Jacksonville Jaguars: 5 Major Free Agents the Team Must Re-Sign

The new owner is on the job and essentially on the clock.

The offensive and defensive coordinators are entrenched in their positions to make the team a better unit.

The coaching staff is quickly coming together and the NFL Draft and free-agency periods are on the horizon.

So much for NFL teams getting a break during the year.

While there are four teams left in the hunt for the Lombardi Trophy, the Jacksonville Jaguars and 27 other teams are making plans for the upcoming season. The season of 2011 is in the rear-view mirror and there is no looking back.

With that comes the attention that needs to be given to the free agents on this roster and who will be retained and released. The defense, which finished the season sixth overall in the NFL, could take some major hits if the team cannot re-sign key players.

It would appear that someone like an Aaron Kampman, who has struggled with injuries the two seasons he has been in teal and white, will be released, adding to the need to sign these defensive stars to help keep the ship afloat.

These stars (and they do not all appear on the defensive side of the ball) are key to the continued development of this team.

Rashean Mathis

Mathis won't be back with this team unless something drastic happens.

When he went down with an ACL injury in the Jaguars 17-3 win over the Colts, it ended a pretty decent season for the hometown veteran. Mathis had battled back from injuries and poor play the previous two seasons and was having a year that could have brought him a new contract.

The Jaguars had not begun new contract negotiations with Mathis prior to the injury. With the play of other younger defensive backs on the team, this will probably be his final season with the team.

Mathis may be missed more for his locker room presence than anything else. His leadership has been key to the continuity of the secondary.

Dwight Lowery

Not lost in all the free-agent signings over the offseason was a trade the Jaguars made with the Jets for Lowery's services.

It paid off in spades.

Lowery, Drew Coleman and Dawan Landry are the future of this secondary. His man coverage and play in nickel situations was key to the secondary being better in pass coverage.

The Jaguars still may look to add depth to the secondary in the draft, but having Lowery on board for the long term makes his unit much, much better.

Matt Roth

Before the start of the 2011 season, the free agent from Cleveland was honest in his intentions. Any team that could afford him for $3 million would get his services.

The Jaguars gambled on that $3 million being a good investment and until Roth suffered a concussion against the Colts, he provided steady pass rush and run-stopping on the defensive front.

The probable release of Aaron Kampman in the offseason makes signing Roth to a long-term deal even more important. The Jaguars do not figure to look at a pass-rusher in the first round of the draft.

This time, it will cost the Jaguars more than the $3 million Roth first requested.

Jeremy Mincey

The defensive end does not know how to stop moving forward.

For the past two seasons, this free-agent signee has led the Jaguars in sacks and been one of the constant improvements on a defense that kept getting better all season despite injuries.

Mincey should be priority number one on the defense and could make a lot of money in the open market as an edge rusher and run-stuffer.

While the Jaguars have spent millions on rookies and top free agents to fill voids at the defensive end positions, they found a gem on the open market in this former University of Florida player.

Josh Scobee

When the kicker is the most important free agent on the team, that either means your team is really bad, or you have one of the best sets of feet in the NFL.

How about a little of both in this situation?

Scobee is one of the better long-distance kickers in the game and missed only twice on the season.

Scobee was 23-of-25 on the season and his accuracy was just as important to the team as Maurice Jones-Drew was to the running game. Also, the team lost punter Adam Podlesh last season to the Chicago Bears, which led to problems with the punting game during the regular season.

Losing Scobee could be devastating to this franchise.