to say how much of a contributor he can be for the Jags’ offense because we need to see how he will be utilized in the offense. But he does have an opportunity to shine and be the guy at receiver, which was a bit hard to do in Arizona with A.J. Green, DeAndre Hopkins, Rondale Moore, and Zach Ertz all on the same team. It also doesn’t hurt to have a quarterback who has the potential to be better than Kirk’s last quarterback in, Kyler Murray.
As for Lawrence, Pederson’s work with young quarterbacks should make fans optimistic. After all, general manager Trent Baalke says he’s already noticed an increase in confidence for the former first-round pick under Pederson. That said, if he continues to make steady progress this offseason, he could help the Jags’ offense take another step.