Envisioning Jacksonville Jaguars' Starting Lineup for 2015 Season
With the two major events of the offseason now behind the Jacksonville Jaguars, a definite starting lineup is beginning to take shape. The direction of the Jaguars is becoming apparent, and watching this team form will be fun to watch.
It's not going to be an easy endeavor for any player on the Jaguars. This team is as deep as it's been talent-wise in years, and that's not surprising. This has been part of the plan for the Jaguars, and they're not finished yet.
Building through the draft and selecting the absolute key pieces out of free agency has been the Jaguars' mantra for the past few seasons. The roster is starting to prove this team is getting better, and the competition at nearly every spot is a great thing.
The starting lineup isn't completely set, but it's closer to being finished than many of the past Jaguars teams have been at this point. Whether this team can show better results, however, remains to be seen.
However, the starting roster of this squad is light-years ahead of where general manager Dave Caldwell started with the Jaguars back in 2013. This is the plan coming together, and for the first time in a good while, the Jaguars are a competitive team in the NFL.
There's no guarantees on the starting lineup or on how the Jaguars might do this season, but the current level of talent on the roster and comparisons to previous teams show a lot of improvement.
With the intro out of the way, let's look at my projected starting lineup for the Jaguars.
Quarterback
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Blake Bortles as the starting quarterback might be the most certain aspect of the starting lineup, and that's no surprise. Despite a hard first season, he showed some flashes of brilliance, and if he continues to improve, the Jaguars could have a very good quarterback on their hands.
Bortles got a lot of flak from the national media for his interceptions—17 in total last season—but the struggles of the offense cannot be blamed on him completely.
The offensive line allowed 71 sacks last season, the most in the NFL. And it's not like he came into the league with the best receivers in the world, either. Jaguars receivers totaled 32 drops this past season, bad enough for third in the NFL, according to sportingcharts.com.
However, Bortles needs to show some improvement in his technical ability. The Jaguars selected him because of his malleability, and they need to see a return on their investment. Maybe not a huge return, but some type of progress.
The offensive line has just been upgraded in a spot or two, and the addition of tight end Julius Thomas and gained experience of a young receiver core helps too. He has a lot more to work with, and the Jaguars will expect better results because of that.
The immediate backup for Bortles is the Week 1 starter from last season, Chad Henne. Henne's a good backup, and hopefully Bortles is learning from Henne's experience, but the Jaguars can't rely on him, and they won't.
Bortles can be good in the NFL. He's working at his game, and the more he grows with this offense, the better he'll get. I'll enjoy watching him improve as a starter this upcoming season.
Running Back
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For me, the starter Week 1 ought to be T.J. Yeldon. With their second-round pick and the 36th pick overall, the Jaguars made an offensive choice in Yeldon, and his selection in the second round shows the Jaguars like him a lot and have him at a priority.
Yeldon had a great college career at Alabama, rushing for 3,322 career yards, 37 rushing touchdowns and an average yards per carry of 5.8. However, does Yeldon have what it takes to succeed in the NFL?
Well, according to the poll I put in my piece on Yeldon, nearly 85 percent of you said yes. I agree, and it's not necessarily because of his ability to run, but because of his versatility.
He has the ability to run inside and out, catch passes out of the backfield and is an improving blocker. Yeldon wasn't the most talented runner available, but the Jaguars stuck with him because he offers a lot to the offense, along with his rushing ability.
Yeldon has some flaws to work on, like the blocking he is improving at, but he's got such a good foundation that he should be able to come in and at least be competent and useful to the offense.
We can all hope for more, but I suggest Yeldon should be given time. He'll impress you as a complete back, but don't let rookie mistakes blind your perception, and this goes for every rookie. Yeldon can be a really good back; I don't know if we'll see it this year, but with the right work, it'll be here eventually.
Wide Receivers
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I think the initial starters for the Jaguars will be Allen Robinson and Marqise Lee out wide, with Rashad Greene in the slot. That excludes players like Allen Hurns out of the starting lineup, but I wouldn't say that will be the case for long.
