The Jacksonville Jaguars head into the 2017 season following a 3-13 season last year, a 4th-place AFC South finish and the firing of head coach Gus Bradley before the end of the year.
The Jaguars will move forward with Doug Marrone as head coach as they look to make the playoffs after a nine-year drought.
AFC South Position Rankings:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs
Here's the biggest questions facing the Jaguars this offseason:
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Can Blake Bortles figure it out?
Blake Bortles has not been a good quarterback so far in his career. In three seasons he's peaked at an 88.2 quarterback rating, and has consistently thrown between 16 and 18 interceptions each season. An apparent progression in 2015 (4,428 yards, 35 TDs) came crashing back to earth last fall (3,905 yards, 23 TDs).
Now, Bortles hasn't been terrible, but he has certainly not lived up to his draft stock. He's got two years left on his rookie deal to prove he can be the leader of this franchise. He needs to show improvement this year to convince the fanbase he's worth another contract.
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Will Leonard Fournette be as good as advertised?
The fourth overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, Fournette comes to the Jaguars with lofty expectations placed on his shoulders. The LSU product ahs been one of the most highly-touted running backs in the college ranks for years, and now he gets his chance to show what he can do on the NFL stage.
His offensive line (as we'll get to soon) isn't likely to do him too many favors, so he'll need to be able to create for himself this fall.
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Will Dante Fowler get on the field?
It's been a rough couple of years for the No. 3 overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft. A pre-season ACL tear eliminated hs rookie season, and when he finally got on the field last year he totaled just 32 tackles and 4 sacks.
Now, he's facing charges of simple battery and mischief, and it's clear maturity is an issue. Mike Kaye of First Coast News reported that Fowler has had 10 traffic citations in the last 20 months. Fowler needs to get his head on straight, and fast, if he wants to make it in the NFL.
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Can the offensive line have consistency?
The Jaguars offensive line has been a mess recently. Jacksonville could potentially be starting its fourth left tackle, center, right and left guard this year since 2012. Branden Albert should keep his spot at left tackle, but he's upset with his contract. Returning center Brandon Linder should keep his job, but he was recently transitioned to the position.
The Jaguars drafted Alabama's Cam Robinson and could fill out the line with Jeremy Parnell, A.J. Cann, Patrik Omameh and Earl Watford in some combination. The offensive line needs to be solidified if the Jaguars hope to have any success this fall.
