2017 NFL power rankings: Patriots lead the way

Looking Back: There were plenty of high expectations for a Jacksonville team that appeared to be pretty productive during the offseason. But for the sixth consecutive year, the Jaguars lost at least 11 games. Head coach Gus Bradley would be replaced late in the year by Doug Marrone, who now has the job full time as the club looks to shake off yet another horrible showing.

Looking Forward: The AFC South has been won by the Houston Texans each of the last two seasons and they’ve done it with a 9-7 record each year. Hence, this is a division that is within reach of all four teams if they can put the right pieces together. Marrone has inherited a very young squad with plenty of promising performers. This may be an offseason that the Jaguars continue to add to their roster strictly via the draft while enabling the team to develop more continuity on both sides of the football. General manager David Caldwell has utilized free agency in a big way the last two offseasons and it would not be a surprise to see them back off a bit in that department this spring.

Offseason needs: The defensive unit is loaded with a lot of young players (although four-year strong safety Jonathan Cyprien can become an unrestricted free agent). The Jaguars ranked sixth in the league in fewest yards allowed but needs to find some additional talent when it comes to shoring up their run defense (19th in the NFL in ’16). Rebuilding quarterback Blake Bortles’ confidence and improving his accuracy is also something that needs to be addressed. The 2014 first-round pick took several step backwards this year and totaled nearly as many turnovers (22) as touchdown passes (23). And in three seasons he’s still yet to have higher than a completion percentage of 58.9.