Last Season Recap
For the Jacksonville Jaguars, the 2015 NFL betting season can be summarized with the phrase “even better but still not good enough.” Even though their 5-11 record was an improvement over the previous two campaigns, the Jags failed to qualify to the playoffs for the eighth season in a row – they were eliminated from contention before they lost to the New Orleans Saints in week 16 when the Texans beat the Tennessee Titans earlier that day. Jacksonville never managed to string more than two consecutive wins – which they only did once in week 10 and week 11, when they beat the Baltimore Ravens and the Titans, respectively. On the other hand, they had three- and four-game losing streaks.
What’s New
The 2016 season will be the Jaguars’ 22nd in the NFL and the fourth with head coach Gus Bradley. The Jags released G Zane Beadles, defensive end Chris Clemons, running back Toby Gerhart, and wide receiver Damian Copeland. In addition to that, punter Bryan Anger signed with the Buccaneers, defensive end Andre Branch left for the Miami Dolphins, and center Stefen Wisniewski signed with the Eagles. On the other hand, Jacksonville signed safety Tashaun Gipson from the Cleveland Browns, running back Chris Ivory from the Jets, defensive tackle Malik Jackson from the Denver Broncos, punter Brad Norman from the Panthers, Mackenzy Bernadeau from the Dallas Cowboys, cornerback Prince Amukamara from the Giants, and offensive tackle Kelvin Beachum from the Steelers, and resigned QB Chad Henne to a two-year, $8 million contract extension. In the NFL draft, the Jaguars selected CB Jalen Ramsey as the 5th overall pick in the first round. They also drafted linebacker Myles Jack, defensive end Yannick Ngakoue, defensive tackle Sheldon Day, LB Tyrone Holmes, QB Brandon Allen, and defensive end Jonathan Woodard.
What to Expect
Jaguars NFL betting fans have great expectations for rookie Ramsey – as do his own teammates. One of the Jags’ marquee signings, Tashaun Gipson said that Ramsey has “the presence of a five-year veteran” in a Sirius XM Radio interview. People who bet on NFL can realistically expect Ramsey to improve playmaking in the secondary as well as elsewhere in the Jags’ defense – with the exception being the interceptions department. Jacksonville only had five last season – shared between Davon House (4) and Johnathan Cyprien (1) –, while Ramsey had just three in two years with Florida State. We’ll have to wait and see about that. But what NFL betting fans would really like to know is whether he has truly healed from his meniscus surgery. During his first public appearance in Tallahassee, Ramey said he was “100% healthy” and that his injury was a “non-factor.” Then again, he suffered a microfracture surgery on the very same knee in his sophomore year of high school, so it’s not like there is no precedent. Let’s just hope that Ramsey doesn’t reinjure his knee, not just for the Jags’ sake, but for the sake of the spectacle that we call NFL football.
Odds to win Super Bowl 51: +5750
