The Jacksonville Jaguars began retooling their roster last week, moving on from a pair of big-name playmakers in wide receiver Christian Kirk and tight end Evan Engram.
Those two moves created a substantial amount of 2025 salary cap space, as the Jags now rank top-10 in the NFL at $60.2 million under the cap entering the league’s legal negotiating period for free agents, which opens on Monday.
While Jacksonville’s new regime, led by head coach Liam Coen, figures to be active on the offensive side of the ball, Tyler Sullivan of CBS Sports predicts the team will make a splash signing on defense to kick things off this week. Here’s why Sullivan sees Jacksonville landing one of the top free agents available in New York Jets cornerback D.J. Reed:
The Jaguars certainly need some secondary pass-catching help after unloading Christian Kirk (via trade) and Even Engram (release). However, the secondary also is a position that is worth investing in, particularly at corner opposite of Tyson Campbell. Last season, the Jaguars gave up a league-worst 257.4 passing yards per game. No matter what weapons Liam Coen and James Gladstone put around Trevor Lawrence, it won't mean much if he's constantly playing catchup due to a porous secondary. Adding Reed, arguably the top free agent on the market, would go a long way in stabilizing the secondary, especially if he can keep up his 2024 production where he broke up 11 passes and allowed a 57.1 completion percentage when in coverage.
No team in football allowed more passing yards per game than the Jaguars did in 2024, so bolstering the secondary with a proven veteran figures to be a top priority.
Jacksonville does hold the No. 5 overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft, so it could go about addressing that need in a number of ways. Landing phenom Colorado defensive back Travis Hunter, for example, would be a home run, but the Jags can’t really bank on Hunter slipping past the New England Patriots at pick No. 4.
Adding an elite cover corner in free agency would allow Coen and the Jaguars to explore slam-dunk prospects like Arizona wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan and Michigan’s Mason Graham with the fifth overall pick. By that logic, winning a potential bidding war for Reed makes a lot of sense for Jacksonville.
As for Reed’s market, PFF projects his next deal to be in the range of $14 million in average annual value. When you consider the Jaguars are paying the oft-injured Tyson Campbell over $19 million per year, Reed feels like an obvious free agent target for Jacksonville at that price.
The Jaguars were poor in coverage in 2024, but it wasn’t all on their cornerbacks. Young guys like Jarrian Jones and Montaric Brown competed hard and flashed at times. The team will need to marry its pass rush with its coverage to have better results in 2025.
With that said, adding the top lock-down boundary corner on the market, per PFF’s advanced stats, would be a great start to Jacksonville’s next era.
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