What might Jaguars spend in free agency to address defensive tackle?

If the Jacksonville Jaguars want to address the defensive tackle position in free agency, what might GM James Gladstone have to spend?

Addressing the defensive tackle position should be a top priority for the Jaguars this offseason. For one, more depth is needed, but Jacksonville also needs more pass-rush juice from this position.

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Down the stretch last season, the Jaguars struggled to generate steady pressure on the quarterback.

Using Pro Football Focus’ free agency big board, below are the best available defensive tackles this offseason and what their projected contracts could look like.

Contract projections for best free agent defensive tackles

DJ Reader: One year, $4.5M

Calais Campbell: One year, $6M

David Onyemata: One year, $3.5M

DaQuan Jones: One year, $1.8M (Spotrac)

John Franklin-Myers: Two years, $15.75M (Spotrac)

In terms of spending power, the Jaguars rank near the bottom of the NFL in salary cap space currently. However, Gladstone has the ability to create quite a bit more space, if he wants to push current cap charges to future years.

The good news for the Jaguars is that, if these contract projections hold up, Gladstone doesn’t have to break the bank to address this position. However, it’s worth noting that defensive tackle is a position many teams are often looking to add to, which can drive up the price.

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Not to be overlooked either, while the Jaguars don’t own a first-round draft pick this year, Jacksonville does have 11 picks in total, including four selections in the top 100. So the opportunity to address defensive tackle relatively early in the draft does exist.

This article originally appeared on Jaguars Wire: NFL free agency: Contract projections for top defensive tackles