In what was expected to be a quiet free agency period for the Jaguars, they managed to grab one of the biggest fish in DE Aaron Kampman. The "Where's Waldo" guessing game as to where he was and the concerns over his ACL have been talked about enough that I'm going to skip them. Either way, the ripple effect of Kampman can't be ignored.
Here are a few collateral issues the Jaguars will have.
1. Reggie Hayward
The Jaguard offered HayDay barely above the league minimum, though with good reason. However, if Hayward did resign with the Jaguars, it would be an excellent sign of things to come. If Derrick Harvey can develope under Joe Cullen; between Hayward and Kampman the left side should be secure. Not to mention they could rotate out regularly and keep their respective injuries from popping up late in the regular season.
2. Derrick Harvey
For all of the bust labels thrown at Harvey, I thought he played well last year. After going back to a 4-3, he began to show signs of life. However, the Jaguars never had anything more than a mediocre DE on the other side, meaning even when Harvey did get penetration he would get double teamed. The signing of Kampman should light a fire inside if he has the competitive spirit to play in the NFL.
3. The Draft
I don't buy the idea that the Jaguars will still go defensive end at #10 after signing Kampman. Tra Thomas was always a stop gap player, and the Jags lucked out with Monroe falling to #8 last year. The Jaguars didn't pay Aaron $10 million in guaranteed money to be a stop gap player. The team paid him that to put Peyton Manning and Matt Schaub on their asses.
Granted, if the Jaguars have Derrick Morgan or Jason Pierre-Paul as the BAP, I think they'll take him. However, I think the Jaguars will look elsewhere, especially if Jimmy Clausen or Eric Berry fall.
4. Quentin Groves
If there is a big loser in all of this, it's most likely Groves. After spending most of last year either on the bench, getting mauled by opposing tackles, or being involved in hit and runs, I doubt he has much of a future with the team. The Jaguars were open to trade talks for him last year, and after signing Kampman I'm sure Groves will be on the trading block again. Even if he doesn't get traded, if he doesn't turn in an excellent off season and camp, the turk may pay him a visit.