Three offseason moves the Jaguars must make

Despite starting the season 8-3, the Jacksonville Jaguars lost five of their last six games and were on the outside of the playoff picture looking in. However, the team kept most of last year’s roster intact and made a few roster tweaks.

With that in mind, here are three more moves the Jaguars should make this offseason to close the gap between themselves and the Texans at the top of the AFC South.

Sign free-agent cornerback Stephon Gilmore

Jacksonville lost Darious Williams (19 passes defensed, four interceptions) and Tre Herndon (nine passes defensed, one forced fumble) this offseason, and they filled those spots by signing 30-year-old Ronald Darby and drafting Florida State’s Jarrian Jones (third round) and Ole Miss’ Deantre Prince (fifth round).

While solid moves, none of those additions are true No. 1 caliber CBs. Enter Gilmore, who despite being 33, has plenty left in the tank. With the Cowboys last season, Gilmore had 14 forced incompletions, nine pass breakups, two interceptions and an allowed completion percentage of just 56.2, per Pro Football Focus. He could step right in as Jacksonville’s No. 1 corner while letting some of the team’s younger CBs develop and help defend the gauntlet of WRs in the AFC South.

Sign free-agent defensive end Carl Lawson

Adding former 49ers defensive end Arik Armstead was a big win for the Jags, but he’s the only DE on the roster who’s starting caliber. Lawson is only 28 and has a proven track record of being a productive pass-rusher, his 2023 season with the Jets notwithstanding.

Lawson totaled five or more sacks in four of his first five seasons, and he had 45 or more pressures in three of them. He’s not on the same level as Armstead or other premier edge-rushers in the NFL, but he’s good enough to make the Jaguars’ pass rush formidable coming off the edge. His addition would allow Josh Allen and Travon Walker to stay at their natural outside linebacker spots.

Trade offensive tackle Cam Robinson

Robinson (525) and Walker Little (521) played essentially the same amount of snaps last season, per PFF.  Little was just as effective (two sacks, 26 pressures allowed) as Robinson (three sacks, 13 pressures allowed) at one-tenth of the salary — and he’s three years younger.

However, Robinson is still a really good NFL left tackle, and he has some value to LT-needy teams like the Cleveland Browns, Las Vegas Raiders, Los Angeles Rams, New England Patriots, New York Giants, San Francisco 49ers and Washington Commanders. Jacksonville could recoup some draft capital for 2025 and shed $17.29 million of Robinson’s 2024 cap hit in the process.