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The Jacksonville Jaguars may very well have been the NFL's most disappointing team in 2018, winning just five games one year after making it all the way to the AFC Championship Game. But the Jaguars made big changes ahead of the 2019 NFL season, namely at quarterback where they replaced the much-maligned Blake Bortles with Philadelphia folk hero Nick Foles.
There are still a bunch of question marks up and down Jacksonville's roster, including quarterback, but there is some reason for optimism that the Jags will be better than they were a year ago.
So, here are five bold predictions for the Jaguars entering 2019:
5. Dede Westbrook will Total 1,000 Yards
Dede Westbrook flew under the radar as far as young wide receivers were concerned in 2018, as he hauled in 66 receptions for 717 yards and five touchdowns in spite of having a bunch of pumpkins under center.
A fourth-round draft pick from 2017, Westbrook appears to have emerged as the Jaguars' No. 1 receiver and could end up being Foles' primary target this season.
Considering Westbrook was able to have a solid year this past season in spite of all of Jacksonville's offensive struggles, look for him to have a breakout season of sorts in 2019.
If the Jags' offense wants to have any chance of being competent, Westbrook has to set the tone at wide receiver, and I think he will do just that and finish with 1,000 yards.
4. Chris Conley will Surprise
There is one wide out on the Jags' roster who has a history with Foles, and it's Chris Conley.
Back in 2016, the two were teammates on the Kansas City Chiefs, and while Foles didn't actually play, he and Conley developed a friendship and a camaraderie in practice that seems to have carried over into this summer.
While Westbrook may be the Jaguars' most talented receiver, Conley may end up being right up there with him in terms of targets from Foles, as there appears to be a connection there.
Conley showed some promise during his years with the Chiefs, but due to Tyreek Hill and the rest of Kansas City's wealth of offensive talent, he never got a chance to shine.
He'll get that opportunity in Jacksonville, and he will surprise some people with an impressive season in 2019.
3. “Sacksonville” will Make its Return
Back in 2017 when the Jaguars had the most dominant defense in football, people started nicknaming them “Sacksonville” due to their ferocious pass rush.
While Dante Fowler and Malik Jackson are gone, the Jags still have Calais Campbell, Yannick Ngakoue and Marcell Dareus, not to mention incoming rookie Josh Allen, who was a sack master at Kentucky.
Jacksonville's pass rush took a massive step back in 2018, as it finished with just 37 sacks on the year, but I'm looking for that number to jump back up. I'm not saying the Jaguars will rack up the 55 sacks they totaled in 2017, but their pass rush will certainly be better than it was last year.
Look for the Jags to end up with around 45-50 sacks in 2019.
Article Continues Below![Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen looks on during a rookie minicamp at Miller Electric Center Saturday, May 10, 2025 in Jacksonville, Fla. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]](https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Liam-Coen-at-Jaguars-OTAs.jpg)
2. Nick Foles will Struggle
I know we all love to romanticize about Foles' magical Super Bowl run two years ago, but the fact of the matter is that he is very unproven as a starting quarterback.
As a matter of fact, he has never started a full season, with his career-high being 11 starts with the St. Louis Rams in 2015, and that season, Foles was an abject disaster.
Since then, he has started nine regular-season games, total.
So why is everyone acting like he is some sure-fire fix to the Jaguars' quarterback issues again?
I'm not saying Foles will be as bad as Bortles was last year, because that's tough to do, but I'm also not sure he'll be the dramatic improvement that everyone is expecting.
Remember: Bortles actually wasn't half-bad in 2017, and prior to last season, he actually had a better, more established track record as a full-time starter than Foles.
Don't be surprised if we saw a whole lot of ups and downs from Foles throughout the year, especially considering that he doesn't exactly have the bevy of weapons in Jacksonville that he had in Philly.
1. The Jaguars will Contend for a Playoff Spot
I know everything I just said about Foles kind of contradicts this statement, but Andrew Luck's retirement has completely opened the door for everyone else in the AFC South.
The Houston Texans are probably the best team in the division now, but with Lamar Miller's torn ACL and Jadeveon Clowney potentially on the move, I'm not exactly in love with the Texans' roster, and I don't trust Marcus Mariota at all in Tennessee.
For that reason, nine wins may end up winning the AFC South in 2019, and I actually do think the Jaguars are capable of doing that based on the strength of their defense and what should be a better offense.
Am I banking on the Jags making the playoffs? No, of course not, but now that the Indianapolis Colts are in limbo, Jacksonville has a shot, and I think the Jaguars will at least be in the mix for a postseason berth.
