O-Zone: I'm happy

JACKSONVILLE – Outlook Wednesday.

Michael from Orange Park, FL

Oh no. Not Cam. Who's next?

The Jaguars have reportedly actually traded left tackle Cam Robinson to the Minnesota Vikings for draft pick compensation, a move that was reported Tuesday and could be made official Wednesday afternoon. The move became relatively obvious Tuesday afternoon when the Jaguars signed offensive lineman Blake Hance from the practice squad. It started to make a lot of sense Sunday afternoon when fourth-year veteran Walker Little started in a 30-27 loss to the Green Bay Packers. This marked the first time since Robinson was not starting as a healthy left winger for the Jaguars since he was selected in Round 2 of the 2017 NFL Draft. Little has started 18 games in more than three seasons and now gets a chance to make a significant run at his preferred position, left tackle. I hate to see the step. Robinson was the Jaguars' longest-serving player and a good guy who had many good seasons for that franchise. Everything is coming to an end in the NFL and what happens to Little now becomes a major storyline for the second half of the season. He has skills. He played well at times. Now he's the guy on the left. What happens next…at 2-6, the Jaguars could very well trade a veteran or two who won't play a role going forward. From this perspective, no candidate seems as obvious as Robinson or defensive lineman Roy Robertson-Harris, so I wouldn't say more trades are imminent. Stay tuned.

You recently had a question that mentioned Blake Bortles. Looking back, Bortles' stats were much better than Trevor's at the same point in her career. Khan re-signed Bortles for a paltry fee and then quickly dropped him. Nevertheless, Trevor was given the entire farm and he has proven that he is not a “generational talent” so that he is hardly “usable” anymore. How do you continue to write that Khan continues to do what's best for Jacksonville and the team when the facts show otherwise? Trevor's welfare means there is no money left to build a sustainable team.

Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence is more than serviceable. He has shown much more at this point in his career than Bortles had shown at the same point in his career, and he clearly has the potential to be much more as well. The statistics mean little to nothing in this conversation because, contrary to what many believe, they rarely tell a complete story. As for writing that Jaguars owner Shad Khan is doing what's best for Jacksonville and the team…that's deceptively simple because that's exactly what he has done and will continue to do.

Scott from Jax in DelaNoware

I'm sorry, O-man, but I'm having problems. I wonder why the organization ever hired Ryan Nielsen as defensive coordinator. His defense and plans are poor. It was bad in Atlanta and now here. Too many games this year where the secondary is completely lost in the final minutes of play is annoying and clearly not being fixed. Why did they ever let Mike Caldwell go again?

Hello, John. To this untrained eye, it looks like Travon is getting his money's worth. I would like to see him as a Jaguar for many years to come. I know there is still a lot of time for these decisions to be made, but my question to you is: Do you think the Jags can afford him or not? And if you think he wants to stay?

Jaguars defensive end Travon Walker is actually improving. He's been good since being selected No. 1 overall in the 2022 NFL Draft and he continues to improve, especially as a pass rusher last season. I do believe the Jaguars can afford him. I expect him to want to stay. We're really early on. Stay tuned.

Jonathan from PONTE VEDRA

First of all. Not a TreEVER bank hater. I'm also not sold on the Jags as a whole. What frustrates me is the fact that sometimes we look like champs and sometimes we look like we can't fight our way out of a wet paper bag. It's kind of soul destroying. Thoughts?

I think most mediocre NFL teams have periods where they look really good and periods where they look really bad. Consistency is difficult in the NFL and you have to be really good to be consistent. The Jaguars aren't really that good, so they won't be consistent often.

Here's what I see. Lawrence has looked pretty good, with the offense now averaging 28 points in four straight games. The defense is worse this year than last year and much worse than the year before. That's why we're 2-6. Am I correct?

Why is the most talented Jaguars team ever playing like the worst team in the NFL?

It's not the most talented Jaguars team ever and it doesn't play like the worst team in the NFL – nor is it.

What's wrong with the NFL? Apparently it's all about the money, throwing the Jags out of a Sunday night game isn't right. The Cowboys stink and there was no way they were going to knock them out of a Sunday night game.

Of course, the NFL is all about the money. This has only been true for a relatively short time – when the league's founding more than 100 years ago is still relatively new.

Alan from Pilot Mountain, NC

John, doesn't it take eleven members – offensive and defensive – to play football?

O-Zone contributors are often gently brushed aside when they mention trades; Trading machine! But it occurred to me that the best team in the NFL still makes it through eight games this season. Size. The Chiefs don't think they're good enough despite being at the top (they're aiming for a historic three-peat, no less), while we're at the bottom here making no attempts to improve other than give our current guys a chance to give the other one to make plays. I don’t say “blow up.” I'm not saying, “Make moves just for the sake of making moves,” but if the Chiefs are going to do it, then moves need to be made. I'm not directly criticizing general manager Trent Baalke; I like a lot of our squad. But aren't we desperate? Aren't we desperate since Week 2 when we lost to Deshaun Watson? Flushing down the toilet this season seems inevitable and also crazy. From the mix in October. AGAIN?!?! Worse, it feels like we're not going down with momentum.

The Jaguars have struggled this season. They might even be classified as “desperate.” But making midseason moves out of desperation — especially when they're moves for veterans on veteran salaries — is a good way to keep fighting and make a bad situation worse. (Trading machine.)

Have you ever covered a team where a talented player was abused, reducing his effectiveness? For example, forcing a quarterback who was a talented downfield passer and great in a fast-paced, aggressive offense to play in an offense based on short passes and deliberate tempo?

This feels like familiar territory, but I've been a fan since 2001. The team tries hard, plays hard, but as is often the case, they're just not good enough. Now I think about moments during this past offseason where my reaction was, “This feels like the offseason before the offseason when everyone gets fired.” The performance and record so far doesn't look good for Trent Baalke's Pug Pieterson . I realize they were close last year, but this team has regressed since winning the once-in-a-decade division championship. I don't know who to blame, but there's enough for GM and HC to bear. As always, there is always next year.

The Jaguars have a 9-8 record over the last two seasons and have a disappointing 2-6 record through eight games. If the record continues to be disappointing, a change will almost certainly be considered since this is the NFL and the NFL is a professional sport. When teams disappoint in professional sports, major change is usually considered. I have no real sense of what this change will look like. It is the nature of such a change that you often don't know the details until the change occurs.

JK from Y & Fernandina Beach, FL

John – The Jags have lost several close games and have a decent team. The main focus for the rest of this season should be improving the areas that really hurt: minimizing mistakes on offense and preventing big plays on defense late in the game. Jags must continue to develop players who can contribute to winning now and in the future. The new goal should be to make the playoffs in 2025. Is that a realistic goal?