The Jacksonville Jaguars signed former Bengals and Lions wide receiver Marvin Jones Jr. to a two-year, $12.5 million deal in the offseason. With the signing of Jones, the Jaguars bring more experience to their wide receiver room and somebody who can play.
Last season, the 31-year-old Jones had 76 receptions for 978 yards with nine receiving touchdowns.
Jacksonville continued Phase three of voluntary OTAs on Thursday in Jacksonville, and according to Jones, the Jaguars have a versatile group of wide receivers.
“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,” Jones said. “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.”
In 2021, Jones will probably be catching passes from the number one overall pick in this year’s draft, QB Trevor Lawrence. At this point, Jones likes what he sees out of the former Clemson quarterback.
“Obviously, it’s been a short time, but obviously, the guy’s gifted,” Jones said about Lawrence. “You can see it when he throws the ball. We’ve gotten some good work. There’s a lot of people here, so everybody’s kind of been rotating and getting a feel of the offense and stuff like that. So far, so good.”
Jones Jr. is also happy to have TE Tim Tebow around, who is hoping to resurrect his career after not playing an NFL regular season game since 2012.
“I’m kind of mad because I was the oldest guy on the team,” Jones said. “Now, he has me by two years, so I have to talk to him about that, but it’s been great. Obviously, everybody knows the type of worker that he is, and it’s no different. He came in here and fit right in, just working and learning and stuff like that. In the back, when he’s not in, he’s looking at the plays and running extra and doing what he needs to do to get this new position going. So, it’s been good; it’s been good to have him here most definitely.”
With D.J. Chark, Shenault, and Jones in the mix, Jacksonville’s wide receivers should be better, which will help Lawrence in 2021.
Watch highlights of Jacksonville’s practice from Thursday:
Jacksonville Jaguars QB Gardner Minshew was almost perfect against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday. The second-year quarterback was 19/20 with 173 yards and three touchdowns as the Jaguars defeated the Colts 27-20 at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville.
Minshew became the fourth player in NFL history to throw at least three TD passes and complete at least 95.0 percent of his passes in a single game.
“I’m just super grateful,” Minshew said about his near-perfect performance. “My mindset today was just to play one play at a time. I have got an offensive coordinator that is calling good plays, receivers that caught the ball, an offensive line that is giving me time, and a running game that really got us ahead of the chains. I’m just trying to do my job one play at a time, and I’m very grateful for the opportunities and the people around me.”
For Minshew to perform at a high level, he needed help from his young core, including rookie WR Laviska Shenault Jr., who had three receptions for 37 yards and a touchdown.
“Laviska [Shenault Jr.] is awesome,” Minshew said. “He’s one of those guys that plays receiver, but he runs the ball like a running back, and we just find ways to get the ball into his hands. Even the touchdown to DJ [Chark Jr.] worked because they were worried about Laviska catching the ball when we were pumping it down to him. I’m very excited for him, and I think he’s going to continue to work and stay humble, and I think he’s going to do really good things for us.”
Also, rookie free agent RB James Robinson was huge for Jacksonville on Sunday. He ran for 62 yards and had one reception for 28 yards.
“All week, really all camp, we knew what we had in James, and we knew he could do it,” Minshew said. “I’m so happy for him, a guy who really got overlooked in the whole process. He is a guy that I identify with. Coming out of high school, a very productive player, but didn’t get recruited like he should. Super productive in college, but didn’t get scouted like he should. He’s a great football player, and I’m super glad he got the opportunity to get out there, and he made the most of it.”
Winning helps young players and young teams, and Minshew discussed how vital wins are for a young team.
“It’s huge,” he said. “Until you actually do it, there’s a part of it. You have to prove it to yourself. We had a lot of rookies and second-year players step up and make huge plays for us today. When they are playing with confidence, you love a young team that plays with confidence. They have the energy. They got that swag about them. I’m very excited for our young guys who really stepped up and made some huge plays for us today.”
Not many expected the Jaguars to win on Sunday, including Las Vegas, who had Jacksonville as 8-point underdogs against the Colts. However, Minshew played well, the young players stepped up, and the Jaguars start the season on a positive note.
The Jacksonville Jaguars added another weapon for QB Gardner Minshew when they selected Colorado WR Laviska Shenault Jr. with the 42nd overall pick in the second round on Friday night.
