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The Jacksonville Jaguars perennially appear to be in rebuilding mode. But this time around, it seems like the team may have some strong talent to steady the ship and be a force in the AFC South standings.
The Jacksonville Jaguars will need strong rookie campaigns from their young stars, two of whom - Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne - were drafted in the first round. The team also needs some of their returning players and undrafted players to impress the coaching staff and make a case for themselves heading into training camp this summer.
3 Jacksonville Jaguars players to keep an eye on
#1 James Robinson, RB
With a Jacksonville Jaguars offense that struggled to keep its quarterback in 2020, James Robinson's run game still impressed. An undrafted free agent out of Illinois State, Robinson started training camp as the starting running back for the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Robinson rushed for 1,070 yards and seven touchdowns. He also had 344 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns. He became the fourth undrafted rookie in NFL history to rush for at least 1,000 yards.
His outstanding performance made it a bit of a shock that the Jacksonville Jaguars used their second first-round selection to draft Travis Etienne. While Etienne was an accomplished running back at Clemson, Robinson had proven that he could be the starter.
James Robinson still has a chance to be a three-down back, but he will have to prove it all over again. During last year's training camp, Robinson proved himself as a starter and there's nothing to say that he can't do that again, especially if there is a learning curve for the rookie, Etienne.
#2 Josh Allen, DE
Josh Allen showed he could be a star in his rookie season in 2019, even making the Pro Bowl that year. Allen appeared in all sixteen games of the 2019 season for the Jacksonville Jaguars, starting four games.
In 2019 Josh Allen had 44 combined tackles, eleven tackles for loss, two forced fumbles and 10.5 sacks. In 2020, Allen suffered a knee injury that shortened his playing time to just eight games. His stats naturally dropped sharply compared to the previous season, with 2.5 sacks, two tackles for loss and 13 combined tackles.
If Josh Allen can return to his 2019 level, he could give the Jacksonville Jaguars defense a much stronger presence against opposing offenses.
#3 DJ Chark, WR
Wide receiver D.J. Chark will enter his fourth season with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Earlier this offseason, Urban Meyer, who is entering his first season as NFL head coach, was critical of the wide receiver.
Meyer was quoted as saying that he thought D.J. Chark didn't play well and that it was due to his size. He felt that Chark could be stronger and bigger than he currently is.
In reply, Chark said that he is up to the challenge and knows he needs to improve. D.J. Chark did experience a decrease in production from 2019 to 2020. Two seasons ago, he had 1,008 receiving yards and eight touchdowns. Last season, he had just 706 receiving yards and five touchdowns.
D.J. Chark has essentially been put on notice and will need to not only improve on last season's numbers, but stand out from the rest.
