In his first months as head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars, Liam Coen has retooled an offense that grossly underachieved in 2024.
The team added some intriguing playmakers in Travis Hunter, Bhayshul Tuten and Dyami Brown, and upgraded the interior offensive line with Patrick Mekari and Robert Hainsey. The Jaguars also subtracted several pieces, most notably tight end Evan Engram, receivers Christian Kirk and Gabe Davis, and guard Brandon Scherff.
Has Jacksonville added enough talent around quarterback Trevor Lawrence to return to AFC South contention in 2025? That remains a fair question, as the team is currently set to rely on a number of first-year starters, such as Hunter and tight end Brenton Strange.
Anthony Palacios of Last Word on Sports sees GM James Gladstone adding more weapons for Coen’s offense this summer. Palacios believes the Jaguars could swing a second offseason trade with the Houston Texans, this time for WR John Metchie III, a former 1,000-yard receiver and national champion for the Alabama Crimson Tide.
“After trading Kirk to Houston, the Jaguars are still in the market for a third wide receiver,” Palacios wrote. “2025 draft pick Travis Hunter and 2024 draft selection Brian Thomas Jr. are the new dynamic playmakers for Trevor Lawrence’s offense. However, Metchie could complete the package and put Lawrence in the best position to have a turnaround year.”
Metchie was viewed as a top prospect in the 2022 NFL Draft coming off a 96-catch, 1,142-yard season with eight touchdowns for Alabama. The Texans made him the No. 44 overall pick that year, but a scary leukemia diagnosis kept him off the field for the entirety of his rookie season. Metchie made his debut in 2023 but has only logged 838 total offensive snaps in his three years as a pro.
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Houston appears ready to move on, as it used a pair of Day 2 draft picks on receivers this year in Iowa State duo Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel. If he can prove he’s healthy, Metchie could have some appeal on the trade block as a 24-year-old wide out with serious upside.
While Metchie wouldn’t project as an instant starter for Jacksonville in this hypothetical, he would enter an intriguing training camp competition with the likes of Brown and Parker Washington. With Hunter expected to moonlight on defense as a cornerback, it would make sense for the Jaguars to add to a pass-catching group that features few proven commodities outside of budding superstar Brian Thomas Jr.
The Texans have had an embarrassment of riches at the wide receiver position in recent years, with veteran Noah Brown the odd man out for Houston on roster cut-down day in 2024. If Metchie's projected to be that guy in 2025, Jacksonville could offer up a late-Day 3 pick and take a flier on the former college football star who’s entering the final year of his rookie deal.
MORE JAGUARS NEWS:
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