Sep 21, 2025; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars general manager James Gladstone on the field during pregame against the Houston Texans at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Travis Register-Imagn Images Travis Register-Imagn Images

Jaguars Must Keep an Eye on This Upcoming FA

Originally posted on Jacksonville Jaguars on SI
By Fernando Alfaro-Donis | Last updated Feb 18, 2026 7:00 AM ET

The Jacksonville Jaguars are a team that find themselves at a crossroads this offseason. On one hand, they're coming off a season where they overachieved under a first-year head coach. On the other hand, they now have to face an offseason where their team may get worse than it was last season.

Simply put, the Jaguars don't have the cap space to bring back all of their important players that are going to be hitting free agency this offseason. Most notably Devin Lloyd, but the loss of others, such as Travis Etienne Jr., won't go unnoticed in their offense. What upcoming free agent should they be monitoring closely?

Bringing In a Veteran

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Lloyd's departure is going to severely impact their defense, as he was responsible for a lot of what made their defense so good. It's not guaranteed that he won't come back to the team, but he'd have to take a significant pay cut if he wanted to stay with the Jaguars. He's coming off his best season in the NFL. I'm sure there are going to be plenty of teams that will be able to outbid the Jaguars and give him a contract he won't be able to turn down.

With that in mind, I believe the Jaguars should be targetting a linebacker in free agency. Nobody will be able to replicate how effective Lloyd was in coverage and as a pass-rusher, but they can get a veteran who brings a lot of experience and will not leave such a gaping hole in the middle of their defense.

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Alex Anzalone is a veteran linebacker who's spent the majority of his career with the Detroit Lions, but will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason. He would give the Jaguars defense a strong presence over the middle of the field, and he is an excellent downfield tackler.

His coverage skills may not compare to Lloyd's, but it's not about replacing him; it's about diminishing the impact of his departure. Liam Coen needs to do all he can to make sure the Jaguars are relevant again in 2026, and Anzalone could be the veteran who keeps their defense afloat.

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The biggest problem with Anzalone is that he is an aging veteran. It's possible the production he had at the start of his Lions tenure isn't there anymore. However, if he isn't considering retirement, the Jaguars could be a perfect landing spot for him to close out his career.

This article first appeared on Jacksonville Jaguars on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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