2023 Super Bowl Contenders?

The Jacksonville Jaguars were one of the more surprising stories of the 2022 season. After an abysmal 3-14 season in 2021, they hired Super Bowl winning head coach Doug Pederson and overhauled their entire roster. This would seemingly be a success, as the young team, under the leadership of Doug Pederson and Trevor Lawrence, went 9-8 along with a thrilling comeback playoff victory over the Chargers. Now as this new-look team enters year two, they seem primed to take another step forward. With a strong young nucleus of players along and a big-time addition in Calvin Ridley, the Jaguars seem poised to be contenders for the AFC title. 

Since he’s taken over, general manager Trent Baalke has put together a highly talented young nucleus of players in Jacksonville. Offensively, it starts with star quarterback Trevor Lawrence and running back Travis Etienne. After the two former college stars were nearly forgotten in 2021, they both came into their own this past season. Lawrence earned a Pro Bowl selection with over 4,000 yards passing and a 25-8 touchdown to interception ratio. Etienne put up a +1,000-yard rushing season with 5.1 yards per carry in just his first season. Through their individual year two performances, both proved to be the engine of the Jaguar’s flourishing offense that led the team to the postseason. However, this success has much to do with the outstanding supporting cast Baalke put together last offseason.

Baalke was quite strategic in the types of players he went out and signed to help his two young stars. It started upfront with the addition of Pro Bowl Guard Brandon Scherff and third round pick center Luke Fortner. Both came in and immediately strengthened their interior O-Line. Their addition’s created consistent holes for Etienne, who was able to exploit them, get to the next level, and display his elite explosiveness. For Lawrence, Baalke went out and completely revamped Jacksonville’s weaponry. He brought in two big money wideouts in Christian Kirk and Zay Jones, while also adding a talented tight end who hadn’t quite reached his ceiling in Evan Engram. All three flourished in their new roles and had career years. The trio accounted for 16 of Lawrence’s 25 passing TD while combining for 2,697 total receiving yards. With these additions, the Jaguars were one of the most effective offenses in the league, ranking in the top-10 in total offensive yards and points in 2022. Now with the addition of uber-talented pass-catcher Calvin Ridley, the young Jags offense could explode in 2023. 

Many have forgotten that Ridley was suspended for all of last year due to an off-the-field issue. Prior to his suspension, Ridley had blossomed into one of the premier receivers in the league. He was highly productive in his first three seasons in Atlanta, despite his role as second fiddle to one of the greatest receivers of all-time in Julio Jones. In this role, Ridley posted back-to-back +800 receiving yard seasons. In year three, he was given the opportunity to be the number one receiver for about six games due to Julio sustaining an injury. With this expanded role, Ridley exploded and posted 1,374 yards on 90 catches with 9 touchdowns, cementing himself as one of the premier guys in the league. He earned a 2nd team All-Pro selection and was immediately given the role as Atlanta’s number one receiver, as they let Julio walk that offseason in free agency. Ridley has since missed essentially two seasons due to off-the-field issues, but despite this time off, the Jaguars still felt confident enough to trade for the wideout who has shown the potential to be one of the best in the league. If he proves to still be that elite pass-catching threat he was in Atlanta, the Jaguars offense would be adding a surefire number one receiver who could revolutionize their offense.

While the defensive side of the ball for the Jags is comparatively weaker than the offense, it is filled with young talent that is primed to take a step forward in 2023. Throughout the past two offseasons, they have been able to add a multitude of young and productive starting pieces, especially in the back seven. In 2021, they hit on two defensive backs in Tyson Campbell and Andre Cisco. Both have come in and become proven to be day one starters who are only getting better. They also added two big money defensive backs in Darious Williams and Rayshawn Jenkins. Both are proven vets who are some of the premier guys at their positions. In 2022, they drafted two major pieces in edge rusher Travon Walker and linebacker Devin Lloyd. Both were top-3 prospects at their positions and had promising rookie years. They also added linebacker Foyesade Oloukan, who led the league in tackles this past season and set an NFL record in 2021 for most combined tackles in a season. Along with these additions, the Jags also have two major pieces in Josh Allen and Roy Robertson-Harris, who are both some of the best in the league. While altogether the squad ranked middle of the pack in most statistical categories, they showed significant promise and ranked 12th in points allowed. Now with the same nucleus of guys going into their second year together, they should be much improved in 2023.

Every year, there seems to be a team that makes that big year two jump. A team that has hit on their draft picks and has not been afraid to spend big on premium talent. Over the last two offseasons, Jacksonville has done both and will have nearly every key piece to their team back in 2023. This squad proved to be no joke in 2022 by earning a trip to Kansas City in the Divisional Round of the playoffs in their first year together. Now with the addition of an elite wideout Ridley and a year under their belt, the Jags could be primed to be in the Super Bowl conversation come January.