What Went Wrong: The Free Agent Move That Didn’t Pan Out in Jacksonville
When the Jacksonville Jaguars signed veteran wide receiver Dyami Brown to a one-year contract, they expected a new playmaker for quarterback Trevor Lawrence. Although he was never a top wide receiver during his years with the Washington Commanders, the Jaguars sought to get a weapon on a short and cheap deal. For $10 million, the Jaguars saw Brown as that perfect option. However, it ended up going sour fast for Jacksonville. Brown ended up being riddled with injuries and played in the fewest number of games in a single season of his entire career up to this point. It did not help when rookie Travis Hunter went down with injuries, too, causing the Jaguars' wide receiver room to be depleted of weapons. The Jaguars ended up making progress anyway, trading with the Las Vegas Raiders for veteran Jakobi Meyers and having an underrated Parker Washington breakout into one of his best seasons yet.
Brown’s injury struggles and Meyers outperforming him throughout the second half of the season do not help his case of staying in Jacksonville. It is expected that the Jaguars' front office will not offer Brown an offer to stay long-term, meaning his time in Duval County is likely over. In those 14 games, Brown had 227 receiving yards and one touchdown. It ended up being one of the most disappointing signings the Jaguars have made in recent memory. It especially stung since he and Washington had proven to be exciting in training camp and the preseason, only for Brown to disappoint and Washington to continue to rise up. Brown’s role on the offensive side of the ball became so little that he became a healthy scratch for the playoff game against the Buffalo Bills.
Brown’s long-term plans look even slimmer in Jacksonville after they extended Meyers to a three-year deal worth $60 million. The Jaguars have not offered Brown a dime as we enter the offseason, and he is expected to hit the open market. If anything, the Jaguars would prefer to lock in veteran wideout Tim Patrick, whose steady hands and week-to-week reliability ultimately made him the more dependable option over Brown. What was supposed to be a key piece for the Jaguars' offense moving forward ended up being a struggle, with numerous injuries, including a concussion, leading to his downfall in performance. Now, the Jaguars must turn the page and move forward with a wide receiver room led by Meyers and Brian Thomas, who is seeking a comeback season after his struggles.
