Jaguars Daily: Chris Simms is wrong (again) about Trevor Lawrence

By Ryan Day@ryaneatscake Mar 25, 2021, 7:21am EDT

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Here’s all the Jacksonville Jaguars news that’s fit to print, or find from around the Internet.

Chris Simms is wrong (again) about Trevor Lawrence

Add Chris Simms to the list of NFL media members with a contrarian take on Trevor Lawrence.

The former NFL quarterback and analyst for NBC caused a stir on the internet a few weeks back when he listed BYU’s Zach Wilson, not Lawrence, as the top quarterback prospect coming out of college. On NFL Network’s “Good Morning Football,” he doubled down on the take, suggesting the Jaguars — who hold the No. 1 overall pick — may be making the selection to put butts in the seats instead of to win football games.

Man, what?

Prospect Battle: Jaelan Phillips or Greogry Rousseau?

Among the potential edge defenders that will be there at 25 could be a pair of Miami Hurricanes that bring a lot to the table.

Jaelan Phillips bursted onto the scene after a dominant 2020 where he notched eight sacks and 15.5 tackles for loss. Gregory Rousseau opted out of the 2020 season, but played in 2019 as a redshirt freshman and had 15.5 sacks and 19.5 tackles for loss.

Both could both hear their names called on Day 1 of the 2021 NFL Draft, and one of them could potentially be headed to Duval. The question is, which player is a better fit?

For that, we head to the film room!

Mid-round running backs the Jaguars should consider drafting

The Jaguars wasted no time and have taken advantage of the NFL’s free agency period, having made a few signings and adding depth to a roster that was devoid of it last season.

While Jacksonville focused on fortifying their defensive line and secondary, they also made a few additions to the offense, with running back Carlos Hyde among them.

Who are some other running backs this team could draft?

Cam Robinson (almost) spoils Jaguars’ draft plans

Just before free agency started, the Jacksonville Jaguars placed the franchise tag on left tackle Cam Robinson, which ensures he won’t go anywhere for at least one more year. The 2017 second-round pick recently talked about staying with the team, his expectations for 2021, and during the conversation, he almost gave away the team’s draft plans.

Jaguars reporter Ashlyn Sullivan recently had the chance to talk to Robinson. During the exchange, he said that having things figured out was a good thing and knowing he would stay in Jacksonville took some pressure off his shoulders. He added that it’s good to be able to put that part behind him.

New Jaguars receivers excited about Trevor Lawrence... without naming names

Everybody knows it. But none of the new Jaguars wide receivers wanted to talk about it directly.

It, of course, is the Jaguars’ soon-to-be addition of quarterback Trevor Lawrence, whom the Jaguars will almost certainly select with the first pick of the NFL Draft on April 29. When the three receivers—Marvin Jones, Jamal Agnew, and Phillip Dorsett signed with the Jaguars in the early days of free agency this month, they all knew what was to come.

When I asked Marvin Jones about coming to play for a rookie quarterback, he danced around the topic, while grinning about it. “I feel good about it, but at the same time, we’ll see. We’ll see when it happens and then we can double back and talk about that,” Jones said.

Marvin Jones is an important signing, y’all

While many (including this beat writer) expected the Jacksonville Jaguars to hand out a large contract to at least one skill player during free agency, the Jaguars elected to instead attack the offense with value signings.

The most significant of those value additions? Far and away the team’s two-year deal with veteran receiver Marvin Jones, the definition of value. Jones, 31, was among the more underrated receivers available this March but the Jaguars landed him with just a $14.5 million deal with $9.2 million in guarantees.

Adding Jones for that kind of value isn’t just a move the Jaguars were ecstatic about, either. Meyer remarked on Friday that signing Jones has especially stood out among the team’s insertion of 12 new players when it comes to what he hears from others in the sport.

Urban Meyer says free agency “not good business” for league

Urban Meyer knew free agency was going to be different from recruiting, but he wasn’t really prepared for one of the most glaring discrepancies: signing guys without meeting them.

Teams are allowed to contact the agents of players who will become free agents only during the two-day period before the league year officially begins. Because that’s when most of the deals are struck, Meyer was building his team without any contact — and he hated it.

Jaguars mock draft: Who do we pick after free agency?

It’s been nearly one week since the NFL legal tampering period and the new league year has begun. The Jacksonville Jaguars were initially quiet as the free agency period began but eventually made some big impact moves. Their biggest move of the week was by signing free agent cornerback Shaquill Griffin to a four-year deal.

In this post-free agency mock draft, the Jaguars will continue to fill out their roster in preparation for an improved 2021 season.

Malcolm Brown is “ecstatic” to be reunited with Charlie Strong

The Jaguars made a concerted effort to upgrade its defensive line last week, and one of the marquee names it acquired was defensive tackle Malcom Brown, a former Texas product, coached by assistant head coach/inside linebackers coach Charlie Strong for one season.

Urban Meyer indicated that Brown was perhaps his favorite signing of the offseason, and the top priority was to acquire talent along the defensive line.

The team’s idea to build off of the defensive line is something that excites Brown, too, noting that the “big guys set the tone of the game.”

BCC Q&A: Would you trade Gardner Minshew?

We answered some questions now that NFL free agency in the rear view mirror!

Today we’re talking about trading away Gardner Minshew, free agent wide receivers, NFL Draft plans, and more.

3 veterans this Jaguars team can still sign

Coming off arguably the worst season in franchise history, the Jacksonville Jaguars knew they had to make meaningful changes if they wanted to turn things around and started to win games. So far, they haven’t disappointed.

The Jaguars started by moving on from head coach Doug Marrone and hiring Urban Meyer as his replacement. They also gave their coaching staff a makeover and appointed Trent Baalke as their general manager after holding the position on an interim basis late in the 2020 season.

Jacksonville can keep adding talent to their roster. There are still a few free agents available in the open market that could be had at an affordable rate. Here are three players the Jaguars should target.