Unlike 2023, the Jacksonville Jaguars spare no expense to get better in the offseason. While they didn’t make any blockbuster signings, they took an aggressive approach when addressing most needs.
Moreover, the Jags managed to keep most of their core from last year intact. Sure, they did have to move on from a few players but they won’t be missed in 2024. Here are four who come to mind.
The Jacksonville Jaguars won’t be missing Folorunso Fatukasi in 2024
The Jaguars’ defense was vulnerable in the trenches last year. Opposing teams had no trouble pounding the ball and quarterbacks had ample time to throw because Jacksonville couldn’t consistently generate pressure from the interior. One of the culprits for the defensive front’s subpar performance was defensive tackle Folorunso Fatukasi.
A sixth-round pick by the New York Jets in 2018, Fatukasi signed a three-year deal worth $30 million in 2022. He was expected to fortify the interior defensive line and make it difficult for teams to run in the middle. On passing downs, he was supposed to take on double teams and allow his teammates to make plays. Rarely did the UConn product carry out his assignment.
In two years with the Jags, Fatukasi logged 48 total tackles and 1.5 sacks. Granted, nose tackles aren’t expected to make many splash plays but he was underwhelming more often than not, posting Pro Football Focus overall grades of 44.5 and 61.0 in 2022 and 2023, respectively.
To nobody’s surprise, the Jags moved on from Fatukasi in the offseason. Even though the savings weren’t that great (a modest $3.5 million), the Jags couldn’t justify keeping him around any longer. Sure, it wasn’t a nice gesture to release the veteran on his birthday, but other than that, his release was the best course of action.
Fatukasi wasn’t out of work for long, though. He signed a one-year deal with the division rival Houston Texans. It’s hard to see him making an impact but even if he does, the Jaguars’ interior defensive line is in much better shape after the addition of Arik Armstead and Maason Smith.
The Jacksonville Jaguars won’t be missing Brandon McManus in 2024
The Jaguars have struggled to find long-term stability at kicker for a while. To their credit, they’ve tried several times to fix the position, even if their search failed to bear fruit. Last year, they thought that Brandon McManus could be the answer, and for a moment, it looked like he was.
The team’s brass signed McManus not long after the Denver Broncos released him last offseason. To make room for him, they traded Riley Patterson to the Detroit Lions. Patterson had been reliable in 2022 but his dearth of range gave the team less than ideal field position and forced them to go for it on fourth downs more often than they would’ve liked. Patterson had no such issues.
Back in Mile High, McManus routinely nailed attempts from 50-plus yards out. The expectation is that he was going to do the same in Jacksonville even though he was coming off a down year. McManus did get off to a solid start to 2023, going 17-of-19 in the first eight games. However, he crumbled in the second half of the season, missing five of 17 attempts.
Once free agency came, the Jaguars didn’t make an effort to re-sign McManus. They tried to lock up Wil Lutz but he ultimately chose to stay with the Broncos. In the end, things work out in Jacksonville’s favor, as they found Cam Little in the draft.
The Jacksonville Jaguars won’t miss K’Lavon Chaisson in 2024
After four years of minimal production, the Jaguars at last parted ways with edge rusher K’Lavon Chaisson in the offseason. However, that’s not the way they probably envisioned his stint in Jacksonville would end when they drafted him 20th overall in 2020.
Chaisson was a raw player coming out of LSU but the Jags thought he had the potential to become a dominant pass rusher in the NFL. He certainly had the measurements but he was never able to fully hit his stride. As a rookie, he was asked to play in a three-point stance after mostly rushing the passer from a standup position in college. Not surprisingly, the player known as Swiper had trouble adjusting to his new position.
With Urban Meyer in the fold, Chaisson returned to his natural two-point stance. Unfortunately, the results were mostly the same. He got a clean slate once Doug Pederson was hired in 2022 but once again failed to do much of note.
Because the Jaguars didn’t bolster the pass rush in 2023, Chaisson was the No. 3 in the rotation behind Travon Walker and Josh Allen. He once again failed to make an impact. He did register a career-best two sacks in a season but that was a pretty low bar to clear.
Chaisson became a free agent in March and Jacksonville didn’t make an aggressive effort to keep him from leaving. He latched onto the Carolina Panthers, where he’ll be looking to have a career revival. All things considered, that might have been the best for his career.
It’s true that the Jaguars couldn’t get the most out of him early in his career, but there’s a point at which Chaisson must carry some of the blame for his inability to perform at a high level. On the bright side, he’ll get a fresh start in Carolina. Whether he takes advantage of it remains to be seen, but the Jags won’t be shedding a tear any time soon.
The Jacksonville Jaguars won’t miss Calvin Ridley in 2024
If there was one player the Jacksonville Jaguars would’ve wanted to keep in free agency, it was Calvin Ridley. Heck, they said as much several times throughout the offseason, but they had a couple things working against them. First, they had used the franchise tag on outside linebacker Josh Allen, so they couldn’t tag Ridley.
Furthermore, the Jags would’ve owed the Atlanta Falcons a second-round pick if they had signed Ridley to a long-term contract before the start of free agency. That was one of the conditions of the trade they made for him in 2022. Ultimately, the Alabama product hit the open market. He came close to returning to Jacksonville before he signed with the Tennessee Titans.
While losing Ridley to a division foe stung, his departure wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. He had a team-best 1,016 yards and accounted for eight receiving touchdowns. However, he also was responsible for several drops that hurt the team.
Trevor Lawrence near miss touchdowns pic.twitter.com/3tl8vK3VT5
— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) January 9, 2024
Not long after joining the Titans, Ridley said that there were a few things he didn’t like about his stint with the Jaguars. He talked about him being unjustly criticized for a drop, or something along those lines. It’s just a conjuncture, but it looks like he might not take criticism well. If that’s the case, Jacksonville is better off without him.
On top of that, the Jaguars were able to find a suitable replacement for Ridley in the draft. Having the chance to go the route they wanted, they selected wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. 23rd overall. Along the way, the front office managed to stockpile extra selections, so instead of paying top-market money for Ridley, Jacksonville found a potential playmaker at a reasonable price and acquired extra assets.
It’s true that Riley was a proven commodity but if Thomas lives up to expectations, he’ll make everyone forget about Ridley.
