Latest rankings not fond of Jaguars' free agency approach

The Jacksonville Jaguars were facing a tight salary cap this offseason, which led to a notoriously quiet free agency for the team. Beforehand, it was expected that the Jaguars would not only make just a few moves but also be unable to afford to keep two of their biggest star playmakers: linebacker Devin Lloyd and running back Travis Etienne. As expected, Lloyd and Etienne both left Jacksonville, and as a result, the Jaguars have been the recipient of criticism for their lack of action so far in the offseason.

The latest example is from Bryan DeArdo at CBS Sports, who ranked the top five franchises that lost the most talent. The Jaguars not only made the list, but they came in first, even though other franchises lost considerably more players. Lloyd and Etienne are apparently just that good.

"Jacksonville's biggest losses include a Pro Bowl linebacker (Lloyd) and a running back (Etienne) who amassed nearly 1,300 all-purpose yards and 13 touchdowns last season," DeArdo wrote. "Both players were integral parts of the Jaguars' success last season. Making their departures more damming is the fact that the Jaguars didn't acquire comparable players during the first two weeks of free agency.

" DeArdo then admitted that James Gladstone had already acknowledged Jacksonville's lack of action in free agency, which was a specific strategy: We're at a stage now where a higher volume of draft capital is what we're hunting up, and those compensatory picks," Gladstone said. "When you think about high-priced free agents of ours who ended up signing elsewhere, well-deserved contracts. … They did their part to put themselves in sound positions to earn that.