After finishing 4-13 in 2024, the Jacksonville Jaguars had their work cut out. The first order of business was ousting Doug Pederson and Trent Baalke and bringing in their replacements. The organization ended up hiring Liam Coen and James Gladstone as the head coach and general manager, respectively. The duo was unfazed by the challenge of steering the ship in the right direction.
And while the Jags have made strides under the new regime, there's still plenty of work left. Gladstone, in particular, did a good job of deconstructing a roster that was devoid of depth and talent in the offseason. However, one year wasn't enough to address all the needs, which were a lot. Couple that with the fact that many of the players he brought in have dealt with injuries, and his rebuild has taken a massive setback.
The Jaguars will be without the game-altering Travis Hunter for the remainder of the season
Heading into Week 11, the Jaguars announced that Travis Hunter underwent season-ending surgery on his knee. The procedure was a success, but the news came as a bit of a surprise because the injury wasn't nearly as serious as the organization originally believed, and the two-way star was expected to return at some point in the season.
However, Jacksonville is taking a long-term approach with Hunter. And all things considered, that's the right call. After all, it doesn't make him to rush him back and expose him to further injury risk if he isn't 100 percent, especially if the team doesn't have a realistic shot at making the playoffs.
Now, missing Hunter is a huge blow, but the Jaguars could withstand it if they had a well-rounded roster and other players could step him his place. That's not the case, though.
Glastone purged the roster of pricey and underachiever veterans whose production didn't match their salary. He then proceeded to ship players who didn't fit the intangibly rich vision. Although he brought in cost-effective replacements, the roster is still lacking playmakers, and the rash of recent injuries has exposed the dearth of depth.
Couple that with the fact that a handful of the free-agent signings the front office brougth in haven't panned out, and the rebuild is further behind than it should be right now.
James Gladstone already has a few misses with the Jaguars
Wide receiver Dyami Brown and right guard Patrick Mekari were among the team's biggest acquisitions in free agency, but both of them have been non-factors. Heck, center Robert Hainsey and cornerback Jourdan Lewis are the only signings that have truly made an impact.
Compounding the issues is that the highest-paid players on the team aren't playing up to their salaries. Trevor Lawrence, Foyesade Oluokun, and Josh Hines-Allen aren't among the best at their respective positions. If they were, Jacksonville would arguably have a better record than 5-3 and a more favorable position to make a playoff push.
By now, you might be wondering what the solution is. The answer is easy: the Jaguars will need to go into the offseason looking for playmakers. Given that it will be Year 2 of the James Gladstone era, there will be a lower margin for error, and if the Jaguars general manager fails to replenish the roster and take care of the team's needs, he'll be under severe scrutiny.
Then again, that comes with the territory, and that doesn't mean that Gladstone has been dreadful. He hasn't and has most definitely had a few hits. That said, he still has a long way to go before he truly turns things around.