Jacksonville Jaguars Veterans Who Have Been Put on Notice This Offseason

For the Jacksonville Jaguars, the plan is to think for the future. The organization and general manager Dave Caldwell have a plan for this team to create long-term success, and that means putting out the best of the young talent on the field.

Sadly, this means Jacksonville has to part with players each season to continue the process of having a team that will be in the upper echelon each year. It's not easy for the team or the fans, but it has to be done.

There are veterans on the Jaguars who may be realizing that this team's future may not include them. Age is a cruel part of life, and as certain players get older, their ability and value to the team degrades.

It's important to have veterans to help lead and set examples for the younger players, but this team has shown that it isn't afraid to part ways with veterans. The plan is clear, and it's a part of the plan that not every player becomes a franchise star.

Even the best of players have to meet their end, and keeping this team young makes that process a little more frequent but a little bit easier as well. Sentimental value in a player doesn't disappear easily, but the team can deal with it.

The Jaguars have a lot going for them for the future, and despite these players in risk of losing their jobs, it's important to focus on the team as a whole. 

With the intro out of the way, let's look at five veterans who have been put on notice this offseason.

Sam Young

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Sam Young has been with the Jaguars for only two years, but the 29-year-old is now entering his sixth year in the NFL. Young got his first starts as a Jaguar last season due to Austin Pasztor's injury, but the need for Young is a lot less apparent in 2015.

The signing of Jermey Parnell and Brennan Williams added a starter for the right tackle position and a solid backup for the left tackle spot, and Young may now be the odd man out. 

It's not even a case of after this season, but it will be a battle for Young to make the squad this offseason. He and other backups Josh Wells and Cody Booth will have to duke it out to earn their spot on this team going into the 2015 season. 

I don't see Wells or Booth making the Week 1 roster, but Young has starting experience with this team and now has to fight Williams for the backup spot. 

Young wasn't awful last season when he started, but he's either the same quality or slightly below Williams' level. Williams is a third-round talent entering the NFL, and he's never gotten a good chance at a roster after being buried in depth with the Houston Texans and then being released before the 2014 season.

Young will have a tough battle ahead of him to earn his spot for 2015. Williams won't be easy to go head-to-head with, and his trial is just another example of the level of competition that's apparent throughout nearly every position.

Ziggy Hood

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Part of the free-agent raid the Jaguars made in 2014, Ziggy Hood now has a little more competition to deal with than he did on his arrival. Rookies and experienced players are now all gunning for a backup spot that could later set up for a starting role.

Hood is entering his seventh season in the NFL but only his second with the Jaguars. The 28-year-old was a disappointing first-round selection for the Pittsburgh Steelers, but he was serviceable. However, his switch to Duval County didn't bring out anything better than what he displayed in Pittsburgh.

Seventeen solo tackles, one sack and a fumble recovery was all Hood offered in 2014, and while he was behind prolific starter Sen'Derrick Marks, the Jaguars most likely hoped for more from Hood.

Now, the addition of Michael Bennett in the draft and even Jared Odrick and his versatility on the line means Hood's future isn't as certain as it looked last season. More competition and higher standards mean Hood has more to prove and in less time. 

It wouldn't cost the Jaguars any money to cut Hood before this upcoming season, and he'll have to do everything in his power to prove his worth. Like Young, he'll battle primarily with one other backup, Bennett, but certain events could see Odrick shift to the interior.

Hood isn't a terrible player and could be a valuable backup, but does he offer enough for a team to keep paying him? That's the Jaguars' decision, and we'll see what they do this upcoming season.

Marcedes Lewis

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Now entering his 10th year with the Jaguars, there are very few players who have been as relevant to this franchise as Marcedes Lewis. However, his nagging injuries and age now mean the Jaguars are looking forward.

Lewis has played 19 games in the past two years and will be 31 years old on May 19. The natural drop-off in production and increase in injuries that come with age raises concerns for the best of players, and Lewis is no different. 

Lewis' best season in 2010 saw him total 58 receptions, 700 yards and 10 touchdowns, but before that and since that season, he has never reached those kind of numbers. It's not to say that he hasn't performed well other than that, but it's unlikely he'll get anywhere close to the numbers.

The addition of Julius Thomas this past spring makes this even more true. For all intents and purposes, it seems that 2015 will be Lewis' last season with the Jaguars, but he still has something to fight for before he leaves.

With the addition of Ben Koyack and Neal Sterling in the draft and Clay Harbor fighting to stay with the team, Lewis has serious competition for the lead-blocking tight end and the second TE spot overall. 

Koyack will be the most apparent heir to Lewis' position, but Harbor and Sterling are just extra competition. If Lewis isn't careful and doesn't prove his worth, the Jaguars may be willing to give someone else a chance to make plays instead.

Toby Gerhart

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Like Hood, Toby Gerhart was an addition going into the 2014 season a lot of fans were optimistic about. He had backed up and learned from Adrian Peterson with the Minnesota Vikings, and now he was getting a chance to prove himself as a starter.

The only problem was that Gerhart didn't really prove himself as a starter. In fact, he performed considerably worse than most people expected him to. He didn't have a killer instinct as a back, and his hard-nosed running style wasn't effective.

The rise of Denard Robinson as a solid rushing option didn't help his case, but Gerhart's play hurt him more than any other's play. He struggled inside and wasn't fast enough on the outside, and it became apparent rather quickly that he's not starting material.

The addition of T.J. Yeldon in the draft makes a crowded running back core even more cramped, but Yeldon is the current starter all the same. The Jaguars can now cut Gerhart without reparation, and his value to them is dropping.

However, Gerhart is still the third-stringer for this upcoming season. He's not everything the Jaguars hoped he might be, but he's still valuable and can prove that he deserves to be in Jacksonville in 2016.

Gerhart has an uphill battle from the third-string RB spot, but he can earn his spot by improving on last season. There's no guarantee the Jaguars will be as patient with him this season, so he needs to show his skill earlier rather than later.

Paul Posluszny

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Entering his fifth season with the Jaguars and his ninth season overall, Paul Posluszny is one of the oldest and most important starters for the Jaguars. He's an anchor for the defense and a leader as well, but his age and recent injury mean that he has something to prove in 2015.

"Poz" hasn't necessarily done anything wrong, and the Jaguars still think he can be a large part of this team in the near future, evidenced by his contract extension in April. However, he still needs to show he can start at this point in his career.

Posluszny tore his pectoral muscle last season, putting him on the IR and forcing him to miss the last nine games of the season. This injury raises concern about the beating linebackers take in the NFL and how long their productive lifespan really is.

Before last season, Poz had three straight seasons with 100-plus combined tackles for the Jaguars and had back-to-back seasons of 100 solo tackles. His injury isn't one that seems to be a "gateway" for other injuries, but it still raises concerns for the 30-year-old.

He'll look to rebound in 2015, and his play will be a big determiner for the Jaguars' future plans. If he excels and performs up to previous standards, the need for an inside linebacker will diminish, but if he struggles to keep up, we may see a change sooner rather than later.

Posluszny will be a part of this team for at least another year and probably two more after that, but his future as a starter will rest on his performance this year. If he wants to keep his job and prevent the Jaguars from looking to the draft or free agency next season for a new starter, he's going to have to earn it.

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.