Top 25 Jaguars Countdown: Mitch Morse Land at No. 18
In a little over two months, the Jacksonville Jaguars will kick off the 2024 season in hopes of shedding away the nightmare that was 2023.In the Jaguars' pursuit of an AFC South title and a spot in the playoffs, the Jaguars will need the core of their roster to help propel them past the Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Tennessee Titans, and the rest of the opponents on their schedule.
But who are those players? Which players will be the ones who decide whether the Jaguars find their way back to playoffs?
We will attempt to answer that question in two series. One series will begin in July, while the other will continue until Week 1.
So ... who are the top 25 players on the Jaguars roster ahead of 2024? We break it down below.
No. 18: Mitch Morse
The Jaguars brought in Morse on a two-year contract this offseason after issues at the center position in 2023, namely in the running game. While Luke Fortner had appeared in every game in his first two seasons, the issues with the rushing game popped up week after week. That, namely, is where the Jaguars hope Morse comes in.
Since signing Morse, the Jaguars have emphasized competition at center and have not come right out and slammed Fortner's play, but it is clear the Jaguars see room for improvement in at least the run game.
"I think that that if you took certain parts of what Luke did last year, I mean, I think you'd say he was better pass protector, and he was the year before and I know that's like, there's different things Luke did well," Jaguars offensive line coach Phil Rasucher said last month.
"And I think that, again, the offensive line needs to play better as a whole, like, we need to finish the year strong. We need to start the year fast finish the the year strong. And I think we did one of those things. I think we didn't do the other one of those things. And that's what it is. But I don't think that that's Luke. I think that that's all this you know what I mean? That's me. That's, that's, that's Greg. That's Brandon. That's Ezra, that's Cam. You can name them all, you know, we all got to play better. And we will and we're excited about that."
Among 32 centers with 600 snaps or more last season, Morse ranked No. 13 in blown block rate, while Fortner ranked No. 25. Fortner ranked No. 9 in pass-pro blown block rate, which was ahead of Morse's No. 17 ranking. Morse ranked No. 18 in running blown block rate with a 2.8%, while Fortner was No. 30 at 4.9%. In short, Morse ranked lower in pass-pro but significantly higher overall and in the running game, which is where the Jaguars struggled the most last year.
"First off, I think Mitch and him have developed a really good relationship very quickly. And I think that's important," Rauscher said. "I think that, you know, a lot was put on Luke in a lot of ways. And I think some of that, personally is it's part of the business. I think that there's things he could have done better, there's things we could have done better to protect him that you got to look at the whole picture. So I don't think that because we brought in Mitch is saying, oh, we're down on Luke.
"I mean, we got to -- it's our job and Trent's job and Ethan's job bringing the best competition we can and make us best football team candidate. And I think that you bring in a guy like Mitch, who has been a former pro bowler and a really good center in this league, that's gonna help us, like period, you know, and whether it's developing Luke and Coop and the other young guys at the same time. Like I think that players, respect players and players listen to other players, especially players who've had success in this league. So I think that all that is good."
The Jaguars' goal is that competition and Morse's presence can boost the offense and running game in 2024, and potentially past that.
Our top 25 list so far ...
JOHN SHIPLEY
John Shipley has been covering the Jacksonville Jaguars as a beat reporter and publisher of Jaguar Report since 2019. Previously, he covered UCF's undefeated season as a beat reporter for NSM.Today, covered high school prep sports in Central Florida, and covered local sports and news for the Palatka Daily News. Follow John Shipley on Twitter at @_john_shipley.