3 Jaguars who won’t be back next year and best options to replace them

Jacksonville Jaguars may love Jawaan Taylor, but he is about to get so expensive

Surely, the Jaguars would want to prioritize keeping Jawaan Taylor on a second contract. He is a prime candidate to be hit with the franchise tag ahead of his fifth year out of Florida. Taylor has not missed a game for Jacksonville since he was drafted by the Jaguars in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft. It is why somebody is going to pay him an extraordinary amount in free agency.

Unfortunately, Jacksonville does not have the necessary capital presently to address all of its needs internally. Good players off last year’s team are going to walk in free agency. No doubt about it, it would be a total blow for Jacksonville if the Jaguars cannot afford Taylor after hitting on him in the draft five years ago. They have finally drafted well, but may not reap the benefits of it.

The Jaguars need to have a number for Taylor, stick to it and not go over it during his free agency.

Jacksonville Jaguars could easily kick Walker Little out to tackle to save money

The best option to replace Taylor if he walks is probably an internal one. Walker Little is entering his third year out of Stanford. He played more games for the Jaguars this season than during his rookie year, most notably at guard. With Cam Robinson set at left tackle, moving Little over one spot to right tackle could potentially offset losing Taylor in free agency. There is a risk with this.

See, an offensive line is all about continuity and the Jaguars had a good thing going down the stretch. Little might be a revelation at right tackle, but that could leave a big, gaping hole at guard. The last thing Trevor Lawrence needs is to have a continually compromised interior of his offensive line. This is why Jacksonville is not going to cut corners up front … unless they have to.

Bringing back Taylor should be a priority, but Jacksonville can salvage his loss by using Little more.

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