Jaguars' Free Agent Additions Still Have to Combat Doubters

The Jacksonville Jaguars were not shy about adding new faces to their roster this offseason.

The Jaguars essentially blew up several position groups once they had head coach Liam Coen and general manager James Gladstone in place; out were the old guard at wide receiver, offensive line and in the secondary, and in were new play makers up and down the roster.

Two of those playmakers the Jaguars are set to lean on are wide receiver Dyami Brown and cornerback Jourdan Lewis, formerly of the Washington Commanders and the Dallas Cowboys.

So far, it appears the two NFC East veterans have transitioned to the Jaguars' scheme and rebuilding culture with ease. But the free agent additions still have some doubters they will have to prove wrong once the regular season and Week 1 officially roll around.

ESPN's Seth Walder is one of said doubters, with the analyst pointing out both moves as ones he is not especially high on.

:The Jaguars made several other moves I did not love. Before drafting Hunter, they traded Christian Kirk to the Texans, then signed Brown to a one-year, $10 million deal. I'm very skeptical of Brown, who recorded 229 receiving yards in three playoff games last season but has amassed only 784 receiving yards total over his four-year career. There's a big chance that the playoffs were an outlier. Jacksonville later cut Gabe Davis," Walder said.

"The Jaguars also gave Jourdan Lewis a three-year deal that averages $10 million per year. Lewis is coming off a nice season, but that's quite costly for a 30-year-old slot cornerback who has an average 1.0 yards per coverage snap over the past four seasons, per NFL Next Gen Stats."

Considering the issues the Jaguars had in the secondary last year, and the lack of big-money contracts ahead of them, it does not seem like the cost on Lewis is something that will hurt the Jaguars if he does not pan out.

But through the offseason, there are little signs to suggest he won't. Lewis had an excellent offseason and does not appear to be slowing down.

As for Brown, it does appear he will finally have an increased volume of targets in Jacksonville. If he can produce with his expanded role, he will put any concerns to rest.