Gene Frenette: Jaguars' early free agency strikes show supporting Trevor Lawrence a priority

If any message was sent by the Jaguars in the early stages of NFL free agency, it’s general manager Trent Baalke and head coach Doug Pederson had every intention of making Trevor Lawrence feel comfortable about his supporting cast.

They wasted no time getting out of the gate once the legal tampering period gun went off Monday.

A suspect offensive line got fortified in a major way by snatching up reliable veteran center Mitch Morse. The Jaguars then followed up by taking Buffalo Bills teammate and receiver Gabe Davis off the market on a reported three-year, $39 million deal.

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By far, those are the two most impactful moves. Reaching preliminary verbal agreements with Green Bay Packers safety Darnell Savage and Baltimore Ravens receiver/special-teams return specialist Devin Duvernay, a two-time Pro Bowler, and Ravens cornerback Ronald Darby look like solid acquisitions, particularly the latter if Darby stays healthy.

Credit to the Jaguars for not sitting back and waiting for AFC South competitors, who had far more salary cap space, to take the lead.

Once again, owner Shad Khan didn’t tap the brakes on spending. The Jaguars went Buffalo hunting to bag a replacement for O-line weak link Luke Fortner. They soon added a valuable insurance policy in case top-available free agent receiver Calvin Ridley goes elsewhere, which now seems more likely than not.

With the Bills having to purge five veterans for salary cap relief and letting Davis explore the market, the Jaguars smartly pounced to plug holes. Ridley or not, they can turn their attention to other needs in the coming days or during the NFL Draft.

Another move that generated some buzz was giving up a sixth-round draft pick to acquire New England Patriots quarterback and Bolles School product Mac Jones.

Still, let’s not get too carried away about the local kid coming home. The Jaguars might have gained a slight upgrade from backup CJ Beathard, but it isn’t nearly as impactful as raiding the Bills’ roster.

With Pederson as an important quarterback mentor, Jones figures to be in a better position to succeed than his last two miserable years with the Patriots. He’d be a capable fill-in for Lawrence, but it won’t be a good sign for the Jaguars if Jones is forced into too much action next season.

Stabilizing Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars offense

This could be Baalke’s last chance to fortify an offense that struggled with too much attrition along the front, which led to not trusting the line down the stretch to create running lanes for Travis Etienne.

What the Jaguars did was make a calculated, somewhat risky decision to give the offensive line another shot to make good. While another piece could certainly be added on the third day of the draft, the early moves by Baalke and Pederson suggest they like the O-line if it can stay healthy.

They brought back left guard Ezra Cleveland on a three-year, $24 million extension ($14.25 million guaranteed) because he was better than the available free agents or what was in-house at his position.

Grabbing Morse immediately might well prove to be the shrewdest move. Jacksonville had to get more physical up front and nobody personified its shortcomings in that regard more than Fortner, who was the unit’s biggest liability.

The Jaguars struggled too much to successfully run the ball in third-and-1 and fourth-and-1 situations. A tepid offense that averaged 1.7 less points last season than 2022 wasn’t entirely the offense line’s fault.

Another contributing factor was a turnover-prone Lawrence, as well as suspect protection and lack of physicality making it harder for the Jaguars to get tough yards in critical situations. Losing the AFC South title in Week 18 at Tennessee was telling in that regard.

Surprisingly, the Jaguars restructured the contract of right guard Brandon Scherff, lowering his $24 million cap number and gambling he’s got one or two years left in the tank. It remains to be seen whether Baalke employs the same strategy with left tackle Cam Robinson, but things might be trending in that direction.

But no move to quieting the chaos around Lawrence is bigger than acquiring Morse, a two-year captain for the Bills and generally regarded as a credible leader in the locker room.

Morse started 77 games in five years with Buffalo and has been a credible center for two young quarterbacks in his career, first Patrick Mahomes with the Kansas City Chiefs and then the Bills’ Josh Allen.

What could be interesting is to see how Fortner, a third-round draft pick in 2022, responds to likely losing his job. It could be the best thing that happens to his career if he learns from Morse, or the start of a descent by taking his arrival the wrong way.

Jaguars benefit from Buffalo Bills with Gabe Davis, Mitch Morse

Hopefully, tapping into Buffalo to acquire two starters will continue a roster upgrade trend for the Jaguars.

The last big-time free agent Jacksonville acquired from the Bills, linebacker Paul Posluszny in 2011, became a seven-year fixture before he retired and was undeniably the Jaguars’ most consistent player over that span.

A 2017 midseason trade for nose tackle Marcell Dareus proved critical, upgrading a defensive interior to relieve or team up with Malik Jackson and Abry Jones.

Of course, the biggest coup was sending quarterback Rob Johnson to Buffalo in 1998 for their No. 9 overall draft pick, which put Fred Taylor in a Jaguars uniform.

Now signing Bills free agent linebacker Bryce Paup that same year didn’t work out, but the Jaguars’ track record with Buffalo acquisitions has generally served them well.

In this instance, it’s imperative that both Morse and Davis are something close to home runs. Whiffing on either of them, which seems improbable given their production, could be disastrous.

Thinking Ridley might be gone — it's hard to envision the Jaguars getting into a bidding war for his services — Baalke obviously felt compelled to invest big in a receiver for the third time in 24 months.

Christian Kirk got an astounding, four-year $72 million contract in 2022, which he’s lived up to better than many observers initially thought. He gave up a conditional second-round or third-round pick during the ‘22 season for Ridley, and now Davis, a fourth-round selection in 2020, gets his big payday.

Presumably, this shopping spree during legal tampering means the Jaguars will probably have to address big needs at cornerback and defensive tackle in the draft.

So far, these acquisitions should weaken the Bills’ offense and strengthen the surrounding cast around Trevor Lawrence. The Kansas City Chiefs are another mountain, but this is at least a good start to free agency.

Gfrenette@jacksonville.com: (904) 359-4540; Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @genefrenette 

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jaguars waste no time fortifying Trevor Lawrence supporting cast