INDIANAPOLIS -- Jacksonville Jaguars general manager Dave Caldwell is ready to change his approach in free agency.

Caldwell says he’s willing to sign older players -- those that are into their 30s -- to fill key roles. It’s a departure from what he did during the first three seasons, when 18 of the 20 free agents he signed were under 30.

It’s also a sign that Caldwell believes the Jaguars are now legitimate contenders for the playoffs and the AFC South championship.

"The first couple years, we knew we weren’t ready to compete so to sign a 30-plus-year-old veteran player [didn’t make sense]," Caldwell said at the NFL combine. "That was probably true early on into what we did in free agency, like when we signed Roy Miller and Sen'Derrick Marks and those guys we hoped to be here for Year Four and Year Five and Six.

"Now that we’re at that point in time where we can compete and compete for championships I have no issue with signing guys that are 30, 31 and 32."

The oldest free agents Caldwell signed were defensive back Marcus Trufant (2013) and defensive end Chris Clemons (2014), both of whom were 32. Trufant was cut before the season began. Clemons had 8.0 sacks in his first season with the Jaguars but had just 3.0 last season and is expected to be cut before free agency begins next month.

Trufant and Clemons are the exceptions. Generally, age 27 is considered the sweet spot for free agency. Their first contract is done, they’re ascending players, and they’re likely to be productive for several years. Of the 18 free agents Caldwell signed that were younger than 30, 11 were 27 or younger, including tight end Julius Thomas and cornerback Davon House.

Two years ago Caldwell wouldn’t have considered signing players as old as defensive end Chris Long (30), defensive end Robert Ayers (30), linebacker Tamba Hali (32), safety Reggie Nelson (32) and safety Eric Weddle (32). Now they’re viable options, as well as defensive end Mario Williams (30) and center Alex Mack (30) should they become available.

The Jaguars are expected to aggressively pursue Weddle to fill a void at free safety, and it also would make sense to go after Hali (86 career sacks) and Williams (96 career sacks) to boost a pass rush that has been one of the league’s worst over the past three seasons.

They are short-term solutions to problem areas, but they can give the Jaguars extra time to draft and develop replacements. Caldwell said the team will use the majority of its eight draft picks on defense.

"Obviously, there is risk based on age because older players tend to get hurt and they don’t play as long," Caldwell said. "But the risk comes into the type of contract you give those guys. The contract structure is important to minimize risk and you don’t mind paying them as long as they’re playing.

"You can minimize the risk to a degree by the contract, but realize it’s not a long-term fix, but a fix until you can draft guys and develop your own."