The Jacksonville Jaguars are just two seasons removed from an AFC Championship Game appearance, but based on what happened to the Jaguars this past year, that feels like a decade ago.
The Jaguars won just five games in 2018 and made big changes this offseason, booting quarterback Blake Bortles and signing Nick Foles to take his place, a move that should (key word: should) improve the offense.
However, Foles should not be seen as a cure-all, as there are still plenty of issues plaguing this Jacksonville squad.
Here are the three main areas of concern for the Jaguars heading into 2019.
3. The Receiving Corps
Having a new quarterback won't make much of a difference without any receivers.
The Jaguars had one of the worst receiving corps in football this past year, and while this group should be better this coming season, it's still a major question mark.
Dede Westbrook seems to be the No. 1, and he had a decent year in 2018, but he has not yet proven himself as a top guy. Marqise Lee has trouble staying healthy, and Chris Conley is an unproven wide out who definitely some rapport with Foles during their days in Kansas City a few years ago, but in four NFL seasons, he has totaled just 104 catches for 1,238 yards and six touchdowns.
Obviously, there could be some issues here.
2. The Offensive Line
The Jags' offensive line was not good in 2018, with Pro Football Focus ranking it 22nd in the NFL. The problem is, they didn't do much to address it this offseason outside of taking Florida tackle Jawaan Taylor in the second round of the draft.
The Jaguars' running game struggled mightily this past year, and while much of that certainly had to do with the fact that Leonard Fournette only played half the season and was not very good in the eight games he actually played, it also was a result of terrible offensive line play.
Now, to be fair, Jacksonville's offensive line unit had some injuries (particularly in the case of left tackle Cam Robinson), so perhaps it will be better now that it appears to be fully healthy heading into 2019.
Not that it has much of a choice; it has to be better for the Jaguars' offense to have any shot of being respectable.
1. Nick Foles Remains Unproven
Foles has one of the strangest career trajectories in NFL history.
Yes, he is a champion. Yes, he will forever be worshiped in Philadelphia for leading the Eagles to their first ever Super Bowl title. But lost in all of that is the fact that he is very unproven as a starting quarterback.
Foles started just three regular-season games in relief of the injured Carson Wentz during that Super Bowl campaign in 2017-18, and he has never started a full season, maxing out at 11 starts during his brief stint with the St. Louis Rams back in 2015. Oh, and that season was a disaster.
So, realistically, we don't know just how good Foles really is. All we have to go off of is that one-month run he had two years ago.
Sure, there is a chance that Foles will elevate the Jaguars' offense to new heights, but there is also the possibility that he shows he is nothing more than a second-string quarterback who got lucky.
But hey; at least he's not Bortles, right?
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