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We’re just a few short hours away from all the Jacksonville Jaguars free agency news to become official — and the team was actually a little bit busier than I thought they’d be during legally tampering.
To help keep track of all the free agents likely to sign with the team this afternoon, here’s your roundup of all the players the Jaguars have agreed to reported terms.
OL Andrew Norwell
Norwell was on a lot of Jaguars fans wish lists for free agency, but after passing on an expensive guard market last offseason and making Brandon Linder the highest paid center in the NFL, it seemed they might pass on the only top tier free agent guard available.
Nope.
The Jaguars were the No. 1 rush offense last season, but a lot of that was smoke and mirrors and when they really had to run the ball, they were not that effective. Adding Norwell should help the Jaguars offensive line across the board.
The Jaguars will now have both the highest paid guard and the highest paid center in the NFL on the same line.
LB Barkevious Mingo
In 16 games last year, Mingo had 47 tackles, 2.0 sacks, and three forced fumbles. If Mingo is signed he’d likely play SAM.
I still think drafting someone for that SAM role would be a good idea, but with Mingo the team has a lot of players who could compete for that position — but second-year linebacker Blair Brown is probably the frontrunner after Posluszny’s retirement yesterday.
WR Marqise Lee
Lee was originally drafted by the Jaguars in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft and his career got off to a rocky start. Lee was a dynamic playmaker in college, but his first two years in the NFL he struggled with staying healthy due to nagging soft-tissue injuries.
In 2016 he had what most would consider his break out season, to the tune of 63 receptions for 851 yards and three touchdowns. More importantly however, Lee played all 16 games that season. In 2017 Lee’s numbers dipped with a lot of drops, though the Jaguars offense became significantly more run heavy as well, catching only 56 passes for just over 700 yards with three touchdowns.
WR Donte Moncrief
Moncrief is entering his fifth season in the league, having played all but 11 games in his career. But he’s only caught 158 passes in that time span for 1,875 yards and 18 touchdowns. He’s nearly identical in build to Allen Robinson (same height, five pounds heavier) and runs a little bit more quickly.
CB D.J. Hayden
Originally drafted No. 12 overall in the 2013 NFL Draft by the Oakland Raiders, Hayden started his rookie season as the No. 3 cornerback on the depth chart. But by November he was put on injured reserve. He would either miss large portions of the beginning or end of his seasons in two of his next three seasons in Oakland.
He signed a one-year contract with the Detroit Lions last offseason, playing in all 16 games and earning nine passes defended, two fumble recoveries, 0.5 sacks, and 35 tackles.