In 32 games, Shenault had eight 100-yard receiving games. The eight 100-yard receiving games were the fifth-most in school history. The 21-year-old Shenault left Colorado after his junior season. He struggled mightily during the combine and ran a disappointing 4.58 40, which could have been one of the reasons Shenault dropped to the second round.
After the selection, Shenault addressed the media via a conference call.
Here is what he had to say:
(On his thoughts about being drafted in the second round)
Shenault: “Definitely had first round hopes, but, I mean, at the end of the day it is what it is. I understand everything happens for a reason, but I’m just ready to work, to be honest. That’s really all there is to that.”
(On his physicality on the field)
Shenault: “That’s how I live my life, being tough and I take it to the field. So anytime you see me you see it’s being tough.”
(On why he likes to be known as a football player rather than just a wide receiver)
Shenault: “I think I’m an athlete. I think I can move around everywhere and do anything that’s at task, you know, and dominate in different places, do what everyone loves.”
(On why he describes himself as a mix of Jarvis Landry, Larry Fitzgerald and Julio Jones)
Shenault: “I said Jarvis Landry because everyone knows he plays with that dog mindset and that dog mentality and he says it and he makes it known. He’s not a big receiver at all, it’s not about the size, it’s about the attitude he plays with and how aggressive he plays, and I think I do the same thing. Larry Fitzgerald, he’s just like a business person. When he gets on the field you already know he’s strictly about business and he’s gonna get the job done. Julio Jones, he’s just a freak and he can do anything; do everything. We’ve seen him do everything so that’s just that can-do-everything type of athlete and I think I can do the same thing.”
(On how he feels about playing with Gardner Minshew II)
Shenault: “I’m excited, I can’t wait. Just ready to get that bond together and it all starts with the bond and I can’t wait to definitely, definitely get on the field.”
(On if he kept track of Minshew Magic)
Shenault: “I didn’t, not as much, but I know when he started playing he definitely made a mark, but I didn’t keep that much attention towards it.”
(On whether his father passing is his motivation and if there’s any correlation with his dreadlocks)
Shenault: “I think it’s just part of my motivation. I think I have a couple of motivation things that’s the reason why I’m doing what I’m doing. And my dreadlocks, when my dad died I just decided not to cut them no more and I like them, of course. It’s my fashion.”
(On what it means to be drafted to the NFL)
Shenault: “I think it’s just another door open, just another level unlocked. There’s plenty more levels to it so I’m not stopping right now, and just gonna keep on leveling up. It’s all actions.”
(On how scoring six rushing touchdowns as a sophomore at the University of Colorado will translate to the NFL.)
Shenault: “Most definitely. I love getting the ball anywhere I can create mismatches. I love getting the ball in my hands when its right off the snap too. That’s just what I like to do. I like to gain those yards. It doesn’t have to be easy, it can be hard. But I definitely like to get the ball to me quick and get those hard yards and those red zone yards. So, yeah I’m definitely looking forward to it.”
(On how scouting reports mention his lack of speed from his 40-yard time, but that does not equate to his proven speed for breakaway plays on the football field.)
Shenault: “First off, my 40 time, I ran that while needing surgery. So that was the hard thing, just not being able to put in all the work I wanted to because it was mostly rehab and rest the whole time prepping for the combine. So that was the bad thing about that.”
(On what would be a true 40 time if he was perfectly healthy.)
Shenault: “If I was perfectly healthy, I really think anywhere between 4.39-4.44.”
(On why he chose to attend University of Colorado over schools like LSU and Alabama.)
Shenault: “Making this decision was really more of what feels right. Also, Colorado used to be a team that was very good. If you watch the 30 for 30’s you see how aggressive they play and how good they were. I just wanted to try to bring that back as much as possible.”
(On how much he met with the Jaguars prior to the draft, how those conversations went and what the Jaguars said they liked about him.)
Shenault: “I think I did meet with them at the combine and I had just a lot of talks with the receivers coach [Keenan McCardell]. He said he just liked me overall, he likes me as a player, and he likes how I can move around everywhere and just dominate in every position. We didn’t spend that much time together though; it wasn’t like a lot of time. It was kind of shocking to be honest.”
(On how excited he is to play for his new wide receiver coach, Keenan McCardell.)
Shenault; “Very excited. It’s always good to be under somebody who has a lot of experience. I’m just ready to get over there to learn and just get better every day.”
