Grade C: Patrick Omameh, who is No. 125 on ESPN's top 150 free agents, played OK when he filled in for Luke Joeckel after Joeckel suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 4, but the Jaguars aren’t plugging him in as the starter. He’s a solid depth player and a capable spot starter who is already familiar with the offense, so it made sense to bring him back.
What it means: The Jaguars are expected to address the interior of the offensive line in free agency and the draft. Omameh is versatile enough to play guard and tackle, as he showed when he filled in for Kelvin Beachum after Beachum suffered a concussion in Week 2 at San Diego, and that’s valuable flexibility. Depending on which players the Jaguars sign, Omameh could be competing with A.J. Cann to be the top interior reserve. Omameh’s signing also means it’s unlikely that Joeckel returns, though there is still a chance, because his market will be limited. He’s still recovering from the torn ACL, PCL and meniscus in his left knee and won’t be able to do much, if anything, during offseason conditioning and organized team activities.
What’s the risk: There is none. Though the terms of the contract have not been disclosed, it’s unlikely the Jaguars guaranteed much money, if any, in the deal. That is typically how they’ve handled these kind of signings. Omameh has been relatively injury-free until last season and failed to play in just two games from 2014-15. He also has started 33 games in his career, including all 16 with Tampa Bay in 2014. He has 33 starts in his four seasons, which is only five fewer starts than right tackle Jermey Parnell has in his seven seasons.
