The Jacksonville Jaguars have not reached the postseason since the 2007 season, but they look to be heading in the right direction under head coach Gus Bradley and have made some huge moves this offseason to bolster their player personnel.
Jaguars owner Shad Khan decided to keep Gus Bradley as the head coach after a 5-11 season in 2015, and while many owners are quick to fire their head coach after three difficult seasons, Khan, as well as others, see a bright year ahead in 2016. The Jaguars have landed some of the top free agents on the market this offseason, including defensive lineman Malik Jackson, running back Chris Ivory, and cornerbacks Tashaun Gipson and Prince Amukamara.
Jacksonville also holds the fifth overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, and it's clear why multiple people believe the Jaguars are on their way up in 2016. Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll is one of the believers in what Jacksonville is building, and he spoke about the franchise on the rise.
"I think it takes a long time and the formula that they have put together, it's taken some time to make their efforts on the roster and going after the players and spending the money and all that kind of stuff," Carroll said at the NFL's annual owners meetings. "I think they're really going for it, and I think he's laid the foundation, which he has a great foundation of what he stands for and all as a head coach. You could see them really improve last year. I think you're going to seem them take off this year."
The Jaguars have also added defensive assistant coach Monte Kiffin, a move that Carroll, as well as others, think will pay off for Jacksonville. The Jaguars showed strong improvements on the offensive side of the ball last season, but thy still struggled on defense finishing 24th in the league in terms yards allowed per game. Jacksonville's front office has made some big moves in free agency to bolster both their pass rush and secondary this offseason, and they are hopeful that the moves will significantly improve their defense in 2016.
While the Jacksonville is looking for a much-improved defense next season, they are looking for franchise quarterback Blake Bortles to take another step forward. "You need to make sure (the offense) is tailored to fit the quarterback if you believe it's your guy, if it's not a turnstile," said Jaguars offensive coordinator Greg Olson. "We don't have a turnstile thing going on at quarterback right now. We're comfortable with Blake Bortles. We're going to accelerate his development."
The Jaguars franchise quarterback is coming off a strong sophomore season in the league, completing 58.6 percent of his passes for 4,428 yards with 35 touchdowns to 18 interceptions. It will be interesting to watch how the Jaguars start the 2016 season, as all four franchises in the AFC South are expected to be improved. The AFC South proved to be one of the weakest divisions in the NFL last season with the Houston Texans taking the division title with a 9-7 record, but expect all four franchises to make a jump next season, as the AFC South should be an interesting division to watch in 2016.
