NFL personnel director lauds the Jaguars' weapons
It's never bad to hear someone sing your praises, as long as you do enough to prove you're worthy of them. And that's what Jaguar fans hope will be the case with their budding offense this fall in Jacksonville. With the addition of WR Calvin Ridley, OT Anton Harrison, and RB Tank Bigsby, the young […]
It's never bad to hear someone sing your praises, as long as you do enough to prove you're worthy of them.
And that's what Jaguar fans hope will be the case with their budding offense this fall in Jacksonville. With the addition of WR Calvin Ridley, OT Anton Harrison, and RB Tank Bigsby, the young and talented Jaguars offense has gotten deeper and more talented.
And it's on the outside and in the backfield that one particular NFL front office member is particularly fond of.
Jordan Schultz, NFL insider for The Score, spoke with an unnamed current NFL personnel director, who was very effusive with his praise for the Jaguars' skill position players.
Said exec was particularly impressed with QB Trevor Lawrence, namely his mental progression and poise from year 1 to year 2. That obviously shows a level of comfort when you start to figure out what you're doing. It also show's he's far more comfortable in Doug Pederson's offense than he was during his disastrous rookie season under Urban Meyer, which is completely understandable. That's all evident in the sea change of his touchdown-to-interception ratio from 0.71 (12 to 17) in 2021 to 3.13 (25 to 8) in 2022.
Calvin Ridley's ceiling is certainly high, given he's earned second-team All-Pro honors before (2020), but he's stepping into a situation where he will be the team's de facto #1 without having to carry the weight of the offense himself. Christian Kirk and Zay Jones will each warrant attention, so any team that's going to go man-to-man against Jacksonville will have a tough ask of keeping Ridley in check on an island, especially given – as the exec notes – Ridley's ability to set up and burn a corner one on one. There's a whole lot to be excited about there.
Evan Engram, the exec says, "in the second half of the season [-] was as good as any tight end." Second half might be a slight bit of a stretch, but in December and January, Engram had 6 games with 6 or more catches, including 15, 10 and 11 against the Titans, Cowboys, and Chargers, respectively. Consistent productivity from week to week throughout the season is the next step towards Engram becoming one of the league's top tight ends, but there's little doubt the Jaguars don't get to where they were last year without him.
If this trio shines as brightly as this exec – and Jaguar fans – think they can, then the sky is the limit for Jacksonville in 2023.
