The Touchdown Wire recently ranked all 32 NFL offenses from best to worst in a recent article. Unsurprisingly, the Jacksonville Jaguars didn’t finish amongst the league’s best as Mark Schofield ranked their offense 27th in the NFL.
Here are the key statistics that Schofield used in determining the rankings:
Points Per Game: 18.8 (26th out of 32)
Yards Per Game: 274.7 (19th out of 32)
Yards Per Play: 5.0 (26th out of 32)
Ranking the NFL's offenses from worst to first https://t.co/JMYkpSv2Nv
— Touchdown Wire (@TheNFLWire) May 25, 2020
Schofield had this to say regarding the Jaguars:
“The Jacksonville Jaguars seem to be going through somewhat of a rebuilt as the 2020 season beckons, moving on from players like A.J. Bouye and Calais Campbell on the defensive side of the football. They addressed both cornerback and defensive line in the draft, selecting C.J. Henderson and K’Lavon Chaisson in the first round. But offensively, there are questions. Rising second-year passer Gardner Minshew showed that he belonged in the NFL, and D.J. Chark seems to be growing into a solid NFL receiver, but there are some questions about the rest of the offense. Laviska Shenault Jr. might be the modern offensive weapon, but there is still room for improvement on the offensive side of the football.”
Many expected the Jaguars to grab some offensive help for their young quarterback, Gardner Minshew II, in free agency and the NFL Draft. While they did add some pieces, general manager Dave Caldwell primarily focused on the defensive side of the ball.
Caldwell signed linebacker Joe Schobert, cornerback Rashaan Melvin, and defensive linemen Rodney Gunter and Al Woods among other defensive assets in the first few days of free agency. The only notable offensive signing came in the form of tight end Tyler Eifert.
In the draft, Caldwell doubled down on acquiring defensive talent. In the first round, Caldwell drafted Florida cornerback CJ Henderson as well as edge rusher K’Lavon Chaisson from Louisiana State.
When it came time to make a decision on their second-round pick, Caldwell got Minshew some help, drafting Colorado’s Laviska Shenault. Later on the third day of the draft, Caldwell got the offensive line some help with the selection of Ben Bartch, a small school talent, but one that could immediately compete for a starting job at right guard.
That said, the offense is primarily unchanged and the team will rely on the Minshew-to-Chark connection that proved so fruitful last season, along with Leonard Fournette’s punishing running style. I’m interested to see how offensive coordinator Jay Gruden implements Shenault into the offense has he can contribute from numerous spots on the field.
With very little key additions to the offense, I can see why Touchdown Wire isn’t too optimistic about the Jags’ offense in 2020. Ultimately, the Jaguars’ offensive success will come down to how well Minshew plays. Quarterback is the most important position on the field and we will soon find out if Minshew really does have that Minshew magic.