Jacksonville Jaguars Sign Stefan Wisniewski

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Today the Jaguars were lucky enough to sign one of the most talented players left on the open market as they signed center Stefan Wisniewski to a one year deal in an attempt to add some depth and talent to their offensive line. The Jaguars offensive line gave up 71 sacks last season, making it a position that the Jaguars needed to address. One of the line’s biggest problems is their overall lack of experience. Wisniewski can bring just that having started 61 games in the four years since he’s been drafted. Wisniewski has never been a pro bowl caliber player, but he has been more than solid. He should be able to earn a starting spot on the Jags’ depleted offensive line and help them while he does it. Plus, only being 26 gives him time to develop even further and potentially make a pro bowl in his one season with the Jaguars.

It may seem kind of silly for the Jaguars to sign a young center for only one year when they aren’t in a position to compete this year. However, considering the experience of their running backs and the importance of developing them, it can be easy to see why this is a good move. The Jaguars have some young running backs that have shown tremendous potential such as Storm Johnson and Denard Robinson. You can only imagine how frustrating it would be as a young running back to never be able to get out of the backfield without being hit by a defender. It can be discouraging for a young running back to not have the success that they know they can. Keeping a positive mindset in their young running backs could prove to be vital to the Jaguars in the future. Not to mention how frustrating it must be for Blake Bortles to be sacked more often than not. A healthy and talented offensive line now can pay dividends towards the development of the Jaguars young offense and that may be more valuable than anything else.

Only time will be able to tell how good of a move this will be for Wisniewski. On one hand he’s now got one year to prove his worth in the prime of his career and pull in a big contract next offseason. However, the Jaguars are also not the best team to be a part of if you’re trying to showcase your skills to the rest of the NFL. Who knows? Maybe he can sign a long term deal with the Jags next offseason and be a part of their future.

The Jags offensive line was atrocious last year, and they’ve been looking for a new starting center ever since Brad Meester retired. They even attempted to sign Browns center Alex Mack to a monster deal last year but they just haven’t had any luck finding a new starting center. Wisniewski will be out until the preseason due to an offseason shoulder injury that required surgery so he came at a cheaper price than he normally would. This is a match made in heaven for the Jaguars. They get a young, talented player at a price that’s cheaper than it should be. Say what you want about the Jaguars but they made a smart move here.