Gene Frenette: Foles’ departure symptom of disturbing trend for rebuilding Jaguars

Perhaps it's fitting Nick Foles became the latest Jaguars' player Wednesday to be added to the list of damage-control transactions by general manager Dave Caldwell, continuing a pattern that makes this organization look like it may never find a path to sustained success.

One injury and one really bad half against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is all it took for an $88 million investment in Foles to get kicked to the curb. So much for that quarterback competition head coach Doug Marrone insisted would happen with Gardner Minshew in 2020.

First, the Jaguars back-pedaled on Dante Fowler, Jr. and Jalen Ramsey, deciding the talents of those first-round draft picks weren't worth the aggravation of keeping them. Then they called an audible on quarterback Blake Bortles, shipping him to the Los Angeles Rams just one year after handing him a $54 million contract extension.

Now Foles, according to several media reports, is off to the Chicago Bears for a fourth-round compensatory pick. Does anyone detect a trend in all this?

The Jaguars can't seem to lock in on building a credible NFL team because, first and foremost, they can't stop making bad choices. Or they run into bad circumstances that compel them to abandon the original game plan.

Foles' departure, which adds up to over $35 million in dead money for two quarterbacks no longer on the roster, is just another sad tale in why this organization has been running stride-for-stride with the Cleveland Browns this past decade for the most inept in the NFL.

Some might think losing Foles is getting out from under a terrible contract while the Jaguars are in rebuild mode anyway, but there's no insurance policy now if Minshew gets hurt or isn't the long-term quarterback answer.

Are the Jaguars going to be in hot pursuit of former starters and pricey QBs Jameis Winston and Cam Newton? And if they're banking on tanking for Clemson's Trevor Lawrence in the 2021 draft, what does that say about the supposed win-now directive for Caldwell and Marrone from owner Shad Khan?

What a crazy turn of events in just a six-month period. From the Foles clavicle injury in the season opener against the Kansas City Chiefs, to All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey pouting his way out of Jacksonville, to the ongoing Yannick Ngakoue contract saga, to trading away A.J. Bouye, Calais Campbell and Foles for mid-round draft picks that have seldom panned out under Caldwell (exceptions for Telvin Smith, Dede Westbrook).

The Jaguars just can't seem to push the right buttons, which again calls into question why owner Shad Khan stubbornly clings to the belief that Caldwell and Marrone will fix this mess.

The Jaguars are proceeding with a roster reconstruction around a handful of young, core position players they feel confident will be here next season and beyond: Josh Allen, Jawaan Taylor, DJ Chark, Myles Jack, Minshew and Westbrook, plus reported free-agent acquisitions in linebacker Joe Schobert and cornerback Darqueze Denard.

Right now, it's hard to shake the reality that the Jaguars' current roster is the worst in the AFC South. While it's possible 12 draft picks and another free agent signing or two could change the landscape, it's fair to wonder whether the expectations from the man who signs the checks will remain the same throughout the 2020 season.

Khan has already set the precedent of being an NFL owner susceptible to saying one thing after a disappointing season -- making demands on the organization for future improvement -- and then doing little to change the leadership structure when his goals aren't met.

Remember how Khan said there were "too many long Sundays" following a 3-1 start in 2018 and how "that cannot repeat itself in 2019?"

Well, not only was there a repeat, but the only consequence of a woefully bad 6-10 record was that executive vice-president Tom Coughlin got the boot. Caldwell and Marrone were allowed to keep their jobs.

Coughlin's firing came just two days after the NFLPA publicly called out the Jaguars' organization in mid-December for imposing excessive fines and having over 25 percent of the league's medical grievances. That made it awfully convenient for Khan to somehow justify laying all the blame for a disastrous season at TC's feet.

Why is that relevant now? Because with the Jaguars continuing to go through a significant overhaul of personnel, will Khan still hold Caldwell and Marrone to the winning standard he outlined after the season-ending 38-22 victory over the Indianapolis Colts?

These were his words on December 31 when he announced Caldwell and Marrone would return next season: "Nothing beats having a winning football team. It's my obligation to deliver one to Jacksonville in 2020."

What that doesn't say definitively is whether a winning season will be required for his two main leaders, both under contract through 2021, to get another stay of dismissal.

The Jaguars find themselves in the most fluid situation in the entire NFL. Few teams ever stockpile a dozen picks in one draft, and in this case, Caldwell and Marrone have seven in the first four rounds. That's a lot of foundation-building ammunition.

Given the roster depletion, and especially the uncertainty at quarterback, the Jaguars are likely going to need a minimum four draft picks to become immediate starters and have some impact to even think about any improvement on 6-10. And that might be a stretch, considering the Jaguars went 3-13 right after the 2016 drafting of Ramsey, Jack and Ngakoue.

Schobert appears to be a quality pickup at middle linebacker, if for no other reason to get Jack moved outside, as I've been screaming about for nearly two years. If Schobert can just be a reasonable facsimile of Paul Posluszny, then he's worth $22.5 million in guaranteed money.

But everything regarding any Jaguars' hope for the future now rides on this 2020 draft. This team has so many holes to fill immediately – tight end, cornerback, receiver, third-down running back, left tackle, interior O-line – it's going to be a challenge to avoid a third consecutive last-place finish in the AFC South.

A year ago, nobody could have conceived that Foles would be wearing a different uniform in 2020, but it's not surprising another catastrophic decision has come back to further stall the Jaguars' progress toward NFL relevance.

Old habits, especially bad ones, die hard.

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