The Jacksonville Jaguars were hoping to build off back-to-back 9-8 campaigns ahead of 2024, but instead, they limped to a 2-7 start before losing QB Trevor Lawrence to a season-ending AC joint sprain.

Ultimately, the team's only victories were over the Colts, Patriots, and Titans (x2)—this was by all accounts a BAD football team on both sides of the ball.

Accordingly, Doug Pederson is out, and former Bucs OC Liam Coen is in. Hopefully, the wunderkind has more tricks up his sleeve to help T-Law finally reach the generational heights that we were promised—and it'd also be a lot cooler if this defense, as a whole, could play up to the standard set by their pair of stud edge rushers.

Say it with me everyone: “Duuuvvaaalll!”

Today we'll recap some of the good and bad of 2024 before getting into potential offseason injuries to monitor as well as team needs ahead of the 2025 offseason.

As always: It's a great day to be great.

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS 2024 RECAP

  • Record: 4-13 (6.5 preseason win total)
  • Points per game: 18.8 (26th)
  • EPA per dropback: +0.004 (22nd)
  • EPA per rush: -0.067 (14th)
  • Points per game allowed: 25.6 (27th)
     
  • Leading passer: Trevor Lawrence (2,045 pass yards, 11 TDs, 7 INT)
  • Leading rusher: Tank Bigsby (168 carries, 766 yards, 7 TDs)
  • Leading receiver: Brian Thomas (87 receptions, 1,282 yards, 10 TDs)

Biggest surprise: WR Brian Thomas

There were certainly high expectations for the 2024 NFL Draft's 23rd overall pick, but even the biggest Thomas stans couldn't have seen this rookie season coming. Truly: BTJ just had one of the most efficient NFL debuts of the last decade.

Most yards per route run by a rookie WR since 2015 (min. 50 targets):

Overall, only Ja'Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson had more receiving yards than Thomas in Year 1. The rookie's elite blend of size (6'3", 209 pounds) and speed (2nd fastest ball carrier MPH of 2024!) made him a constant big-play threat despite not exactly dealing with the league's most consistent play under center.

Early 2025 drafts have Thomas carrying a lofty WR6 ADP. The rising second-year talent profiles as a legit first-round fantasy pick at the moment—and it's easy to see why!

Biggest disappointment: RB Travis Etienne

On the one hand, ETN dealt with early-season shoulder and hamstring injuries and was forced to run behind the league's 29th-ranked offensive line in rush yards before contact per carry.

On the other hand, it's tough to be too apologetic about Etienne's bust of a 2024 season when his very own backfield teammate Tank Bigsby performed so much better in the same situation.

Sometimes enhanced efficiency from a backup is more so due to the player facing lighter boxes on a smaller sample size. Not so much in this case—Etienne actually had fewer carries than Bigsby (150 vs. 168) and had a lower percentage of his rush attempts come with eight-plus defenders in the box (18% vs. 24%).

 

The former first-round pick hasn't exactly earned the benefit of the doubt as the offense's lead back moving forward after a very strong 2022 campaign. Here's to hoping the Injury Gods chill out and Etienne gets back to looking like one of the league's most explosive playmakers in 2025 and beyond.

Key injuries

Four fantasy-relevant starters finished the 2024 season on IR for the Jaguars:

  1. QB Trevor Lawrence (sprained AC joint): Underwent surgery in December. Former head coach Doug Pederson previously said T-Law will make a full recovery and would be ready to participate in offseason activities in the spring. Learned doctors agree and believe Lawrence should be just fine by Week 1 without increased re-injury risk.
     
  2. WR Christian Kirk (collarbone): Expected to heal up just fine–the bigger question is whether or not Kirk could become a cap casualty: Jacksonville could save $16.2 million against the cap while forfeiting $7.9 million in dead money with a post-June 1 cut.
     
  3. WR Gabe Davis (knee): Underwent surgery for a torn meniscus in December. The severity of the tear could result in up to six months of needed recovery time, potentially jeopardizing Davis' readiness for training camp.
     
  4. TE Evan Engram (torn labrum in left shoulder): Underwent surgery in December, although it's not expected to impact Engram's availability for 2025. Like Kirk, the bigger question is whether or not the Jaguars might choose to move on for financial reasons: Designating Engram as a post-June 1 cut would save Jacksonville $15.5 million against the cap while leaving just $4 million in dead money.

What Are The Biggest Needs of the Jaguars Ahead Of 2025?

Jaguars Biggest Need: Offensive Line

PFF's reigning 19th-ranked offensive line ranked 29th in yards before contact per carry and allowed the second-quickest average time to pressure. The interior seems particularly dicey:

Starting Tackles Walker Little and Anton Harrison are probably fine enough to roll with moving forward and (perhaps not coincidentally) represent the team's only offensive lineman selected inside the first two rounds across the last five drafts. More, please.

Jaguars Need No. 2: Pass-Catchers

There is a lot of uncertainty in the WR and TE rooms alike due to the aforementioned potential for Christian Kirk and Evan Engram to be cap casualties. Throw in Gabe Davis' recovery from knee surgery, and it's possible three of the team's projected top-four targets ahead of Week 1 last season aren't available come September.

Perhaps the Jaguars simply go all in on their Penn State pipeline and embrace TE Brenton Strange and WR Parker Washington as full-time starters; just realize something needs to be done to help improve this overall offensive environment. Look no further than the Jaguars' ranks in "Supporting Cast Rating" which takes the average of every team's PFF rushing, receiving, run blocking, and pass blocking grades (everything but passing):

  • 2021: 28th
  • 2022: 20th
  • 2023: 30th
  • 2024: 24th

BTJ gives the Jaguars a legit No. 1 WR to build around, but remember: It's legal in the year 2025 to have multiple baller pass-catchers in the same offense.

Jaguars Need No. 3: Secondary

The Jaguars easily boasted the league's worst defense in EPA per dropback last season despite employing two stud EDGE defenders in Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker.

 

It's safe to say the secondary is the bigger problem here. Consider: Nickelback Jarrian Jones was the only member of the cornerback and safety rooms to crack PFF's Top 50 players at their position.

More resources need to be devoted here: The Jaguars rank 17th in 2025 dollars devoted to their corners and safeties, while Jones is the only top-100 pick that has been added to the rooms across the last three drafts. Perhaps a new and improved scheme will get more out of the players, but if not? Invest!

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