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Tuesday, May 28
Can Jacksonville compete with a healthy Fred Taylor? Getting the versatile but often-injured Taylor back in the lineup on a full-time basis certainly would provide a boost, since he is one of the league's most complete backs. But counting last year, when he was sidelined for all but two games by a severe groin injury, Taylor has now averaged six missed games per season. Stacey Mack, eligible for unrestricted free agency next spring and capable of generating a lot of interest in the market with a big 2002 performance, is a worthy replacement but he still isn't in Taylor's class.
Even with a healthy Taylor, salary cap excesses have caught up with the Jaguars and rendered them a mediocre team.
Roster purges the last two springs have created too many holes.
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The offseason was one of change in Jacksonville. The Jaguars, a franchise that has grown accustomed to contending for the playoffs, will now have to get used to rebuilding.
While most of the nucleus on offense -- Mark Brunell, Fred Taylor and Jimmy Smith -- remains intact, the rest of the roster has undergone dramatic changes. The Jaguars have already lost eight starters from last season and figure to lose even more after June 1.
The biggest hit was on defense, where the Jaguars could feature as many as six new starters in 2002. The defensive line has been essentially blown up. Pro Bowl defensive tackle Gary Walker and defensive tackle Seth Payne were both lost to the Texans in the expansion draft. Second-year player Marcus Stroud figures to pick up some of the slack along with this year's first-round pick, John Henderson. The Jaguars will also need a big season from defensive end Tony Brackens, who missed four games last season with a knee injury.
The linebacking corps was dealt a blow by the voiding of the contract of Kevin Hardy. The No. 2 overall pick in the 1996 draft, Hardy missed seven games last season after tearing cartilage in his right knee. Fourteen-year veteran Hardy Nickerson will be released after June 1. A draft-day trade with the Browns landed Wali Rainer, a three-year starter for the Browns who should step right into the starting lineup at middle linebacker.
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JAGUARS AT A GLANCE
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| Fred Taylor played in just
two games last season. |
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2001 record: 6-10
Team rank (NFL): Defense (16th); Offense (20th)
Jaguars team news
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Offensively, the Jaguars re-signed running back Stacey Mack. The three-year veteran provides good insurance for the injury-plagued Taylor. With Taylor sidelined for all but two games last season, Mack rushed for a career-high 877 yards. While Taylor is clearly Jacksonville's top running back, history indicates that Mack will get his share of carries. At wide receiver, free-agent singing Patrick Johnson (Ravens) figures to move into the starting lineup following the release of Keenan McCardell after June 1.
For a complete list of all the players Jacksonville has signed and lost so far this offseason, click here.
How they drafted
With a defensive line that has been ravaged over the offseason, Henderson will be expected to contribute right away. There were injury questions about Henderson, who has had back problems, and he will have to prove that he can stay healthy and on the field. In the second round, the Jags grabbed former Florida offensive tackle Mike Pearson. Early word out of Jacksonville is that Jags officials are hopeful that Pearson can start immediately. The Jags used a fourth-round pick on quarterback David Garrard. The former East Carolina star is currently No. 2 on the Jags depth chart, but that will change if the Jags sign a veteran free agent quarterback.
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Fantasy Focus
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Fred Taylor's unfulfilled promise has been the scourge of fantasy owners who keep drafting him in the first round. Taylor tore a tendon off the bone in his groin in the second game last season and missed the rest of the year. Although he failed to play in three games in 2000, Taylor still rushed for 1,399 yards and scored 14 TDs. Taylor, who has yet to play in all 16 games in his four-year career, predicted in March that he'll lead the NFL in rushing this season. He's motivated, in part, by money as he wants to renegotiate his contract. His former agent swindled him much of his $5 million bonus. First-round is too risky to take Fragile Freddy, but this talented back is worth a look in the third round. After all, who would you rather have: Taylor or Michael Bennett? For more fantasy football news, click here.
-- Roger Rotter, Fantasy editor
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For a complete list of Jacksonville's draft picks, click here.
Unfinished business
The Jaguars figure to be one of the NFL's busiest teams when June 1 rolls around. It's a foregone conclusion that McCardell and Nickerson will both be cut. Those moves could create as much as $6 million worth of room under the cap for a franchise that desperately needs all the cap space it can get. Expect the Jaguars to be proactive in spending whatever money they can. Quarterback Tony Banks has been in for a visit and would provide a veteran backup to Brunell. Defensive tackle Jim Flanigan also recently visited with the Jags. Other players the Jags could be interested in include quarterback Charlie Batch and linebacker Keith Mitchell.
Outlook for 2002
The healthy return of Taylor gives Jaguars fans a glimmer of hope to point to for the upcoming season. However, it's just a glimmer and one that figures to go out as soon as Taylor suffers his annual injury. The Jaguars bit the salary-cap bullet this offseason, purging their roster of much of its talent. The AFC South is generally regarded as one of the NFL's weaker divisions. That said, the Jaguars figure to struggle to finish any better than third in the four-team division. Jacksonville won six games last season and that seems like a reasonable number to expect in 2002.
Peter Lawrence-Riddell is the NFL editor for ESPN.com.
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