CBS Sports joins the chorus of critics slamming Jacksonville’s underwhelming roster moves, citing a talent exodus and head-scratching draft picks as reasons for the conference's lowest mark.
Criticism of the Jacksonville Jaguars' offseason continues to roll in.
Ever since free agency, the Jags have been knocked for their perceived lackluster performance when it comes to improving their team.
Whether it was their frugal approach to free agency, where the Jags seemingly lost more talent than they added, or a draft class widely panned for drafting players earlier than expected, reports on Jacksonville's off-season approach have not been kind.
Now you can add CBS Sports analyst Tyler Sullivan to the long list of people who believe the Jags didn't do enough in the off-season to build on their surprising 13-4 season a year ago.
In his column, Sullivan grades every AFC team's offseason. He gives the Jaguars a D, the lowest grade of the 16 teams in the conference. Here is what Sullivan had to say about the Jags,
"So, what did the Jaguars actually do this offseason? If anything, they saw talent walk out the door and didn't do much to replenish the holes they left behind. After four seasons with the organization and just earning second-team All-Pro in 2025, Devin Lloyd signed with the Panthers. Meanwhile, running back Travis Etienne, a former first-round pick in 2021, signed with New Orleans. Jacksonville is expected to elevate running back Bhayshul Tuten to the starting role. They signed Chris Rodriguez, but that unit now has question marks heading into the year. On both sides of the ball, they are arguably worse than they were a year ago.
As for the NFL Draft, the club didn't have a first-rounder due to the Travis Hunter trade last offseason, and when they were on the clock made some puzzling decisions, namely tight end Nate Boerkircher with the No. 56 overall pick. Really, it seems like Jacksonville is hoping for internal development from guys they already had on the roster rather than dipping into external options to get better."
Does Sullivan Have A Point?
That may seem harsh, but does Sullivan have a point? Jacksonville lost two of it's most important players in RB Travis Etienne Jr. and Devin Lloyd. Also gone are safety Andrew Wingard and DE Emmanuel Ogbah, among others. The only notable new addition the Jags acquired in free agency was RB Chris Rodriguez Jr., signed to help alleviate the loss of Etienne.
As far as the draft goes, Jacksonville's class was never going to be widely praised, especially without having a first-round pick. However, HC Liam Coen is excited for his draft haul,
"We ended up with four guys who fit the bill for exactly what we're hunting up and feel like we were able to level up in a few different areas that going into 2026, we were really excited about addressing," Gladstone said of the Jaguars' Day 2 picks. "As the trends across the NFL begin to show themselves, not only over the last season, but the back half of the season and what we anticipate being big pieces to the puzzle over the course of this next season I think that was a real reflection of the decisions that we made."
Sullivan also points to the Jaguars counting on seeing developmental improvements from players already on the roster. That is not a bad thing. Of course the Jags are counting on stars like Travis Hunter and Brian Thomas Jr. to be better than they were in 2025. Both had subpar seasons and are possibly the Jaguars two most talented players.
Keep in mind that the Jaguars, after last season's roster purge, have nearly $55 million in dead money on their 2026 cap, the 8th most in the league. GM James Gladstone was not in a position to splurge this offseason.
Of course, that won't stop the criticisms from coming. The Jaguars returning to the playoffs in 2026 is the only way the Jaguars can silence their critics.
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