Ranking every Jaguars player set to become a free agent in 2023

The Jacksonville Jaguars’ arrow is pointing up after the team won five straight games to end the 2022 regular season and win the AFC South.

But the team faces some obstacles to a repeat as the division champ. Namely, the team has to work around a salary cap hole that’s currently about $22 million deep.

Digging out of that deficit won’t be too hard, but the Jaguars also won’t have much cash to keep their impending free agents. There are 18 players for Jacksonville that are due to hit the market in March. Here are all of those players, ranked from the most to least valuable for the Jaguars:

Evan Engram, TE

The Jaguars struck gold when they signed the former Giants first-round pick on a one-year, $9 million deal. In his first season in Jacksonville, Engram broke the franchise records for a tight end in receptions (73) and receiving yards (766).

Engram called his first year with the Jaguars the best year of his life, and said he hopes to stay with the team.

Given his production and leadership, it’d be a surprise if he wasn’t the team’s top priority in the offseason.

Jawaan Taylor, OT

Taylor was a pretty disappointing second-round pick until his breakout 2022 campaign. After beating out Walker Little for the starting right tackle job, Taylor was credited with allowing only five sacks on the year.

Jacksonville has a decision to make now with Little, Taylor, and Cam Robinson at offensive tackle. The Jaguars could make an effort to keep Taylor and enter the 2023 season with all three players. The team could also allow Taylor to walk and let Little step into a full-time starting job.

ESPN’s Matt Bowen ranked Taylor as the 15th best free agent in the NFL.

Arden Key, DE/OLB

Like Engram, the Jaguars signed Key on a one-year deal and got solid production out of the addition.

The 26-year-old pass rusher finished third on the team in sacks with 4.5 and second in quarterback hits with 15. Key also brought a ton of energy to the Jacksonville defense.

The Jaguars need to upgrade their pass rush after finishing 26th in the NFL in sacks and failing to record any in a playoff loss to the Chiefs.

That could mean holding on to Key, who was one of the few players that created pressures. It could also mean allowing him to walk so fresh players can replace him on the roster.

Dawuane Smoot, DE

Smoot was the most tenured player on the Jaguars defense in 2022, having joined the team as a third-round pick in 2017.

After a quiet first two seasons in Jacksonville, Smoot has been a remarkably consistent player in the last four. He’s had exactly five to six sacks in four straight seasons.

While he’s a leader and a reliable player in the defensive front seven, Smoot is also recovering from an Achilles tear suffered in December.

Tre Herndon, CB

Herndon was a solid find for the Jaguars in undrafted free agency in 2018. In five seasons with the team, Herndon has made 30 starts and he’s recorded three interceptions, eight tackles for loss, and 23 passes defended.

The Jaguars also seem to have found his ceiling, though. Is Herndon a player you want as a starting cornerback on the outside? The answer at this point seems to be a hard no.

But depth at cornerback is important and Herndon played well in the slot after the Jaguars moved Darious Williams to the outside.

Andrew Wingard, S

It wasn’t long ago that Wingard was the butt of jokes from Jaguars fans. What a difference a year makes.

Wingard played just 19 percent of the Jaguars’ defensive snaps in 2022, but became a fan favorite due to his propensity for making big plays and his passionate love of playing in Jacksonville.

“It was always the Jags!” was a Wingard original and he managed to record an interception, a forced fumble, and two tackles for loss, despite his limited snaps.

Wingard doesn’t offer a ton on the field that can’t be replaced, but he’s a solid special teamer who provides depth and intensity. Those qualities could make him a player the Jaguars want to bring back.

Marvin Jones Jr., WR

When Jones joined the Jaguars in 2021, he bolstered a wide receiving corps that was severely lacking in talent.

Since then, the Jaguars added Christian Kirk, Zay Jones, and Evan Engram in free agency, and traded to acquire Calvin Ridley from the Atlanta Falcons. After Marvin Jones finished his first season with the Jaguars with 832 yards, he finished year two with 529 yards.

