It’s that time of year again. Here are three burning questions for the Jacksonville Jaguars.
What can be expected from Minshew in his second season?
Less than one year after signing Super Bowl hero Nick Foles to a lucrative contract, the Jaguars witnessed a rather unlikely face at the quarterback position. After Foles went down with an injury in Week 1, Minshew Magic was born.
Gardner Minshew, who was selected with the 2019 NFL Draft’s 178th overall pick out of Washington State, was thrust into the starting role very prematurely.
Any rookie quarterback put in that situation could spell disaster. But not only did Minshew throw for over 3,200 yards passing and 21 touchdowns, plus another 344 yards rushing, but he razzled and dazzled in doing so. Making unlikely throws, keeping his team in games they should have been blown out in, and conducting come-from-behind wins were among Minshew’s fascinating aspects in 2019. The team was so impressed in what they saw that they traded Foles to the Bears this offseason.
Now, this is officially Minshew’s team. If he plays like he did last season, this team could go on a run. However…
How will they look defensively after an overhaul?
Calais Campbell is now in Baltimore and A.J. Bouye is in Denver. Josh Allen and Yannick Ngakoue are formidable bookmarks on this defensive line while Myles Jack is a stud linebacker.
The area of concern for this team’s defensive unit is the secondary. C.J. Henderson, the No. 9 overall pick out of Florida, will be expected to pay dividends right away opposite former Browns corner Rashaan Melvin.
On paper, this area seems like it will be a liability this season.
Will Fournette earn a new contract?
Running back Leonard Fournette was among many members of the 2017 draft class who had their fifth-year option declined by their respective club this offseason.
Fournette has been inconsistent, which may be hard to tell from his career-high 1,152 yards on the ground with a mere three touchdowns. For every great statistical game, he tends to post a handful of low rushing yard games.
If Fournette tallies another 1,000-plus yards on the ground, the Jaguars may make an attempt at re-signing him. However, it is more likely that Fournette will be donning a new uniform a year from now.
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