It's funny how a team choosing not to aggressively spend all sorts of money on overpriced free agents can make so many people forget just how good that team was last season.

That is exactly what has been happening with the Jacksonville Jaguars for months, 13-win season be damned. They didn't sign high-profile free agents, so they surely won't be as good this season. The entire draft class has been determined to be a failure before any of those rookies have even played a single NFL snap.

Give me a break.

Though the Jags indeed lost key players like running back Travis Etienne and linebacker Devin Lloyd in free agency, they should be able to count on much better seasons from Travis Hunter, Travon Walker, and Brian Thomas Jr.

Is that a guarantee? Of course not. But it's an understandable strategy, and has a better chance to succeed than overpaying for a free agent, which results in disappointment more often than not.

If those three improve, and the team in general is more comfortable with a year of head coach Liam Coen's system already under their belts, Jacksonville could be even better in 2026.

Still, Frank Schwab of Yahoo! Sports believes the Jaguars are a "candidate for regression," and only has them ranked 16th in his latest NFL power rankings.

Like most, Schwab believes the Jaguars had a lackluster offseason and questions if that will cause them to take a step back this season. He gave the Jags a "D" for their offseason and believes Jacksonville's success last year should have been a motivator to be aggressive in free agency.

"When a team has a big breakout season like the Jaguars just did, with a quarterback like Trevor Lawrence having arguably his best season and improvement in practically every area across the roster, it usually gets aggressive the following offseason. It might be imprudent to ignore regression possibilities and push forward, but a taste of success is intoxicating. More is expected.

"That's what made Jacksonville's offseason weird. No team was quieter across the NFL. The Jaguars signed a league-low six free agents. They spent $21.4 million on those free agents, while no other team spent less than $39.4 million. They lost some key starters in free agency too, like running back Travis Etienne Jr., linebacker Devin Lloyd and cornerback Greg Newsome II."

Schwab also questions Travis Hunter's usage in 2026. With the second-year phenom expected to focus on cornerback this year, and only occasionally playing receiver, Schwab thinks the Jaguars aren't taking advantage of what makes Hunter a special talent. He thinks that, if Jacksonville isn't planning on having him play both ways full-time, the Jaguars shouldn't have given up so much to move up to draft him.

"If Hunter isn't playing both ways, that trade looks like a massive overpay. There was a report in April that Hunter would be mostly a cornerback and limited on offense, though head coach Liam Coen said afterward that the plan hasn't changed and Hunter is 'going to play both sides of the football just as we drafted him to do.'"

If Hunter becomes the All-Pro CB he can be, I don't think the Jaguars will be disappointed in the return on their investment, especially with hi also chipping in on offense.

After the Jags came in 8th in a recent set of NFL power rankings, it looked like they were finally getting the respect a 13-4 team deserves.

Nope. Back to being doubted and dismissed as legit contenders. 

However, if Jacksonville doesn't get the improvements it is counting on from Hunter, Walker, and Thomas Jr., and Bhayshul Tuten and Ventrell Miller flop in their expanded roles, all of the criticism the Jaguars have received will be proven right.

It is now up to the team to prove the doubters wrong.

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