Lee and Robinson were selected in the second round of the 2014 draft, and part of the reason they are the starters is because of that. The Jaguars put a lot into both of those guys with their picks, and they're going to have faith in them.
However, that doesn't mean they are unable to lose their jobs. Robinson showed a lot of promise last season before his injury, but Lee's injury-plagued, somewhat below-par season puts him in danger of losing his spot to Hurns at any point in the season.
The ideal set-up for the Jaguars would be to have a reliable, fighting receiver in Robinson and a speedy, big-play guy like Lee out wide, with Greene in the slot, considering he's the best overall slot player on the team.
Lee and Hurns can be swapped out from this point looking forward. It wouldn't be surprising to see Hurns start coming Week 1, but I think the Jaguars will give Lee priority. Hurns will see plenty of the field during the season and will have his chance to prove himself in the preseason again.
It's just another part of this team that is showing there is intense competition at almost every position for the Jaguars.
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Tight End
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Despite the Jaguars shifting towards more packages with two tight ends, if I have to pick one starter, it's most definitely Julius Thomas. Thomas was the biggest free-agent signing for the Jaguars in years, and he can prove why in 2015.
With 24 touchdowns in the past two seasons, Thomas is no stranger to the end zone. He was one of Denver Broncos QB Peyton Manning's most prolific threats, and the Jaguars will hope he can offer the same for Bortles.
If there could be a second tight end starter to select, it has to be Marcedes Lewis. Lewis is now 30 years old and a little banged up, but he has a lot to offer this team, both as a receiver and a blocker.
We'll continue to see Lewis on the field making blocks for Yeldon and the stable of running backs behind him. Lewis may not be the offensive threat he once was, but with him making blocks and Thomas making catches, the Jaguars are sitting pretty at the tight end spot.
The dual threat of these two TEs is backed up by seventh-round draft picks Ben Koyack and Neal Sterling, in which I see Koyack backing Lewis more often and Sterling backing Thomas. They both play similar games to their superiors, and I think they'll learn a lot from them in 2015.
The Jaguars have two quality TEs at their disposal, and to help Bortles as much as they can, I think we'll see a lot of use out of Thomas and Lewis in 2015.
Offensive Line
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Working down the line from right to left, I think the Week 1 starters will be Jermey Parnell at right tackle, Brandon Linder at right guard, Luke Bowanko at center, Zane Beadles at left guard and finally Luke Joeckel at left tackle.
The line sees one change from the preferred set of starters last season, with Austin Pasztor sitting the bench behind Parnell. But besides that, the offensive line will be pretty similar to last season.
The only change I could see coming up to the season or during the season would be third-round draft pick A.J. Cann coming in for Beadles at guard. Beadles didn't perform up to his pay last season, but the Jaguars are paying him too much money to start.
Plus, letting Cann sit on the bench and really learn the ropes of the NFL could play out better than expected. Linder and Bowanko excelled as starters last season, but that was a surprise, and you can't expect that with every rookie.
The only other position I could see up for grabs is if Bowanko cannot keep up his performance from last season. Bowanko was solid—not overly impressive, but solid—and if he gives backup center Stefan Wisniewski a chance, Wisniewski has proven to be a reliable starter, and he won't give it back easily.
The offensive line getting another year under their belt will be great, and this offensive line might be the part of the team that is improving the most, even with last year's mistakes. We'll see if they can keep the momentum going into 2015.
Defensive Line
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One of the most exciting and enjoyable parts of the team last season, I see the defensive line making two changes going into 2015. The two new starters will be at the edge, with first-round draft pick Dante Fowler Jr. playing at the "Leo" spot, and Jared Odrick playing the strong-side end.
Roy Miller and Sen'Derrick Marks will hold down the fort in the interior for the second straight year. One of the best things for the Jaguars last season was Miller proving his ability to be a reliable run-stopper and an occasional helper in the pass-rushing game.
