Legal Tampering Period Day 1 Recap

3/7/2016

So day one of the hilariously named Legal Tampering Period is in the books. In case you missed it the rules of the legal tampering period basically state that teams can talk with agents about players and discuss contracts, but teams cannot talk to the players themselves or sign players until Wednesday March 9th at 4pm EST. After a long first day of tampering, here is what we’ve learned.

By Jordan de Lugo

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The Jaguars will officially be keeping one of their own. DE Ryan Davis signed his tender agreement and will stay in Jacksonville for at least one more season. Davis has a combined 10 sacks over the last two seasons and is a valuable rotational pass rusher in the Jaguars defensive front. He will never be a high snap count guy for the team, but he is an impactful pass rusher when he is on the field.

According to reports the Jaguars are also close to a deal with their veteran TE Marcedes Lewis. Lewis is a good blocker and an adequate receiver, plus he is a good locker room guy that has repeatedly said that he wants to retire in Duval. Not much of a surprise here.

The Jaguars, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report, are one of three teams interested in DE Mario Williams. Williams would certainly be a major upgrade to the Jaguars pass rush and excels at the nine technique which is essentially the LEO in Gus Bradley’s defense. He is coming off of his worst season as a pro, but most blame that on a new coaching regime and a change in defensive scheme. At any rate Williams says that he would immediately accept any teams offer of $10 million per year. Is he worth $10 million at this point in his career? Probably not, but the Jaguars have a record breaking amount of cap space and need edge rushers, so don't be shocked if this former Texan is wearing black and teal in 2016.

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The Jaguars along with 1/3 of the NFL are interested in former Seattle offensive guard J.R. Sweezy, according to Rand Getlin. Sweezy is a known commodity, but in truth he was worse in 2015 than any of the Jaguars current guards and really wouldn't provide a major upgrade, if any, to the Jaguars interior line.

The Jaguars are still very much in play for Bruce Irvin, but so are the Falcons and apparently the Cardinals. According to several sources the Jaguars are the “front runner” to land Bruce Irvin. Irvin would be an ideal fit for the OTTO position in Jacksonville’s defense and would provide a major upgrade in the pass rush department. Irvin should be among the top targets for the Jaguars in free agency.

A more low key player the Jaguars have shown interest in, according to Ian Rapoport, is Adrian Clayborn. Clayborn is a former first round pick of the Buccaneers. He was originally thought of as an edge rusher, but in recent seasons has played as much on the interior of the defensive line as the edge. He would play a similar role in the Jaguars defense to Jared Odrick and Tyson Alualu. Clayborn would make sense as a rotational player, but that would likely lead to the departure of Tyson Alualu or at the very least a much diminished role.

Around the division the Titans will trade for DeMarco Murray as the Eagles seemingly look to get rid of everyone brought to the team by Chip Kelly, save Sam Bradford. The Colts released back up QB Josh Freeman, while the Texans are showing strong interest in former Broncos QB Brock Osweiler. It also appears that the Texans will be losing one of their offensive guards, Brandon Brooks, who will reportedly earn around $8 million a year on the open market.

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