With the NFL draft just a few weeks away, could we see the Jacksonville Jaguars still add to their roster through free agency?
If I had to guess, not to ruin the article, I would say no. As GM James Gladstone described, he wanted to raise the floor of the roster through free agency, which is why we saw the Jaguars so active right away, with 10 signings in the first week, including nine on the first day of the NFL's legal tampering period.
Now, Phase II, so to speak, is to infuse the roster with some high-impact players in the draft, which the Jaguars will certainly have the opportunity to do with 10 selections. And part of that equation is making sure there is roster space and the opportunity to earn playing time for those incoming rookies.
"We're going to have to have some spots that are actually open for [draft picks] to insert," Gladstone said. "So [adding] a veteran at this point could be just standing in the way. We're going to allow these rookies to get a chance to get out on the field and help us this coming fall."
However, with all that said, teams never quite stop looking, and if the right player at the right price point is out there, perhaps there is still room for another free agent signing. In addition to that, the Jaguars have plenty of salary cap space to make a move, ranking 13th currently in available cap space with just under $30 million--not to mention that at this stage of the free agency process, deals aren't going to be breaking the bank.
The opportunity to add a veteran presence on a short-term, low-cost deal to provide stability at a position and further flexibility in the draft can still be valuable.
But, the big question, who is still out there at this stage of the free agency game? With help from Pro Football Focus, here are the top available free agents at some positions that could interest the Jaguars.
Wide receiver
- Amari Cooper
- Keenan Allen
- Tyler Boyd
- Robert Woods
- Elijah Moore
Defensive line
- DE Von Miller
- DE Za'Darius Smith
- DE Matthew Judon
- DE Dennis Gardeck
- DE Preston Smith
- DE Tyus Bowser
Secondary
- CB Rasul Douglas
- CB Kendall Fuller
- CB Asante Samuel Jr.
- CB Stephon Gilmore
- S Justin Simmons
- S Julian Blackmon
- S Chuck Clark
This article originally appeared on Jaguars Wire: NFL draft: Best available free agents for Jaguars
