Jacksonville Jaguars Q&A: What is the weakest position on the roster?

Armand from Atlantic Beach, FL

Q: Who do you see as our fifth receiver this season?

A: We released a full 53-man roster prediction shortly after mini-camp and we had Bryan Walters as the fifth receiver. I'm going to stay with that until another receiver emerges. Walters filled in about as well as a free agent stopgap could with Marqise Lee and Rashad Greene missing time last year. Unless another guy knocks it out of the park in training camp and preseason, he's the No. 5 receiver going forward.

Griff from Gainesville, FL

Q: How many new starters will we have by the season opener? Who do you think could sneak onto the roster?

A: On offense, I see three: Mackenzy Bernadeau at left guard, Kelvin Beachum at left tackle, and Chris Ivory at running back. On defense, there will likely be four: Malik Jackson, Dante Fowler, Jalen Ramsey, and Tashaun Gipson. And then there's the punter Brad Nortman.

Dan from Orlando, FL

Q: What is the weakest position on the Jaguars roster heading into 2016?

A: This is an intresting question. I don't read this as weakest "unit" so that takes away the offensive line, since Jaguars have good starters at least one guard, one guard, and a center.

I'd go with strong safety. Neither Johnathan Cyprien nor James Sample have done anything yet to show that they belong as major contributors on an NFL defense. And unlike a similarly unproven defensive end group, they don't appear to have much upside.

Joe from Parts Unknown

Q: Aside from Luke Joeckel, do you see anyone possibly getting traded in the preseason similar to Josh Scobee last year?

A: For a good trade, you have to have one or both of the following: too many good players at one position or a guy who's coming out of nowhere to unseat an established veteran who could immediately go to another team and contribute right away. Right now, the best chance I see is someone from our secondary. I'll say Demetrius McCray. He doesn't have a lot of bad things on tape, but he's clearly in the dog house. Oh, and Jalen Ramsey will probably start the season as the No. 3 cornerback so, yeah, that position is strong.

Trav from Jacksonville, FL

Q: Of anyone on the team or staff, who do you think is feeling the most pressure to improve or stand out during this upcoming season?

A: Gus Bradley. I don't care what Shad Khan, Dave Caldwell, or anyone from the team has said on the record... he's on the hot seat and if the team underperforms I don't think they'll hesitate to fire him during the season, turn the team over to Doug Marrone, and get a head start on finding a new head coach.

As far as players, I'll go with Marqise Lee. He's averaging just two catches for 30 yards per game he's been in. And going into his third year, he has just two touchdowns. That's not good enough for a guy who held a first-round grade from some teams in the same draft we selected Allen Robinson and signed Allen Hurns as an undrafted free agent. Lee needs to show he can stay healthy during the offseason and that he can contribute in this offense.

Dane from Neptune Beach, FL

Q: If we compare Dave Caldwell's first draft to his most recent one, the results seem like night and day. While his first was filled with question marks (and hindsight is 20/20, but Joeckel seems to be a whiff) it appeared in the most recent draft that Dave could do no wrong. He seems to be finding talent more and more, and drafting better every year. What has changed? Was he simply a young general manager trying to find his bearings in his first year? Was the talent simply not there? Has he settled in now with more confidence?

A: You wrote that Dave could "do no wrong" during his latest draft. There's a reason why so many people (including myself) share this view. Caldwell had a very specific objective for his 2016 draft -- patch the Jaguars' leaky defense. Caldwell was able to stick to this plan, but only because of the foundation talent he has been able to acquire in his prior drafts. It's important to understand the situation that Caldwell inherited when he first arrived in Jacksonville. The Jaguars' roster was in desperate need of an overhaul. The roster was quickly gutted, leaving the organization in a tight position during Caldwell's first draft. The team had to draft foundation players in an effort to field a somewhat complete team during that 2013 season. As seasons have passed and the team has been assembled, the Jaguars have been able to invest more picks for less holes -- a position that should lead to more fruitful drafts.

Joe from Tampa, FL

Q: Who is our best offensive lineman?

A: Hmmm. I wanted to immediately say Jermey Parnell, but Brandon Linder is a Pro Bowl-caliber lineman and going into his third season he's making a significant position switch from guard to center and doing it well, from all accounts. And A.J. Cann will likely be in contention for best offensive lineman by season's end. He had a phenomenal rookie year. I'll stick with Parnell.

Alan from Aurora, IL

Q: After a full season to evaluate, which offseason acquisition from last year turned out to be the most important?

A: Toss up between Jermey Parnell and Jared Odrick. Both solidified their respective lines and both are cornerstones for the foreseeable future with the Jaguars. Parnell was responsible for just four sacks last year and Odrick helped the team's run defense go from 27th (127.1 yards per game) to 15th (106.8 yards per game).

James from West Liberty, NY

Q: If Tashaun Gipson was to become injured during the season, and I know you don't want to "overload" a rookie, what would be the chances of sliding Jalen Ramsey in at free safety as a fill-in?

A: Very unlikely? The team has shown they won't adjust on the fly much position-wise. I'd expect them to use a solution from somebody already in the safety pool.

Sam from West Fargo, ND

Q: Why is there any reason to believe the offensive line will be any better? To me, we have just moved our best offensive lineman to center and thinned out as far as depth goes. I don't feel that the offense will be any better with a far below average offensive line.

A: Well, Linder barely played last season, so him being added to the lineup at all is an upgrade. This also means A.J. Cann, who had a very positive rookie season, will stay on the field.

If Beachum is healthy, he will more than likely upgrade the left tackle spot.

As for left guard... I think Mackenzy Bernadeau will be the team's weak link. But I also don't think he can be much worse than Zane Beadles was. So that is a wash.

So two positions upgraded with two solid starters left in place. I like that more than last year. Do I love it overall? Nope. But over last year? Without a doubt.

Alfie from Jacksonville, FL

Q: Can I borrow a dollar?

A: We'll start a GoFundMe. Hank will get right on that.