The Jacksonville Jaguars are coming off of an incredibly disappointing 2018 campaign in which they won just five games, one year after making it all the way to the AFC Championship Game.
The Jaguars decided to make some big changes this offseason, and they started under center, with Jacksonville replacing Blake Bortles with Nick Foles.
Still, even with the change at quarterback, Jacksonville has a lot of other problems it needs to work out heading into 2019 in order to have any shot of contending in the deep AFC.
So, here are three players who need to take a step forward for the Jags this coming season.
3. Chris Conley
The Jaguars added Chris Conley to their receiving corps this offseason, and it surely had quite a bit to do with the fact that Conley and Foles were teammates on the Kansas City Chiefs a few years back and developed a strong relationship.
That being said, Conley remains very unproven, as he caught just 32 passes for 334 yards and five touchdowns this past year.
But, with the Jaguars being very thin on wide outs, Conley will likely have to play a rather large role for the club in 2019, as Jacksonville has very little behind Dede Westbrook and Marqise Lee.
Perhaps a change of scenery and hooking back up with his old friend will do Conley some good.
2. Dede Westbrook
As important as Conley is to Jacksonville, Dede Westbrook is even more imperative.
Westbrook was the Jaguars' best wide receiver in 2018, and with Lee having such difficulty staying healthy throughout his career, Westbrook will have to emerge as the clear-cut No. 1 in 2019.
The 25-year-old hauled in 66 receptions for 717 yards and five scores in 2018, and that was with an incredibly volatile situation at quarterback. Now that the Jags seem to have some stability at that position, Westbrook could be in for a breakout year.
In order for the Jaguars' offense to be leaps and bounds better than it was this past season, Westbrook will have to improve.
1. Leonard Fournette
Leonard Fournette impressed a whole lot of people during his rookie year in 2017, rushing for 1,040 yards and nine touchdowns, but he disappointed just as many people during his second season, finishing with just 439 yards and five scores.
In Fournette's defense, he played in just eight games due to injury, but even when he was on the field, he was awful, as he averaged a mere 3.3 yards per carry and looked out of shape.
The thing with Fournette is, even his rookie year wasn't great, as he registered 3.9 yards per attempt. His yardage and touchdown totals looked good, but he wasn't efficient at all.
It's about time Fournette starts making the most of his runs, not just for himself, but to open up the rest of the Jaguars' offense. For as bad as Bortles was in 2018, Fournette was just as detrimental, and the ineptitude of both players (along with a terrible offensive line) was the biggest reason for Jacksonville's demise this past year.
But Fournette seems prepared to get back on track, and he will have to for the Jaguars to have any chance of making the playoffs.
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