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It may have taken a while, but the Jacksonville Jaguars finally have the look of a team on the upswing. Between loading up their offense with young playmakers like Allen Robinson and Marquis Lee and finding their franchise quarterback in Blake Bortles, Jacksonville has a foundation they can start building from. Judging from last season, it appeared the last piece to their puzzle was an every-down running back. So, with the selection of T.J. Yeldon in the second-round of this year’s draft, Jacksonville’s got what they needed. I expect Yeldon to work his magic early and often in 2015.
With the team acknowledging that they may have whiffed with Toby Gerhart as a full-time back, Yeldon walked an easy path to the starting role. Jacksonville’s backfield is loaded with good part-time players in Denard Robinson and Storm Johnson, who, when combined with Gerhart, would make for a killer back. If you want a consistently reliable workhorse, though, forget about it because those three aren’t giving it to you by themselves. With Yeldon, the Jaguars have a guy who t can do it all, from receiving to pass protection to picking up short yardage and everything in between. Expect Jacksonville to take advantage of that and feed him the ball on most occasions.
Aside from what Yeldon will directly bring to his position, his presence is going to be invaluable to the offense as a whole. It’s important to keep in mind how young and still growing the Jaguar offense is Bortles, Robinson, and Lee are only entering their second year and Julius Thomas is a new piece they have to get in sync with. That’s a lot new chemistry Bortles has to develop. Since this whole thing revolves around Bortles, getting him comfortable has to be the top priority. Rotational backfields may be effective and all, but they’re not exactly ideal for a passer still trying to get his feet under him. It’s much easier when, no matter what the down and distance it is, the same player is behind them and they know what they can do. Even if it’s just a matter of having one less thing for Bortles to worry about, it’s worth having.
Last season, the Jaguar backfield combined for 1,300 total yards and eight touchdowns. Expecting that much out of Yeldon in 2015 might be a stretch, but even if he sniffs the ballpark of those numbers, it’ll be a great success for the team. The real victory Yeldon will bring is stabilizing that offense so Bortles can operate comfortably — that will go a long way in setting off the potential this offense really has.
It’s been a long time since Jacksonville had everything all clicking at the same time. Maurice Jones-Drew was a beast there for years while the team struggled with finding receivers and a capable quarterback. But now the reverse is true, where the last piece of it all is finding that every-down playmaker lining up in the backfield. The Jaguars found that in Yeldon, and he’ll be a critical part in Jacksonville shaking up the landscape of the AFC. Their time to contend could be closer than anyone realizes.
Doug Green is a Featured Writer for www.RantSports.com covering the Philadelphia Eagles and the NFL. Follow him on Twitter @DGreenNFL.
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