The Jaguars make an early splash as the legal tampering period gets underway

Somebody take the batteries out of Trent Baalke!

The Jacksonville Jaguars’ General Manager kicked off the legal tampering period with a trio of signings in the first four hours on Monday. After some big names were let go, and others allowed to make it to free agency, the roster has been suitably bolstered. We take a look at the newest members of Duval Nation:

Mitch Morse

The first arrival of the day will be music to the ears of many Jags fans. Mitch Morse, the veteran center, was released by the Buffalo Bills last Wednesday - meaning his free agency experience kicked off a little earlier than expected. A nine-year veteran in the NFL, Morse began his career with the Kansas City Chiefs before spending the last five years in Upstate New York. After initially visiting the Pittsburgh Steelers, Morse then flew down to Jacksonville - and Baalke never let him leave the building, signing him to a two-year, $10.5m deal.

Morse has played at a high level throughout his entire career. Earning All-Rookie Team honors in 2015 and making the Pro Bowl in 2022, Morse allowed just one sack last season. In fact, he’s notorious for protecting the quarterback, not allowing a single QB takedown his first four years in the league. A cap casualty in Buffalo, Morse represents an immediate upgrade on the developing Luke Fortner, who had his critics in 2023 after a promising rookie season. Signing Morse for two years allows Fortner some room to grow into the role - as well as offering a capable backup at any spot on the interior.

According to PFF, Morse is better in pass pro than he is as a run blocker, but his grade of 61.5 in the run game still dwarfs that of Fortner’s last year (38.8). Morse now joins a strong offensive line, with Anton Harrison, Brandon Scherff and the recently tied down Ezra Cleveland commanding four of the five starting spots.

Whichever way you slice it, Trevor Lawrence just got a whole lot more comfortable.

Gabe Davis

If you’d told me the Jaguars had signed a receiver on day 1 of free agency, I of course would have assumed you were alluding to Calvin Ridley. Instead, Jacksonville brings one of their own back home, raiding the Bills for the second time in the space of a few hours. Gabe Davis was born in Fernandina Beach just 45 minutes north of the city, and played his college ball down in Orlando with UCF. After four seasons with the Bills he joins the Jags on a three year, $39m deal - an amount that could rise to $50m if he hits every escalator in his contract.

Davis has a reputation for turning up when it matters most - hence the nickname ‘Big Game Gabe’. In THAT AFC divisional playoff game against the Chiefs back in the 2021 season, Davis made eight catches for an incredible 201 yards and four touchdowns - and has the most yards per reception of any receiver in the league since 2020 (minimum 150 receptions). A legitimate big play threat, the acquisition of Davis shows the front office’s determination to surround Lawrence with as many weapons as possible.

A final point on Ridley - rumors suggest the team are still hopeful of bringing him back. If they somehow manage to get both players under contract, it may spell the end for Zay Jones in Jacksonville. To be continued…

Darnell Savage

The Jaguars’ secondary bore the brunt of the roster reshuffle last week with the departures of both Darious Williams and Rayshawn Jenkins. The thought process at the time was that some young talent - particularly the promising Antonio Johnson - would be given the opportunity to stake a claim for a starting spot - but it looks as if he’ll now have some competition.

Darnell Savage arrives at EverBank Stadium after five years with the Green Bay Packers. The hard-hitting safety has 72 games under his belt, although a calf injury restricted him to just ten games last year. Traditionally operating as a free safety, Savage was moved around a little more in Joe Barry’s defense last year, which coincided with a modest downturn in production. Those stats may be misleading though - Savage had a reputation as a violent defensive back during his college career, and will likely line up as strong safety with Andre Cisco manning the free safety role.

Signing a three-year deal for $21m and $12.5m guaranteed, Savage at the very least represents excellent value for money. Despite more than 300 tackles already in his career, there’s a feeling that his best ball is still ahead of him - and according to PFF, he was the highest graded safety in the playoffs last season. I would suggest Ryan Nielsen will be able to get a lot more out of him than Joe Barry could in the frozen north - this is a low key, high upside signing.

Other Observations

When I started writing this article, the Jaguars had signed four free agents. By the time I got to the final section it was three - after agreeing terms with Will Lutz, the kicker changed his mind and is re-signing with the Denver Broncos, according to Adam Schefter. Lutz had lined up a three-year deal in Jacksonville, but instead has opted for a two-year contract to remain at Mile High. This tells us that the team are looking to move on from Brandon McManus, but now have to find his successor elsewhere. Kicker continues to be the most dramatic position on the roster.

We seem to have glossed over the team trading for Mac Jones. And rightly so - the former New England Patriot torpedoed his own career last season after a promising rookie campaign back in 2021. Rumors of discontent with coaches and upsetting teammates do not breed confidence, but I guess the upside of (dubious) first round talent means a 6th round pick felt like small potatoes to Baalke. To be fair to Jones, it was a hot mess up in Boston last year - and to be fair to the front office, perhaps if the team had a better backup they wouldn’t have wheeled out a one-legged Trevor Lawrence in some moments in 2023. I’d be shocked if Jones is still on the roster once the 2025 season rolls around

Finally, what of the big names that have gone or may be leaving this offseason? As mentioned, the team is still hopeful on Calvin Ridley, although the Davis signing does give them a better negotiating position than before. Ridley is supposedly interesting the Houston Texans, which would be a bitter pill to swallow. Meanwhile, former cornerback Darious Williams is visiting the New York Giants on Monday, and Rayshawn Jenkins is currently being entertained by the Seattle Seahawks - with a trip to the San Francisco 49ers lined up and also being courted by the Miami Dolphins. Stay tuned…