Gus’ Tiers: Best free agent fits for the Jaguars

Welcome to the latest edition of “Gus’ Tiers” at 1010XL/92.5 FM!

Each Wednesday, I’ll be using Tiermaker dot com to create a 100% correct ranking of a timely subject related to the Jacksonville Jaguars/NFL landscape.

For this week’s Tier, I ranked the best free agent fits for the Jaguars. (NFL free agency begins next week.) I focused on five positions — CB/DE/DT/WR/OG — since those appear to be Jacksonville’s biggest needs.

Pipe dream: DT Chris Jones, DT Christian Wilkins, DE Danielle Hunter, OG Robert Hunt

Kansas City is likely to re-sign Jones, a future first-ballot Hall of Famer, though he is trending towards hitting the open market. Wilkins, Hunter, and Hunt are all expected to sign with new teams and are the best players available at their respective positions. 

These guys are objective game-changers, albeit unlikely to be in Jacksonville’s price range. 

Grand slam: WR Calvin Ridley, CB L’Jarius Sneed, OG Mike Onwenu, DE Z’Darius Smith

If Ridley is retained by the Jaguars, it will likely be on a relatively team-friendly deal, hence the grand slam tag. He may take a higher offer from a different team. 

Sneed technically isn’t a free agent but the Chiefs have made it known that their shutdown cornerback is available via tag-and-trade. According to a report from USA Today, the Jaguars have shown interest. Sneed would be a perfect fit in Ryan Nielsen’s defense as a dominant press-man corner. 

Onwenu could see a similar market as Hunt, but the former would be a better signing. From The Ringer: “NFL coaches are obsessed with versatility and durability, and those are both strengths for Onwenu. He’s appeared in 64 of a possible 67 games (56 starts) in four seasons. And he has experience playing left guard, right guard, and right tackle. Onwenu is only 26 years old and has shown he can provide solid to above-average play at multiple spots.”

There is some risk associated with Smith, who is 31 years old and has dealt with a back injury in the past, but there isn’t a better pass rusher available who might not demand starter-type money. I also considered listing Jadeveon Clowney or Calais Campbell here. 

Perfect match: DT Sheldon Rankins, DE Josh Uche, CB Jeff Okudah, OG Jonah Jackson, WR Mike Williams

Rankins previously played for Nielsen in New Orleans and would be an excellent replacement for Foley Fatukasi. He’s coming off the second-best season of his career after playing on a one-year, $9.75 million deal in Houston. 

As our very own Mia O’Brien previously reported, Jacksonville nearly got a deal done for New England’s Josh Uche at last year’s trade deadline. The Jaguars should circle back now that he’s a free agent. Uche is a designated pass rusher who would fit nicely behind starters Josh Allen and Travon Walker. 

Like Rankins, Okudah has previous experience with Nielsen. Atlanta acquired the former third-overall pick before last season; Okudah fared well across from ace cornerback A.J. Terrell. 

Jackson makes sense as a plug-and-play left guard if the Jaguars decide to upgrade over Ezra Cleveland. He’s been a staple of Detroit’s physical run game and earned a Pro Bowl nod in 2021.

The free agent wide receiver market is a bit bleak behind Ridley, but Williams could be a potential buy-low. The Chargers are widely expected to release him to save $20 million in cap space. Williams tore his ACL in Week 3 last season, but Trent Baalke has a history of chasing injury discounts. More importantly, assuming his recovery goes well, Williams would be a contested-catch and deep-shot target for Trevor Lawrence. They’re both Clemson alums. 

Bargain bin: DT D.J. Reader, OG John Simpson, DE Kyle Van Noy, WR Kendrick Bourne 

Reader is coming off a season-ending quad injury, but he’s one of the best space-eating interior defenders available. Simpson impressed as a starter in Baltimore last season, as did veteran edge Kyle Van Noy, who I liked as a free agent target last offseason. 

Bourne was almost a Jaguar at the 2022 trade deadline, per Jaguar Report’s John Shipley. He was a third-down weapon for Kyle Shanahan in San Francisco before joining Bill Belichick in New England. Bourne would be a dependable no. 3 or no. 4 option behind Ridley (?), Christian Kirk, and Zay Jones.

Buyer beware: Chase Young, Marquise Brown, Stephon Gilmore, Kevin Zeitler

Young has all the talent in the world but doesn’t seem motivated to use it, based on both media reports and game tape. Brown would hypothetically be a nice deep threat, but consistency has also been an issue for him throughout his career, and the Jaguars need a bit more size in its receiver room. I considered placing Gilmore in the “bargain bin” section, but the former NFL Defensive Player of the Year is 33 years old and may not survive Nielsen’s man-heavy scheme for a full season. Zeitler showed significant signs of age as Baltimore’s season progressed last year. 

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