Jacksonville Jaguars OTA Buzz

The Jacksonville Jaguars started OTA’s last week, and there have been many storylines. From the Tim Tebow signing to RB Travis Etienne Jr. taking WR looks through OTA’s and rookie mini camp, here is some of the buzz from Jaguars OTA’s:

Jaguars QB Play

Trevor Lawrence has been limited to 30-40 throws because of surgery on his non-throwing shoulder. But, Lawrence should be a full participant by the time his shoulder has fully healed. Lawrence will look to learn Darrell Bevell’s playbook in these upcoming weeks. Meanwhile, Gardner Minshew is presumably going to be rolling into camp as the backup, with Lawrence being handed the job after his illustrious college career. Minshew could be on the roster as the Jaguars backup this season, however, it seems likely he is dealt away. Second-year QB Jake Luton and former 49ers QB CJ Beathard are also on the roster.

Travis Etienne Jr. at RB and WR

The Jaguars plan to use Travis Etienne Jr. as a weapon this year, and they’ve been giving him lots of WR looks at OTA’s. HC Urban Meyer has said that he wants to use Etienne in a Percy Harvin role, and that offensive coordinators love a multi-dimensional player like that. Trevor Lawrence also praised the move saying, “It’s different, it’s awesome. I’m glad he’s getting to work that and getting those reps right now, he’s just a dynamic player, he can do a lot of different things, but that’s something he’s not very used to. At Clemson, he was pretty much in the backfield all the time. He ran a lot of routes out of the backfield, but splitting out wide is something he hasn’t done a lot.”

Trevor Lawrence, the first overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, spent all three years at Clemson handing the ball off and throwing the ball to Etienne. And now, as teammates in Jacksonville, Lawrence is loving the move of Etienne to wide receiver.

Tim Tebow Progress

Tebow has been getting a lot of media attention, as he’s been a popular player throughout his College Football, NFL, and MLB stints. Tebow made the switch over to Tight End after retiring from baseball, and reunited with his former college coach Urban Meyer.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport revealed on “The Pat McAfee Show” Tuesday that the odds of Tebow making the 53-man roster as a tight end are “50-50,” according to a source. Tebow signed a one-year, $920,000 deal with Jacksonville last month, getting the veteran minimum for a player with his experience. However, he received no signing bonus or guaranteed money.

If Tebow makes the 53-man roster, he could be used in different packages like Taysom Hill is used for the New Orleans Saints. However, Meyer hasn’t revealed his intentions for him just yet.

Tebow’s Performance Last Thursday: 

During Thursday’s two-hour practice, Tebow did not drop a pass. And early on, he caught two short-yardage touchdown passes. Tebow also hauled in a pass from quarterback Trevor Lawrence in the left corner of the end zone and quarterback Gardner Minshew connected with him on another.

Wide Receivers

New acquisition Marvin Jones Jr. has impressed at OTA’s. The Jaguars signed Jones to a two-year, $14.5 million free-agent contract in March to become the veteran playmaker and take some of the burdens off Chark. At 31, Jones is the oldest receiver on the Jaguars’ roster, but with the Detroit Lions the past two seasons, he caught 18 touchdowns and averaged more than 12.5 yards per catch. Trevor Lawrence needs to build a connection with Jones, who could become his top target. Jones has praised Lawrence for how special he is, and is ready to get working. Jones also talked about the versatility the Jags have in their WR room.

Not only has Jones showed off his ability to stretch the defense and make catches, but he has also seen D.J. Chark, Laviska Shenault, Collin Johnson, and rookie Jalen Camp make their share of plays, too.

“Everybody’s going around flying fast and making big plays as we should and as we knew we were going to do,” Jones said. “There’s a lot of people, a lot of receivers in our group that can have different abilities and can put them in different places. You put Laviska [Shenault Jr.] in the backfield and watch him work and stuff like that. Everybody’s been great and everybody’s been taking the coaching and just having a good time. So, we’re just going to continue to do that.”

Tight Ends

29-year-old Chris Manhertz has looked good, coming into OTA’s as the Jaguars TE1. While known as a great blocking tight end, he’s made some nice grabs. Manhertz, who played on the Panthers last season, signed with Jacksonville this offseason on a two-year, $7.2 million deal. James O’Shaughnessy, the Jaguars backup TE, has also looked sharp at OTA’s.