Jacksonville Jaguars: 5 offseason needs in 2019
By Conor Myles
The Jacksonville Jaguars suffered a disappointing 5-11 season in 2018 after making the AFC title game the season before. Here are five free agents that could put them back on top.
5. Ty Montgomery, RB
The Jaguars are poised to lose T.J. Yeldon in free agency and need to replace his receiving ability out of the backfield. Montgomery is ideally suited for that specific role and could come in relatively cheap for Jacksonville as they work their way around creating cap space.
Montgomery is only 26 years old, and due to transitioning from wide receiver to running back during his lopsided career with the Green Bay Packers, the league has yet to see what he indeed offers at the position. After fumbling a kickoff that resulted in a loss versus the Los Angeles Rams in week eight, the Packers jettisoned Montgomery to Baltimore for a 2020 seventh-round pick.
The running back only saw 17 targets in Baltimore, while catching ten of those for a minimal 65 yards. Montgomery finished the season with 41 rush attempts for 188 yards and a touchdown while catching 25 passes for 235 yards with 9.4 yards per reception.
The former third-round pick in 2015 may not possess the statistics to excite fans about the initial signing, but the running back’s potential has yet to be seen due to being thrown into crowded backfields. Whether or not the Jaguars decide to move on from the lead back, Leonard Fournette, or not has yet to be determined. Doug Marrone and company still need a complimentary back of Montgomery’s skill set to fill the void Yeldon is leaving behind.
The Stanford product still has very much to prove in the NFL, but going off what he has shown — four total drops on 140 career targets — Montgomery can emerge in the specific receiving running back role Jacksonville will require of him.