How Much Did the Jaguars Improve in Free Agency?

The Jacksonville Jaguars were hard at work at the start of free agency earlier this month, turning the roster upside down in many aspects.

First, the Jaguars moved on from two of their key faces and locker room figures in Evan Engram and Christian Kirk. Then, the Jaguars added nine players on the first day of the legal tampering period and eventually ended up with 10 new signees.

Compared to the 4-13 season the Jaguars produced last year, did the Jaguars get any better during free agency? That is the question posed by Pro Football Focus, who took a look at the improvement or regression of each team in free agency.

For the Jaguars, PFF had them tabbed as a team that, thus far, has "stayed the same."

"Patrick Mekari was the big addition to the offensive line for the Jaguars. He earned a career-low 59.0 grade in 2024 but comes with positional flexibility and two previous seasons worth of 70.0 grades or higher," PFF said. "Robert Hainsey will likely take on the role as the team's starting center after the retirement of Mitch Morse, another big hole to fill, but struggled as the Buccaneers starting center in 2023, earning a 50.2 grade. Both moves come with big risks."

"Jourdan Lewis is coming off a career-high 79.0 coverage grade and will be the team’s starting slot cornerback, and Eric Murray could help solidify a unit that struggled against the run. Losing Evan Engram and Christian Kirk hurts the offense, as Trevor Lawrence loses out on two solid pass catchers, but those are holes that the Jaguars will likely address in the draft."

It is hard to make a good argument the Jaguars don't have a better roster today than they did at the end of the 2024 season. Kirk and Engram are high-profile pass-catchers whose reputations and fantasy football impact likely skews how people truly view the Jaguars losing them.

Overall, the Jaguars have gotten significantly better in the secondary and along the offensive line, while also adding logical scheme fits at wide receiver and tight end. Even if the Jaguars didn't make any splash signings, the additions of Jourdan Lewis and Patrick Mekari alone make the Jaguars a better team than they were in 2024.

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