Jaguars' Smartest Offseason Move and Riskiest Bet

Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union

Jaguars' Smartest Offseason Move and Riskiest Bet

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Saivion Mixson | Last updated Sep 7, 2026 10:27 PM ET

The Jacksonville Jaguars and their general manager, James Gladstone, have the pleasure of building on the momentum of head coach Liam Coen’s first season that ended with 13 wins. It’s easy to overextend beyond available resources as expectations skyrocket and terms like ‘Super Bowl window’ start to be thrown around. However, two decisions can be pinpointed as the best move of this offseason and the riskiest bet Gladstone and company made in trying to capitalize on last season’s momentum.

Best Move

Signing Chris Rodriguez Jr.

Nov 30, 2025; Landover, Maryland, USA; Washington Commanders running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. (36) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Denver Broncos in the second quarter at Northwest Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

The Jaguars’ running game last season tied for 25th with the New England Patriots in success rate. Like New England, Jacksonville relied on their dynamic passing attack and their dynamic quarterback to get them out of their 10th-most third-and-longs (third-and-7+) in 2025, according to NFL Pro. Jacksonville was pressured third-most in these situations, behind only the Los Angeles Chargers and Arizona Cardinals. If Jacksonville wants to take that next step, they have to get out of these situations, and that starts with more success running the football on first and second downs, where the Jaguars were ranked 22nd in EPA/rush and 24th in rushing success rate. Chris Rodriguez Jr. gives the Jaguars stability alongside Bhayshul Tuten that Travis Etienne Jr. did not. Etienne was the more explosive back, but Rodriguez was one of the better down-to-down backs in the league last season. Rodriguez Jr. ranked fifth among running backs with 100+ carries in EPA/rush and was eighth in success rate.

Riskiest Bet

Letting Devin Lloyd Walk

Aug 4, 2026; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers linebacker Devin Lloyd (55) drills during training camp at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Devin Lloyd signed with the Carolina Panthers for three years, $45 million, a price the Jaguars were not going to pay. With that, though, the Jaguars are missing out on a major piece of the league’s second-best pass defense last season. As the nearest defender, Devin Lloyd had the best passer rating allowed (53.7) of any linebacker with 61+ coverage snaps. Dennis Gardeck, Ventrell Miller and Branson Combs will try to piece together that same kind of effectiveness in the aggregate, but it will be difficult.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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