NFL Trade Deadline: 3 Observations as Jaguars Stand Pat

The 2021 NFL trade deadline has come and gone out with a whimper, just as nearly every other trade deadline preceding it. And as such, that means the Jacksonville Jaguars are set to take on the next 10 games with no reinforcements following a 1-6 start. 

The Jaguars didn't make any moves at the deadline despite head coach Urban Meyer and general manager Trent Baalke being stocked with 11 draft picks in 2022, showing that the Jaguars are now turning their full focus to the offseason when it comes to adding to the roster. 

What are the ramifications of the Jaguars not making any moves and what does it all mean moving forward? We break down three observations on the impact below. 

Tyron Johnson has become the Jaguars' last chance at speed for the 2021 season

The Jaguars didn't say they were lacking at speed on the outside on accident. For as much as Marvin Jones and Laviska Shenault bring to the table, the Jaguars have lacked a speed element on the perimeter of their offense ever since DJ Chark's injury during the first drive of Week 4. Shenault and Jones have both come up in big moments on downfield throws, but neither would be considered a true field-stretcher, leaving the Jaguars without one in the post-Chark period.

"The thing we don’t have is when DJ [Chark Jr.] went down, do we have that home run hitter on the outside? I think Laviska [Shenault Jr.]’s playing very well. Marvin [Jones Jr.]’s playing really well. We’re just one speed guy short," Meyer said last week.

As a result, the Jaguars' last real chance at finding that type of speed threat for Trevor Lawrence to utilize and grow with is Tyron Johnson. Perhaps the Jaguars are still not overly high on Johnson and his ability to make an impact, but they have no other options. It is either Johnson or nobody. 

The former Chargers receiver was one of the best deep threats in the NFL last season due to his speed and ball-tracking ability, but Johnson played just 27 snaps and saw three targets for the Jaguars over the first month of the season. In Week 5 he played zero snaps and in Week 6 he was a healthy scratch, putting him firmly at the bottom of the depth chart. 

But in Week 8, Johnson's role expanded, though this could be in part to the Jaguars throwing the ball over 50 times. Johnson posted season-highs in snaps played and targets, being targeted twice in one game for the first time this season and drawing his first deep target. Johnson dropped a good pass from Lawrence near the end of the game, but that doesn't mean the Jaguars should stop giving him chances. If they want more speed on the field, then Johnson has to be on it.

Jaguars' lack of moves was the expectation, but the pressure for 2022 is now already on 

The Jaguars were expected by most to ultimately not make any moves by Tuesday's trade deadline, in large part due to the fact that the Jaguars are now 1-6 and are looking beyond 2021 when it comes to making moves. The Jaguars are in no position to trade for rental players, thus making any move illogical if it didn't revolve around helping Trevor Lawrence and his development. 

But it is that exact development that is now at the forefront of everything the Jaguars will do moving forward. The choices in free agency were slim, but the free agency receivers (Marvin Jones, Jamal Agnew, Phillip Dorsett) the Jaguars added weren't quite yet enough to give Lawrence a rock-solid support cast. Lawrence's development and support system have been the top priority for the franchise, but it is tough to say when watching them each Sunday that he has enough around him to foster much consistency. 

The Jaguars' entire offseason is going to revolve around reloading around Lawrence, whether it be in terms of protection of passing-game weapons. The pressure is on the front office to give Lawrence the proper setting for his development, and the 2022 offseason has become the complete picture now that the deadline is gone. If the Jaguars want to help Lawrence, it will have to wait until March. 

Which other Jaguar could continue to see boosts in playing time following the deadline? 

With the deadline now passed without any roster shakeups, there are other players outside of Johnson who have the chance to potentially benefit. While receiver was the most obvious position for the Jaguars to target, there are other players on the roster who could see a bump in playing time following the team's lack of moves, especially due to the immediate need at cornerback and beyond.

Rudy Ford is the biggest prime example. Ford has a cornerback background but had been used as mostly a box defender by the Jaguars through the first six games. That was until Week 8, when Ford served as the team's de facto slot cornerback more often than not. With the Jaguars adding nothing at cornerback, Ford could continue to see more snaps in the Jaguars' nickel package as opposed to just in their dime package. 

Ford wasn't signed to be a major factor in the defense, but he has played multiple roles for the Jaguars' unit and has mostly held his own, impressing with his versatility and mix of speed and size. Now that the Jaguars are essentially left to fend off opposing offenses with their current group of cornerbacks, Ford seems like an obvious choice to see more playing time in some capacity.