Today at 4 p.m. ET is the trade deadline for every NFL team, including the Jacksonville Jaguars. While there are expected to be lots of moves going on today, I believe that the Jacksonville Jaguars should be aggressive today. The Jacksonville Jaguars sit tied with the best record in the AFC at 6-2, sit alone in first of their division, and own a 5-game winning streak.
While the Jacksonville Jaguars have been a sufficient team this season, they have still shown that they have weaknesses on offense. If they want to continue being a top team and compete for the number 1 seed, they must address some of their offensive weaknesses while adding to this team. The Jaguars should add two wide receivers, a tight end, and another running back to help ease the load from Travis Etienne.
Pass catchers have been a rough spot for the Jacksonville Jaguars. Calvin Ridley has not been the pass catcher the Jacksonville Jaguars thought he would be. Zay Jones has been dealing with an injury all season. Christian Kirk has been one of the only consistent wide receivers this year.
I would love to see the Jaguars front office address this by adding two wide receivers. The first wide receiver that should be added to this offense is a familiar face for Trevor Lawrence to throw to. Tee Higgins from the Cincinnati Bengals should be the number one option for the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Higgins and the Bengals could not reach a contract extension this past off-season, and the Jaguars should use this to their advantage. Higgins would quickly become the number one wideout for the Jaguars. Lawrence and Higgins are familiar with each other from playing at Clemson, and it should not take long to be productive again.
While at Clemson, in the two seasons they played together, Higgins brought in 118 receptions while recording over 2,000 receiving yards. Lawrence has not found chemistry with a wide receiver like this in the NFL. There was hope this would happen with Calvin Ridley when the Jaguars traded for him last year, but that trade looks like it will be a bust.
Higgins would be an excellent addition to this wide receiver group. It would also allow Higgins to be a true number-one wide receiver. Christian Kirk can be in the slot, and if Calvin Ridley is still on this team after the deadline, he can become the number two. But I would much rather see Ridley get sent to Carolina in another trade for a second wideout.
The second wide receiver that the Jaguars should add is former Jacksonville Jaguar and current Carolina Panther DJ Chark. Chark started his career with the Jaguars when they drafted him in the 2018 draft. He has had career numbers when he was with Jacksonville before. A reunion with the Jaguars could be what Chark needs to get his career back on track. Doug Pederson even expressed interest in having DJ Chark return in 2022 when he was a free agent.
The following need the Jaguars should be addressing is tight end. Engram has been helpful to the Jaguars; been is not that top-tier tight end who demands a lot of attention. To replace Engram, Jacksonville should go back to New York and free Darren Waller from the nightmare the New York Giants are.
Waller does not seem to fit what the Giants are doing with a total rebuild about to go down after this abysmal season. Waller was sent to the Giants for a third-round pick. The Jaguars should feel comfortable and have no problem sending the same thing to the Giants for Waller.
Waller would instantly demand attention from other defenses, and with that, it opens up the offense more, giving the pass catchers more one-on-one looks. He is a significant upgrade over Engram. It will also help open things up even more for the hottest offensive weapon for the Jaguars, Travis Etienne.
The one bright spot for this offense is Travis Etienne, and while he has been a monster in the backfield, I still believe that the Jacksonville Jaguars could add a running back and get Etienne some help. Etienne has been incredible but the only awesome running back for the Jacksonville Jaguars. He really could use some help.
The running back the Jaguars should try to go and get is the current Steelers running back, Najee Harris. Harris is just about the opposite of Etienne, which is why the fit should work. Harris can be the downhill, pound-it-up-the-middle running back. I understand that Etienne has been given more opportunities to run the ball up the middle and to be a three-down back, but adding Harris to be the Jekyl to Etienne’s Hyde would give the Jaguars a near-perfect backfield.
This move will also extend Travis Etienne’s longevity in the backfield because it does not look like he has much help back there. Tank Bigsby has not done anything productive. He currently only has 53 yards rushing with 23 carries. The other two running backs on the roster have nine combined carries with 35 yards. Najee Harris is a different back who will contribute immediately and should be welcomed.
I know that an offense can never be perfect, but with his offense, they need to improve in plenty of areas. If the Jacksonville Jaguars want to compete the rest of the season with the teams considered the top dogs, they must improve this offense and fix their issues.