4 Changes Jaguars Must Make During Bye Week

Safety has quickly become a concern for the Jaguars defense. For the last two weeks, Andrew "Dewy" Wingard has been on the wrong in of big plays from both the Seahawks and Rams, respectively. His play and overall performance has declined to the point where it is becoming a determent to defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile and his defense.

Wingard feels destined to be a special teams depth safety moving forward, opening the door for more opportunites and a new starting safety with Antonio Johnson, the third-year safety who has been patiently waiting his turn. Johnson showed flashes in coverage this season and the preseason, including last year when he played in spurts. This is the change that could reinforce the secondary.

Playing rookies along the offensive line

The Jaguars offensive line has had a complete breakdown in protection, allowing 14 sacks in the last two games, unacceptable in any regard. No change will come at left tackle in the near future, but the interior is another story. Patrick Mekari has been inconsistent at right guard and his counterpart, left guard Ezra Cleveland, remains as such.

This opens the door to giving an opportunity for rookies Wyatt Milum and Jonah Monheim, and in these cases, you would want to see the mistakes made from a first-year player with the understanding he can improve compared to a veteran making the same ones consistently. It is worth the shot, though it may not solve the lack of discipline on offense. Speaking off that...

Adjust the target share amongst pass-catchers

This explaination may take some time. Brian Thomas Jr. could benefit from seeing less targets and use the bye week to adjust his mindset and focus that seems to be all over the place this season- consider it a quasi-benching of sorts. An example of this can be directed at the Jaguars Week 1 opponent, the Carolina Panthers, and their approach with second-year WR Xavier Legette, who missed time with a hamstring injury in Weeks 3 and 4 before having a spike in production in recent weeks.

That could work for Thomas. He is too talented to keep off the field, and limiting his role in the offense in the short-term could help build confidence and chemistry between him and quarterback Trevor Lawrence. Now the question becomes, who becomes the top targets in the offense?

Those names are Parker Washington and Travis Hunter, and that hint was obvious last week or even the last several weeks if you pay close attention. Both players have drop rates well under six percent and have shown reliability and better chemistry in the passing game. The only issue is that both players work better from the slot, which means Coen would have to run more 12 personnel.

The passing offense should improve when tight end Brenton Strange returns from his hip injury in a few weeks. Involving Washington and Hunter in the passing attack frequently could help Lawrence out immensly following the bye.

Playing Travis Hunter on both sides of the ball...full-time

Its time to take the training wheels off and let Hunter loose. The sensational rookie wide receiver and cornerback has shown time and time again in recent weeks that he is not only the best offensive playmaker the Jaguars have, but their best pure coverage defender, similar to my prognosis of Hunter in the pre-draft process as the No. 1 wideout and cornerback in Aprils draft, a key reason why he was the No. 2 overall selection.

Hunter put up his best numbers yet against the Rams with eight catches, for 100 yards, one touchdown, and a pass defended. He is electric in space with the ball in his hands, has shown remarkable ball skills on either side of the field, is a decisive route runner, and has played with sound technique in both man coverage and zone shells.

In short, he's on the preface of having a rare performance at a high level.

You don't keep that type of talent sidelined on one side of the ball for a majority of the game. Hunter has a Olympic-level stamina to play both sides of the ball full-time. However, "full-time" in my book for Hunter would be at least 75 percent of snaps during the game on offense and defense. That way, you can give him rest and rotate him in with relievers when needed.

What changes do you think the Jaguars should make? Follow along on X (formerly Twitter) @JaguarsOnSI and @_John_Shipley for the latest news and analysis from following Sunday's loss.

Let us know what changes the Jaguars should make when you like our Facebook page, WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.