When you’re a sixth-round pick in the NFL and the team who drafted you signed a Super Bowl-winning quarterback, there is probably a good chance you won’t see much action. However, for that sixth-round pick, QB Gardner Minshew, his opportunity to play came right away. Nick Foles was injured in the first game of the season, and due to injury and Foles being ineffective, Minshew would play in 14 games(started 12) for the Jaguars last season.
Fast forward to 2020. Foles is gone, and Minshew enters the season as the starter for Jacksonville, and according to LT Cam Robinson, Minshew is a different man.
“Yeah, I definitely think there is a difference, especially at this point in the season,” Robinson said about Minshew via a video call on Tuesday. “At this point in the season last year, with Nick [Foles] being here, nobody saw that coming with Gardner [Minshew II]. Nick [Foles] going down early and Gardner [Minshew] having to step in. At this time, compared to last year, he’s way more assertive, he’s way more sure of himself. He has command over the offense.”
Jaguars GM Dave Caldwell is happy about what he has seen out of Minshew and has been impressed by Minshew’s work ethic.
“He has had a great offseason, and he’s come in in shape. He’s really attacked the new offense under Jay [Gruden],” Caldwell said. “He’s done a hell of a job and just wait to see how this all unfolds. I know he has a good mindset, and his character and his work ethic have been really evident on how he has come in this offseason.”
The second-year quarterback, who threw for 3,271 yards and 21 touchdowns last season, is hoping to bring a winning culture to Jacksonville.
“There’s a group of guys on this team, a group of leaders, that have a very real opportunity to change the culture here, to develop a winning culture, and I think it’s already started,” Minshew recently said. “The guys are very excited to get on the field, whether it’s even just for practice right now. So, I’m glad to be here, super grateful for the opportunity and hoping to make the most of it.”
This is a fantastic opportunity for Minshew. He has a chance to establish himself as the quarterback of today and tomorrow; he has a chance to be Jacksonville’s franchise quarterback, which is amazing for a former sixth-round pick.
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