Jacksonville media outlet needs to pump the brakes on recent Jaguars take
The Jacksonville Jaguars' investment in its wide receivers the past two offseasons have the team set up for potential success in 2023 and beyond. Christian Kirk was signed for a 4-year, $84 million contract in March 2022, to the surprise of many around the league. Kirk never managed to crack 1000 yards receiving in a […]
The Jacksonville Jaguars' investment in its wide receivers the past two offseasons have the team set up for potential success in 2023 and beyond.
Christian Kirk was signed for a 4-year, $84 million contract in March 2022, to the surprise of many around the league. Kirk never managed to crack 1000 yards receiving in a season in his 4 years in Arizona. His 982 receiving yards ranked 27th in the NFL, which surely did not match up with the contract value that the Jaguars gave him. However, he pleasantly surprised in 2022, with 84 catches for 1108 yards and 8 touchdowns.
And the trade for Calvin Ridley in November 2022 appears to have potentially been a steal. Ridley, who earned second team All-Pro honors in 2020, was acquired for a 2023 fifth-round pick and a 2024 conditional fourth-round pick. While supremely talented and accomplished in Atlanta, he has not played since the 2021 season after leaving the team for his mental well-being and then being suspended for the 2022 season for violation of the league's gambling policy.
But there's no doubt the upside is there for this entire wide receiver unit, including Zay Jones, who just set a career best with 823 receiving yards last season. TE Evan Engram also enjoyed a bit of a career revival in 2022, setting career highs in catches (73) and receiving yards (766)
With so much potential among the team's pass catchers and the big step forward taken by QB Trevor Lawrence in 2022, it's understandable to be excited over the prospects of the 2023 Jaguars passing game.
That being said, one Jacksonville media outlet posed that this group could be the be extremely special. How much? News 4 Jax sports editor Justin Barney made the eyebrow-raising claim on Tuesday that the current corps of receivers could be the best in franchise history.
"Receiver has immense upside, potentially the best in franchise history. That’s not a stretch to say. The Jaguars have only had receivers reach 1,000 yards receiving in a season 17 times in 28 years of play.
Jimmy Smith and Keenan McCardell are responsible for 13 of those. Smith last played in the league 2005 and McCardell in 2007.
That pair also turned in four seasons where they both eclipsed 1,000 yards, the last time coming in 2001. Only once since then have two Jaguars receivers surpassed 1,000 yards in the same season (Allen Robinson and Allen Hurns in 2015).
Kirk had his career high in receiving yards last year (1,108) and Jones wasn’t that far behind (823). Engram, who isn’t at voluntary OTAs, had 766 receiving yards and four touchdowns in his first season with the team. All three of those players are entering their second season in the same offense and Pederson said that expected jump is the exciting part of what’s ahead." – Justin Barney, News 4 Jax
It's understandable – to some degree – why Barney sees that potential. All four of Jacksonville's top pass catchers are either a former All Pro or coming off career seasons in 2022. It's rare to catch that kind of lightning in a bottle.
But you simply cannot discount what Jimmy Smith and Keenan McCardell did from 1996 – 2001. It was one of the best runs of a WR duo in the league in that stretch, and certainly the best by this young franchise. Smith and McCardell each crossed the 1000-yard receiving mark together in 1996, 1997, 2000, and 2001. Smith earned second team All-Pro honors in 1999 with a league-best 116 catches for 1636 yards and 6 touchdowns, with McCardell adding in 78 catches for 892 yards and 5 touchdowns.
And that's what Barney fails to a fully account for, or at least implicitly dismisses – that sustained level of superior play. Smith and McCardell were a pillar of consistency and excellence for six seasons together. Perhaps Ridley, Kirk, Jones, and Engram shine and post strong stats across the board in 2023.
If so, that's just step one on the long climb towards the cloudy heights where Smith and McCardell lived for years.
Featured image via Peter Brouillet-USA TODAY Sports
