The 2022 Jacksonville Jaguars did the (nearly) impossible. The team went from the No. 1 pick in the draft to the playoffs the next season. This NFL offseason, the Jags need to continue to build around Trevor Lawrence and make the team a true Super Bowl contender. To do that, these bold Jaguars offseason predictions would be a good start.

Early in the 2022 NFL season, it looked like the same old Jaguars down in Duval County. However, after a 3-7 start, the team rallied with a 6-1 record down the stretch to win (the admittedly weak) AFC South.

The Jaguars as a legit playoff team wasn’t just because of the weak division, though. Jacksonville is for real, and they proved that with a massive 27-point comeback in the Wild Card Round to beat the Los Angeles Chargers 31-30 and move on to the Divisional Round, where the team gave the eventually Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs all they could handle before losing 27-20.

Now the Jaguars head into the offseason with making the AFC Championship as the next step in their development. If these bold Jaguars offseason predictions come true, that is absolutely a realistic possibility.

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4. Franchise tag TE Evan Engram

The Jaguars have several key free agents heading into the NFL offseason, and tight end Evan Engram is at or near the top of that list.

Engram played on a one-year, $8.9 million deal last season and produced solid results. The TE caught 73 balls for 766 yards — both career highs — and scored four touchdowns. Most importantly, he developed a great rapport with Trevor Lawrence.

The TE franchise tag this year is $11 million, and at worst, that’s an appropriate raise for Engram after last season. It also gives the team some time to work out a long-term deal.

In that case, the bold Jaguars offseason prediction is that Engram gets a three-year contract for $10 million per season with around $25 million guaranteed.

3. Re-sign OT Jawaan Taylor

The other crucial free agent for the Jaguars this NFL offseason is right tackle Jawaan Taylor. The four-year veteran has started all 66 games in his career and is a steadying force in front of Trevor Lawrence.

More importantly for the Jags, he will also be massively in demand on the free-agent market this offseason, as many teams are looking for offensive line help.

The reason the team should franchise tag Evan Engram and not Taylor is that the offensive tackle tag is at $18 million, and the Jaguars currently have the second-worst salary cap situation in the league with a $-32,861,191 balance.

Restructuring some key veterans and cutting some big-money players like Shaquill Griffin (saving $13.1 million) will open up room to give Taylor a long-term deal and lock the 25-year-old tackle up for the foreseeable future.

Spotrac projects Taylor’s market value at $14 million per season for four years.

2. Draft USC WR Jordan Addison

Getting Trevor Lawrence more weapons will be an ongoing bold Jaguars offseason prediction for years to come. Two seasons ago, the team drafted his college teammate, Travis Etienne, and last NFL offseason they gave big money to free-agent wide receiver Christian Kirk.

This year, the team continues this trend by drafting USC WR Jordan Addison.

Addison is a versatile 6-foot-1 wideout who can work on the inside or the outside. He will make for a nice weapon for Lawrence and an excellent complement to Kirk. If the Jaguars lose Marvin Jones in free agency, which will likely happen, then drafting a pass-catcher in the first round is a must.

1. Splash on free-agent DT Sheldon Rankins

The Jaguars defense should get better this NFL offseason just by the fact that rookie defensive end (and 2022 No. 1 overall pick) Travon Walker and rookie linebackers Devin Lloyd and Chad Muma should improve.

However, there is still work to do, especially along the defensive line.

The Jaguars finished 26th in sacks last season with just 35. That needs to improve, and the place that can help make that improvement is on the interior of the line. Arden Key may leave in free agency, so bringing in a defensive tackle who can play on the nose in a 3-4 or as a three-technique in a four-man front would be ideal.

Signing Jets DT Sheldon Rankins is the bold Jaguars offseason prediction here.

Rankins is a versatile interior D-lineman who can create push up the middle. He had 3.0 sacks last season, but his career high was 8.0 in 2018. Most importantly, he can create push up the middle allowing Walker and Josh Allen to do their thing on the outside. And he will do it for around $8 million, which should fit in the team’s tight 2023 budget.