Pass rusher and free safety.

We get it.

The Jaguars need to ideally sign two difference makers in free agency on March 9 with the absurd $74 million in salary-cap space general manager Dave Caldwell has to work with to fill those voids.

However, the ideal situation rarely plays out in free agency and there are other needs as well. The free-agent class is still weeks away from being finalized.

We do know one player who will be out there.

It's a player the Jaguars should go after - running back Matt Forte.

Chicago announced last week that Forte would not be re-signed as his four-year, $30.4 million contract expired. Forte, who turned 30 in December, will be on a new team when he begins his ninth season.

He leaves the Bears with 8,602 yards rushing with 45 touchdowns to go along with 4,116 receiving yards and 19 more scores.

The early buzz is that Forte will look to join a contender like New England, Green Bay or Seattle. There is a need for a talent like Forte on all three of those rosters, but the Jaguars should make a pitch.

They have one thing going for them - the most important thing 99 percent of the time - in that they can offer the most money.

Caldwell should pursue Forte to help complement second-year running back T.J. Yeldon.

Forte would be the ideal partner for Yeldon. The Jaguars liked Yeldon's ability to establish himself as a three-down back in his rookie season. He gained 1,019 total yards of offense (740 rushing), despite missing four games.

It's the four-missed-games aspect of Yeldon's rookie season that makes Forte an intriguing acquisition. Caldwell knows he has to improve the depth behind Yeldon. Denard Robinson is more of a No. 3 back and there's no one else of consequence on the roster that will be a factor in 2016. Toby Gerhart will likely be cut in the next month.

There are other backs that will hit free agency as well, but Forte would be the best fit.

His age will be a negative against him, but he gained 1,287 total yards (898 rushing) last season with seven touchdowns.

One of the few things Indianapolis general manager Ryan Grigson did right last offseason was signing running back Frank Gore, then 31. Gore accounted for 1,234 total yards of offense with seven touchdowns this past season.

Grigson signed Gore to a three-year contract worth $12 million with $6.5 million guaranteed. Forte's similar career production and age would suggest a deal resembling Gore's.

The Jaguars could give Forte a three-year deal worth $15 million with $8 million guaranteed and feel secure about having the most attractive deal on the table. The contract could be structured (like all of Caldwell's so far) to remove nearly all the guaranteed money in the first two years creating future cap flexibility.

The Jaguars also would get a massive net discount on Forte's contract since releasing Gerhart would clear $3.5 million off the 2016 cap. Yeldon's cap number is roughly $1.3 million next season, so the Jaguars are spending little on the position now.

Forte wouldn't be going to a legit contender with the Jaguars. However, he would have a promising passing game to work with, led by third-year veterans in quarterback Blake Bortles, and receivers Allen Robinson and Allen Hurns. It's the defense that is keeping the team from contending, but the offense could be explosive.

A split role with Yeldon makes sense for Forte, as it could lengthen his career. Reducing Yeldon's snaps also benefits the Jaguars in the long term if he develops into their top back for the next several years.

Forte caught 102 passes for 808 yards and four touchdowns in 2014. He also rushed for 1,038 yards and six scores that season and remains a quality blocker. Imagine Bortles and offensive coordinator Greg Olson having that talent available on third down.

Forte isn't a priority for Caldwell. But, he should be the Dan-Skuta signing for this free-agent class - the player coming in on the fourth-richest deal, but still getting good money. Skuta received $8.1 million in guaranteed money, but took a financial back seat to tight end Julius Thomas, defensive end Jared Odrick and cornerback Davon House in last offseason's free-agent splurge.

Spending on a 30-year-old free agent running back goes against the NFL General Manager's Rule Book. But, the Jaguars have silly money at hand and Caldwell should ignore the book this time to secure what would be among the better running-back tandems in the league. Three-down backs are rare and the Jaguars would have two.

Hays Carlyon: (904) 359-4377