3 Observations on the Jaguars' Waiving of Tyron Johnson

The Jacksonville Jaguars made an expected but still jarring roster move Tuesday, waiving wide receiver Tyron Johnson after a disappointing 10 weeks that the speed threat fail to find ways onto the field. 

Johnson appeared in just five games and saw just five targets for the Jaguars, catching two passes for 16 yards with one drop. To say it was a disappointing outcome for the team and Johnson after the Jaguars claimed him with the top waiver priority before Week 1 is an understatement. 

But the move had been weeks in the making as the Jaguars' coaches lamented in public about Johnson's issues with picking up the routes that the scheme calls for a mastering off, with Tavon Austin and Laquon Treadwell instead getting the nod over Johnson in recent weeks. 

While Johnson wasn't even a small part of the offense, the Jaguars cutting ties with him says a few different things about both the short- and long-term direction. Now that the Jaguars have finally ripped the bandaid off and given up on trying to include Johnson into the offense, it is time to examine what the move means for the receiver room and offense now and moving forward.

As such, here are our three thoughts on the move and what it means for the Jaguars. 

The Jaguars offense was already lacking speed in 2021. Now, a team needing speed has just become that much slower. 

The Jaguars' offense was already one that was severely hampered in terms of it's big-play ability due to injuries to explosive playmakers such as Travis Etienne and DJ Chark. And while Johnson rarely saw the field, he did give the Jaguars a sense of speed on their roster and depth chart that they could eventually turn to and unleash. As things stood, Johnson and Jamal Agnew were two of the only players on the active roster who could truly be considered explosive playmakers in the passing game.

"We have enough but we just have to execute. I will never say that we do not have [speed]. You need speed and do we have enough? That remains to be seen," Urban Meyer said after Week 8. "We have enough to hit some big plays we just have to execute. [Jamal] Agnew has elite speed, Marvin Jones plays a lot faster than what his 40-yard clock [shows] and Dan Arnold is one of the fastest tight ends. There is speed on the field we just have to execute.”

Now, with Johnson off the roster entirely, it is hard to imagine the Jaguars can get a boost of speed from anyone but Agnew. Marvin Jones is a solid player but isn't a speed threat, while Laviska Shenault is more of a power and strength athlete. Dan Arnold is athletic by tight end standards, but it is a tough pill to swallow to now know the Jaguars' entire threat of speed now relies on him and Agnew. Johnson may not have seen the field, but he was at least a fast option for a slow offense. Now, that offense looks like it is going to stay slow.

John Brown should be expected to play a role in the coming weeks

The Jaguars signed veteran wide receiver John Brown to their practice squad last week and now appear poised to activate the former Arizona Cardinals and Buffalo Bills deep threat to their active roster to take Johnson's place. The Jaguars could go with a younger option on their practice squad such as Jeff Cotton Jr or Tim Jones, but it seems much more likely the Jaguars will rely on a formerly productive and experienced veteran in Brown.

If there is one thing Brown could provide, it is a downfield threat for Lawrence who can at least be trusted to catch the ball when open. Whether Brown is as explosive of a vertical threat as he was in his prime can be debated and is even unlikely, but just two years ago Brown had 10 catches on passes with 20 or more air yards, turning four of them into touchdowns. He helped bring along Josh Allen's development until the Bills upgraded, and the Jaguars will likely now have to hope he can do the same with Trevor Lawrence years later.

The lack of improvement among Jacksonville's young receivers must be examined before the Jaguars add to the position following 2021

Johnson simply never fit in Jacksonville's offense, at least based off what the coaches said in press conferences and interviews when asked why he didn't see the field despite his speed. There is likely some credence to his route-running issues since the Los Angeles Chargers also released Johnson before the season, but Johnson's inability to develop in Jacksonville is a continuation of a season-long trend from an organizational standpoint.

As things stand today, the only young receiver who has improved by a noticeable degree has been Jamal Agnew, and that is in large part because this is the first year Agnew has been leaned on as a true receiver. Otherwise, the Jaguars have opted to lean on experienced and tested veterans like Austin, Brown and Treadwell over younger options in Johnson, Collin Johnson, and Jalen Camp. Whether the latter three would have made any impact is unlikely, but it is worth noting the Jaguars simply have not seen any young receivers take a step forward. If the Jaguars are going to pour resources into the position next year, they need to examine why this is the case.