By Hays Carlyon
Ranking the 10 most important players to Jags season
The NFL regular season is a battle of attrition.
All 32 teams will be hurt by injuries, but the extent greatly varies. Most importantly, how many indispensable players a team loses will quickly cripple any thoughts of a special season.
So, who are the 10 players the Jaguars can’t afford to lose this season?
Let’s rank them. Multiple factors are at play here: The player’s talent, the importance of his position and the depth behind him.
- QB Trevor Lawrence
Why: Lawrence has yet to become a standout franchise quarterback, but he’s also been dealt a bad hand in his first four years now. Inept (Urban Meyer) to lackadaisical (Doug Pederson) coaching, a shuffling of average skill players and subpar blocking have all contributed to a mildly disappointing start to his career. There is better football within him. He is still just 25. Hopefully with innovative first-year coach Liam Coen, Lawrence’s talent will accelerate this season. Roughly 80 percent of the teams in the league would have the quarterback as the No. 1 player here. Nick Mullens couldn’t lead this team to many wins if Lawrence missed a great deal of time.
- WR Brian Thomas Jr.
Why: Thomas has established himself as the best overall player on the team. He finished third in the NFL last season in receiving yards as a rookie with 1,282. That’s despite not being the featured target in the offense until after Halloween, playing in an outdated scheme and catching passes from a backup in seven games. The 22-year-old Thomas is a superstar in the making. There is simply no way to replace him. Travis Hunter, Dyami Brown and Parker Washington likely wouldn’t be able to scare most opposing defenses if they had to play without Thomas.
- DE Travon Walker
Why: Walker has barely overtaken the talented Josh Hines-Allen in the defensive hierarchy in my opinion. I expect that sliver to grow a bit this fall. The 24-year-old Walker has figured the league out, figured his position out and now is getting ready to become a consistent dominant player. Without Walker, the Jaguars still would have Hines-Allen. I also like the additions of Emmanuel Ogbah and Dawuane Smoot as rotational edge players.
- DE Josh Hines-Allen
Why: Ironically, Hines-Allen should become the franchise leader in career sacks this season. He’s 2.5 away from surpassing Tony Brackens’ 55. Yet, the 27-year-old Hines-Allen might be about to be passed by Walker as the team’s most dominant defender.
- WR/CB Travis Hunter
Why: Any inclusion of a rookie comes with a projection. My belief is that Hunter will be a game-changing star on both sides of the ball at this level. The question is how long will it take him to get there? If we see 80 percent of what he’s capable of at both receiver and cornerback this season, that still would validate putting him this high on the list. It also speaks to a lack of star power on the roster beyond the first four.
- CB Tyson Campbell
Why: Campbell has durability issues, so he is one to really watch for when it comes to attrition. When he’s healthy, Campbell can play at a high level. He’s probably never going to be a star at this level, but he is a quality starter when he’s full strength.
- MLB Foye Oluokun
Why: Oluokun is a tackling machine when used properly, which wasn’t the case last season under one-and-done defensive coordinator Ryan Neilsen. He’s also the main communicator on the defense. His presence is almost as important as his execution. He needs to make more big plays to elevate his profile from good to great, but he’s vital to the success of the defense.
- DT Arik Armstead
Why: Armstead is another player woefully miscast last season under the previous staff. He likely won’t have gaudy stats (10.5 of his 35 career sacks came in the 2019 season) but I expect Armstead to cause disruptions that lead to sacks for his teammates.
- RG Patrick Mekari
Why: Mekari is the most versatile lineman on the roster, arriving in free agency from Baltimore. He’s likley going to play right guard here, but he has NFL experience at all five spots. The offensive line needs a change in execution and demeanor. Mekari is the best bet to be the leader of that movement.
- CB Jourdan Lewis
Why: Lewis established himself as a versatile defender in Dallas and will be expected to continue that with the Jaguars. The 29-year-old Lewis can shine at nickel but also play on the perimeter in base downs.
(You can email Hays at [email protected] and follow him on X/Twitter @HaysCarlyon).
