If it were not clear before, it’s obvious now that the Jacksonville Jaguars are giving Gardner Minshew every opportunity to become the team’s franchise quarterback. That became pretty clear when the team traded Nick Foles to the Bears, did not go after Cam Newton, and signed Mike Glennon to backup Minshew.
To help Minshew, the Jaguars signed former Bengals TE Tyler Eifert in March, and while Eifert has not seen a lot of the second-year quarterback, he was impressed by what he saw.
“I have not watched a lot of tape on him, but obviously I saw last year with the mania going on,” Eifert said via a video conference call on Thursday. “He seems like a guy that the offense wants to rally behind. He seems like he is kind of a fearless leader, and you need that when you are on the field, and the bullets are flying, and things are not going your way. You need that kind of guy that is going to take charge of the huddle and be like, ‘We got this.’ I think it will be fun to see his growth from Year 1 to Year 2, and I’m excited to get to work with him.”
Eifert is correct. It did appear that the team rallied around Minshew, as evident by his three game-winning drives in 2019. Also, the team was .500 with Minshew, who went 6-6 as a starter last season.
Ultimately, If Minshew wants ‘the mania” to go beyond this year, he will have to play just as good, if not better, than he played as a rookie. Otherwise, the Jaguars will probably go in a different direction.
The 29-year-old Eifert has struggled with injuries the past few years, and from 2016-18, he played in only 14 games, but Eifert was able to play in all 16 games for the Bengals last season. In 2019, Eifert caught 43 passes for 436 yards and three touchdowns.
“Tyler is a proven contributor in this league, and we’re excited to add him to our team,” said Head Coach Doug Marrone. “He has shown the ability to be a playmaker in the passing game, especially in the red zone, while also adding immense value as a blocker in the run game. I expect him to make us more efficient and productive on the offensive side of the ball, and after speaking with Tyler, I know he’s eager for this opportunity.”
Eifert posted career-high numbers in 2015 while also receiving the team’s Ed Block Courage Award nomination. That season, he tallied 52 receptions for 615 yards, and 13 touchdowns in 13 games played en route to his first career Pro Bowl selection. His 13 touchdownss were second-most in the NFL in 2015.
If Eifert can stay healthy, he could help the Jaguars’ passing game and the running game in 2020. Eifert is considered a decent blocking tight end, and since entering the NFL in 2013, Eifert is the only tight end with at least 20 touchdowns in fewer than 60 games played. While he was able to play all 16 games last season, he only played 45% of offensive snaps. Therefore, it should be interesting to see how he will be utilized by the Jaguars next season.
