Jaguars sign free agents to 'raise the floor.' They'll use the draft to raise ceiling of the team

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Jacksonville’s approach to free agency was much different than what the floundering franchise tried to accomplish in recent years.

It was selective shopping instead of overpriced spending.

The Jaguars signed nine free agents, including four plug-and-play starters, in what was clearly an overhauled strategy to rebuild the roster. First-time general manager James Gladstone, first-time head coach Liam Coen and first-time executive vice president Tony Boselli teamed up to take a measured path toward sustainability.

“It’s pretty simple,” Gladstone said Thursday. “What we were seeking to do in pro free agency was to raise the floor of this football team.”

The Jaguars will use the draft to raise the ceiling. They will rely mostly on their 10 picks in April to take a bigger step in their long-term plan. Jacksonville has the fifth overall pick in the first round, and Gladstone hinted that a rookie defensive lineman — potentially Michigan’s Mason Graham — could be on the horizon.

“If you add a veteran at this point, (he) could just be standing in the way,” Gladstone said when asked about not addressing the D-line in free agency. “We’re going to allow these rookies to get a chance to get out on the field and help us this coming fall.”

Jacksonville did add two defensive starters: former Minnesota Vikings safety Eric Murray (three years, $22.5 million) and former Dallas Cowboys nickel cornerback Jourdan Lewis (three years, $30 million). Murray replaces Andre Cisco, and Lewis seemingly pushes Jarrian Jones and Darnell Savage to other positions.

“We were talking about building the culture and being a cornerstone of that rebuild,” Lewis said. “I’ve always wanted to be a guy to be known to change culture. I love a good competition and love a good challenge.”

The Jaguars fired coach Doug Pederson after losing 18 of their last 23 games. General manager Trent Baalke agreed to step down in late January when it became clear he was impeding owner Shad Khan’s ability to hire a head coach. Khan landed Coen a day later. Coen, Khan and Boselli eventually hired Gladstone, 34, from the Los Angeles Rams.

Gladstone’s first roster moves included cutting veteran tight end Evan Engram, trading receiver Christian Kirk and moving on from center Mitch Morse (retirement), right guard Brandon Scherff and safety Andre Cisco.

He filled most of those spots in free agency, including signing former Baltimore guard Patrick Mekari (three years, $37.5 million), former Tampa Bay center Robert Hainsey (three years, $21 million), former Washington receiver Dyami Brown (one year, $10 million) and tight ends Johnny Mundt (two years, $5.5 million) and Hunter Long (two years, $5.5 million).

It was modest spending compared to what Jacksonville’s former regime did in 2021, 2022 and 2024. And none of the newest free agents would be considered long-term solutions. In fact, the Jags might even draft their eventual replacements in six weeks.

“We do feel like we’re in a better position today than we were a couple weeks ago to make it so that when we enter each decision at each pick point in April that we can continue to level up where we are,” Gladstone said.

___

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

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