Given his age (33 in March) and the added depth at receiver, it’d be a surprise if the Jaguars wanted to bring Jones back.

Chris Manhertz, TE

The Jaguars have a trio of tight ends headed for free agency, and Manhertz was the least productive as a receiver with only six receptions for 42 yards. That wasn’t his role, though.

Manhertz was on the field for 38 percent of the Jaguars’ offensive snaps because of his prowess as a blocker.

Riley Patterson, K (ERFA)

Patterson was scooped up off waivers after preseason and performed well in his first season in Jacksonville.

The 23-year-old kicker made 30 of his 35 field goal attempts and all but one of his 37 extra point tries. That consistency continued into the postseason where he made all three of his field goal attempts and all four extra points.

As an exclusive rights free agent, it’ll be exceedingly cheap for the Jaguars to keep Patterson. Even if the team offered him the league minimum, he wouldn’t be able to shop his services elsewhere.

C.J. Beathard, QB

The Jaguars have their quarterback of the future in Trevor Lawrence and, barring disaster, the team won’t need anyone else under center any time soon.

Still, a solid backup is always good to have and the Jaguars already added competition for 2023 by adding Canadian Football League star Nathan Rourke.

Beathard, who started 12 games during three seasons with the 49ers, was only asked to throw 13 passes in two seasons with the Jaguars.

His chances of coming back in 2023 are completely dependent on the impression he made on coaches during practices and meetings.

JaMycal Hasty, RB (RFA)

Hasty stepped into a bigger role following the trade of running back James Robinson to the Jets.

While Travis Etienne still saw the lion’s share of the carries in the Jaguars backfield, Hasty got 66 touches in the regular season for 320 yards and three total touchdowns.

It’d be cheap to keep Hasty, a former undrafted player who is now a restricted free agent, but the Jaguars may also be interested in adding more firepower in the backfield next to Etienne.

Dan Arnold, TE

The least valuable tight end headed to free agency is Arnold, who was a favorite for Lawrence when he first arrived via a midseason trade in 2021. But after 28 receptions in eight games with the Jaguars last year, Arnold had only nine receptions over 17 games in 2022.

Jacksonville likely wants to upgrade its tight end room and it’ll likely make keeping Engram a priority. That doesn’t leave much room for Arnold.

Tim Jones, WR (ERFA)

After spending his rookie year on the practice squad, Jones made the final roster in 2022. Still, he wasn’t on the field much and finished the year with only three receptions for 30 yards.

With Calvin Ridley coming to town, there’s not a ton of room for Jones. But it’d also be extremely cheap to bring back the exclusive rights free agent.

Adam Gotsis, DE

The seventh-year veteran was once a second-round draft pick of the Broncos. For the last three years, he’s provided reliable defensive line depth to the Jaguars.

During his time with Jacksonville, Gotsis has recorded 4.5 sacks and 13 tackles for loss. The 30-year-old veteran doesn’t provide much that the Jaguars couldn’t find on the market in August if their depth along the defensive line is still lacking.

Tevaughn Campbell, CB (RFA)

The former Chargers starter was signed off the Raiders’ practice squad in October, but only saw the field for 31 regular season snaps during his time with the Jaguars.

While cornerback depth is important, it’d be a surprise if the Jaguars valued Campbell enough to bring him back.

Cole Van Lanen, OG (ERFA)

The Jaguars acquired the 24-year-old lineman in a preseason trade with the Packers, but he only saw the field for 18 offensive snaps.

Corey Peters, DT

The former Falcons and Cardinals defensive tackle played out of his mind in the Jaguars’ regular season finale against the Titans. But with his 35th birthday coming up this summer, the Jaguars probably aren’t looking for another deal with Peters.

Blake Hance, OT (ERFA)

The 27-year-old offensive tackle was scooped up by the Jaguars off waivers in November, but only played 27 offensive snaps with the team. More than half of those came late in a blowout win against the Texans.

Story originally appeared on Jaguars Wire