Jacksonville Jaguars Season Recap

AFC South	Finished 4th in Division
Overall Record: 3-13 (2-4 in division)	Draft Position: 4th
Head Coach: Gus Bradley (Fired); Doug Marrone (Weeks 16-17)	GM: David Caldwell

Pro Bowlers

• CB Jalen Ramsey
• WR Marquise Lee
• LB Paul Posluszny
• P Brad Nortman
• WR Allen Robinson
• DE Dante Fowler, Jr

2016 Rankings

	Yards/Game	Points/Game	Passing Yards/Game	Rushing Yards/Game
Offense	23rd	25th	20th	22nd	TDs – 26th
Defense	6th	25th	5th	19th	Sacks – T-19th	INTs – 32nd

Top Passers

Name	Games Started	CMP. PCT.	Yards	TDs	INTs	Passer Rating	QBR
Blake Bortles	16	58.9	3,905	23	16	78.8	49

Top Rushers

Name	Rushing Yards	Y/A	TDs
T.J. Yeldon	465	3.6	1
Chris Ivory	439	3.8	3

Top Pass Catchers

Name	Receptions	Yards	Y/C	TDs
Allen Robinson	73	883	12.1	6
Marquise Lee	63	851	13.5	3

Top Defensive Players

• LB Paul Posluszny - 132 total tackles, 9 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, 1 INT
• S Johnathan Cyprien - 128 total tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 1.0 sack
• DE Yannick Ngakoue - 22 total tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 8.0 sacks, 1 INT
• LB Telvin Smith - 118 total tackles, 14 tackles for loss, 1.0 sack, 2 INTs
• CB Jalen Ramsey - 65 total tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 2 INTs

Impending Free Agents

• CB Prince Amukamara
• G Luke Joeckel
• DT Tyson Alualu
• DT Abry Jones
• SS John Cyprien
• WR Bryan Walter
• WR Arrelious Benn
• G Patrick Omameh
• DT Jordan Hill
• RB Joe Banyard
• RB Denard Robinson

What I Said About Them Before the Season

• I was really far off on my preseason outlook for the Jaguars.  I believed far too much in Blake Bortles' abilities and thought that he could cut down on interceptions and help to drive the team's offense.  I also thought too highly of their running back duo of T.J. Yeldon and Chris Ivory. I was correct on Jacksonville's defense, led by a plethora of young, skilled players including Jalen Ramsey and Dante Fowler Jr, both Pro Bowlers this season.  I picked that the team would go 8-8 this year and compete for a playoff spot and I was really far off with that prediction.

Success/Failure

• Failure - With the strides that the defense took last season, the amount of resources used on that side of the ball, plus the amount of talent at the skill positions on offense and the weakness of the AFC South, the Jaguars were expected to take a step forward and compete for the division title this season.  The defense continued in their development, ranking in the top ten in both yards per game and passing yards per game.  However, they struggled with rushing the passer, stopping the run, and forcing turnovers.  They also had difficulty keeping opposing teams from scoring, but I think this could be the result of the Jaguars' offense turning the ball over, giving the defense a shorter field to defend.  Their biggest issue was on offense, where Blake Bortles has struggled to develop into an NFL-caliber quarterback despite having elite talent at wide receiver.  They had problems in all facets of offense, ranking in the bottom ten in the league in yards per game, rushing yards per game, points per game, and touchdowns.  Their struggles on offense cost head coach Gus Bradley his job and hopefully the team can improve on their issues next season under new coach Doug Marrone.

Offseason Needs

• First, the Jaguars need to decide if Blake Bortles is really the franchise quarterback they thought he was when they drafted him third overall in 2014.  If he isn't, then perhaps they consider drafting another quarterback in the second, third, or fourth rounds to back up Bortles for 2017, his last year under contract, and to take over as starter beginning in 2018.  If the team does think that he is their franchise quarterback, then they need to do everything they can to give him some protection on the offensive line.  They also need defensive line help to get more of a pass rush on opposing quarterbacks as well as secondary help.  The upcoming draft has plenty of the prospects to fill the latter two needs, especially in the early rounds, where safety Jamal Adams should be available with their first pick.  Afterwards, with their subsequent picks, they should be able to fill the rest of their needs.

*All stats and information come from espn.com, nfl.com, pro-football-reference.com, rosterresource.com, spotrac.com, overthecap.com, and cbssports.com