The Sports Xchange

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — When you’ve won a total of seven games in two years, you better be making some personnel changes.

The Jacksonville Jaguars did exactly that during the offseason, acquiring seven free agents, signing several undrafted free agents and then topping off the new group of players with eight draft picks.

With as many as 20-25 new players in the mix for roster spots, no one needed to take advantage of minicamps and OTAs more so than the Jaguars.

How would some of the free-agent pickups take to the Jaguars’ system compared to what they were accustomed to?

How would talented college players such as defensive end Dante Fowler Jr., running back T.J. Yeldon and wide receiver Rashad Greene hold up to playing at the next level?

Would there be a surprise among the undrafted free agents that could actually help this team?

Those were the questions that needed answering during the team’s practice time on the field. Two minicamps and nine OTA practices were essential to providing answers to the aforementioned questions.

But as Jaguars defensive line coach Doug Wash noted: “We are still in gym class,” referencing the fact that the Jaguars only worked out in shorts and helmets, and that there was no live blocking and tackling.

Still, the coaching staff got enough looks at players to start forming opinions. The real answers will come at the start of training camp in August when live hitting takes place.

Based on what coaches, media and other onlookers saw during the offseason drills, here’s where the offensive, defensive and special team units are at this point.

–It all starts and pretty much ends with No. 5, quarterback Blake Bortles. The offense will be better if Bortles is better. And Bortles will be better if the components around him are better.

That said, the offense appears to be better.

The acquisition of tight end Julius Thomas gave the passing game the threat that hasn’t been there since the days of wide receiver Jimmy Smith, who retired in the mid-2000s.

Wide receiver Justin Blackmon had the potential to be such a threat, but his off-the-field problems never let his full talent materialize.

With Thomas, the Jaguars know they have a legitimate threat that can stretch the field and can be a weapon in the red zone. In the short time during spring drills, he demonstrated enough skills that the Jaguars have never seen from the tight-end position.

Thomas adds another dimension to the passing attack that the Jaguars desperately needed.

Now that the trio of wide receivers of Allen Robinson, Allen Hurns and Marqise Lee has gotten through their rookie season, they should be in line for more productive numbers.

Lee was hurt and did not participate in any live action during OTAs and Robinson was limited, although he finished with a flurry and might have been the most impressive player on the field in the final week of OTAs.

Add in a solid showing by newcomer Greene and the receiving unit looks to be vastly improved from a year ago.

But Bortles needs time to find the receivers and he didn’t have it last year. He was sacked an NFL-high 71 times, thanks to some porous blocking from the men up front.

Is that group better?

On paper and to the casual observant, the answer is yes. But then again, it was during gym class. If any group needs live contact to tell if they’re improved, it’s the offensive line.

Tackle Jermey Parnell took nearly every snap with the No. 1 offensive unit and will be a starter in the fall. But Parnell had limited starts in Dallas during his five seasons there and whether he can hold up for a full 16-game season is the question.

Guard Zane Beadles held off third-round draft pick A.J. Cann, but again, without live contact which is where the physically-talented Cann may get the edge.

Tackle Luke Joeckel, a former first-round pick, added some weight and appeared to be more physical in his attempt to live up to his selection as the No. 3 overall pick of the 2013 draft.

Brandon Linder, probably the Jaguars’ best offensive lineman a year ago, could repeat that honor this year at his right-guard spot.

The center spot will be decided this fall, when incumbent Luke Bowanko will have a battle in fending off former Oakland Raiders starting center Stefen Wisniewski.

The latter was still recuperating from shoulder surgery and didn’t participate in offseason workouts. He could wrestle the starting spot away from Bowanko, who struggled mightily at times last year as a rookie.

–The Jaguars were projected to have five new faces on defense along with the return of middle linebacker Paul Posluszny, who missed the final nine games in 2014 because of a torn pectoral muscle.

His loss was significant. He not only had led the Jaguars in tackles for three straight seasons, but he was a clubhouse leader as well. His return is an instant uplift.

But the player who hoped to be playing alongside him won’t be there. Fowler sustained a torn ACL a week after the Jaguars drafted him to fill their “Leo” spot as a defensive end/outside linebacker.

That’s a major loss based on the talents the former Florida standout showed in college.

The Jaguars had envisioned using Fowler similar to what Houston does with J.J. Watt, moving him from position to position, wherever he can cause the most havoc.

Fowler’s loss for the 2014 can be tempered by the pickups of defensive end Jared Odrick, who will man the opposite end, and linebacker Dan Skuta, who moves into the Otto linebacker spot.

Odrick had a strong showing in the offseason practices and was praised by head coach Gus Bradley on several occasions. He has the experience with 41 starts in five seasons, including all 16 games for the Miami Dolphins a year ago, and he’s more athletic than Red Bryant was as the starter for the Jaguars a year ago.

Skuta stepped right into the starting spot during the spring and was solid. He had 18 starts for San Francisco the last two seasons and will also be an upgrade from last year’s since-departed starter, Dekoda Watson.

That leaves the secondary, which was not a Jaguars strong suit in 2014. They took steps to upgrade this unit by signing free agents Sergio Brown (free safety) and Devon House (cornerback), both of whom may be in the starting lineup when the Jaguars open the 2015 season against Carolina.

Both players came from winning programs, Brown having spent the last three seasons in Indianapolis after playing his first two years with New England, while House was a reserve with Green Bay where he started 14 games in four seasons.

House probably will man one of the cornerback spots, leaving Demetrius McCray and Aaron Colvin to battle for the other.

While the defense looks to be better than it was in 2014, it has a long way to go after ranking at or near the bottom of most of the key statistical categories.

One preseason publication doesn’t think the Jaguars have done enough however, and projected the Jaguars to once again have the worst defense in the NFL this season.

–The one unit where there won’t be any significant changes is on special teams.

Kicker Josh Scobee continues to rank among the NFL’s best, while punter Bryan Anger has the punting job well in hand.

The biggest question will be who returns kickoffs and punts. Wide receiver Ace Sanders has handled the punt returns in the past, but he first has to make the roster.

Running back Denard Robinson could be a candidate for the kickoff return job, especially if running back Storm Johnson is a roster casualty.