Miller performed at a consistent level throughout last season, and I expect him to perform this season. He really shines against the run, but he's helpful when rushing the passer as well.
The two variables, Odrick and Fowler, will be interesting to watch as they come into head coach Gus Bradley's defense. Fowler should be naturally suited for his pass-rushing-focused role, but Odrick is a little less certain.
As defensive line coach Todd Wash told Jacksonville.com's Ryan O'Halloran, Odrick will be playing outside. This isn't a new role for him, but the fact he's adapting to a new team could be a hurdle.
Overall, I'm excited for this set of starters. They were leading the defense last season with their big plays, and I expect them to do big things again this season.
Linebackers
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Next up is the linebackers. We see a new starter in the "Sam" linebacker spot with the signing of Dan Skuta, but Paul Posluszny and Telvin Smith will retain the "Mike" linebacker spot and "Will" spot, respectively.
This may be the leading force for the Jaguars' defense next season for two major reasons: The rise of Smith as a playmaker was huge for this team, and he'll carry that into this season. Plus, the addition of a veteran in Skuta will give a little more stability to the defense.
Smith was critical for the defense last season, making plays beyond his years and size. He outplayed his expectations, totaling two sacks, forcing a fumble, recovering two fumbles and bringing down an interception.
As for Skuta, he didn't have a bad season himself. He came into his role for the San Francisco 49ers, finding the QB for five sacks and forcing three fumbles. Some have doubts about Skuta and say last year was a fluke, but I think it was a breakout.
Skuta was never given a full chance at the starting job, but now he can prove his worth with the Jaguars. As for "Poz," we can expect to see the reliable tackler and important leader of the defense, as always.
The addition of Skuta really gives the Jaguars a strong set of linebackers. With the speed and instinct of Smith, the reliability and experience of Posluszny and the new addition of a respectable strong-side linebacker in Skuta, this may be the most important part of the defense.
Secondary
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To start, the two corners to start will be Dwayne Gratz and Demetrius McCray, and we'll see Johnathan Cyprien at his usual strong safety spot paired up with new addition Sergio Brown.
The third corner will absolutely be free-agent signing Davon House, with Aaron Colvin following him. Both House and Colvin may see a starting spot earlier rather than later, but I think the Jaguars will stick with Gratz as a starter, at least for the beginning of the season.
McCray was a surprise performer the past season, and his play has most definitely earned him a starting spot to start the season. McCray was another bonus for the Jaguars last season, and they'll look to him to be a big part of this team again in 2015.
At the two safety spots, the Jaguars see old meeting new. Brown will start at free safety, which is just because he's the best available. The same goes for Cyprien, although Cyprien has the benefit of being with the Jaguars longer.
Fourth-round draft pick James Sample will be groomed to play the free safety position as well as his natural strong safety position, and he'll look to come after both Cyprien and Brown. He's not a perfect option, but like all rookies, he's hungry to prove himself.
The secondary has far less competition than a lot of other groups for the Jaguars, but the starting lineup is strong. A lot of these guys now have experience, and can take that with them.
Kicker and Punter
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The two positions with the least amount of controversy and competition are at kicker and punter, and that's a good thing. With punter Bryan Anger and kicker Josh Scobee doing what they do best, the Jaguars are able to focus elsewhere.
Anger has been better than some give him credit for, which most likely comes from the fact he was drafted in the third round of the 2012 draft. The punt coverage has lacked, but with a more talented roster than last year, I think we'll see his selection start to pay off more.
Scobee had his worst season in years, only making 76.9 percent of his kicks. However, the last time he dipped this low in 2010, he bounced back with a strong 2011, making 92 percent of his kicks.
Scobee's getting a little older, but he's still got enough left in him to be a solid kicker and important member of this team. I don't know if he'll bounce back like he did in 2011, but Scobee should have a better year in 2015.
All stats were provided by ESPN.com unless otherwise stated.
Evan Reier is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report covering the Jacksonville Jaguars. Follow Evan on Twitter at @evanreier.
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