Could the Jacksonville Jaguars make a huge swing in free agency at the running back position? One NFL insider seems to think so.
Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports emptied his free agency notebook, and in it, he discussed Kenneth Walker’s market. Among the teams mentioned by Jones were the Chiefs, Broncos, and yes, the Jaguars.
“Specifically to Walker,” Jones wrote, “it has been noted above he’s probably out of the Chiefs’ price range. Denver could be the place for him as Bo Nix continues on his rookie deal. One other place I could see him in is Jacksonville. The Jaguars are parting with Etienne and are happy with Bhayshul Tuten. But GM James Gladstone has shown in just a year that he will always be aggressive when it comes to roster building.”
The other noteworthy point made by Jones is that it seems like Travis Etienne won’t be back, regardless of whether or not Walker is a realistic free agent target for the Jaguars.
Walker was named the Super Bowl MVP in Seattle’s win over New England. Including the playoffs, he rushed for 1,340 yards this past season with nine touchdowns, while averaging 4.7 yards per attempt, according to PFF.
The run game is a very important element of Liam Coen’s offense. Not only does it keep the offense out of predictable passing situations by staying ahead of the sticks, but the run and pass game concepts in Coen’s system go hand-in-hand, building off each other.
Now, how realistic is it for the Jaguars to land Walker? Well, it might not be easy. Walker will be the top available running back in free agency and is projected to earn $27 million over three seasons on his next deal by PFF.
In addition to that, the Jaguars face a very tight salary cap situation at the moment, and have positional needs that would seem to be more pressing than running back.
But, if you’d like to hold out hope, as Jones said, James Gladstone has pulled off his share of surprises in his first year as the Jaguars’ GM.
This article originally appeared on Jaguars Wire: Insider names Jaguars as option for Super Bowl MVP RB in free agency
Reporting by Paul Bretl, Jaguars Wire / Jaguars Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
