One of the less-discussed but potentially intriguing pickups of the Jacksonville Jaguars’ 2021 free agency class was former Detroit Lions receiver and return specialist Jamal Agnew. A former fifth-round pick in 2017 from non-scholarship San Diego, Agnew has become an underrated utility player.
Starting his career as a cornerback with a special teams focus, Agnew ditched the defense to become a full-time receiver before the 2020 season. That led to his most productive year on offense, by far, totaling 13 catches for 89 yards on the season.
The coach who helped him make that transition, offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell, now holds the same role in Jacksonville. This week, Agnew told the media he’s coming into Jacksonville with a high comfort level towards the offense and feels his best is yet to come as a receiver in it.
“To be honest, it was a lot easier than I thought it was going to be, just playing defense my whole life and transitioning to offense so suddenly,” he said. “But [Offensive Coordinator] Darrell Bevell and even the receivers coach back in Detroit, they made it so much easier for my transition and I’m happy I did it to be honest. I feel like I get to use my skill set a lot more on the offensive side of the ball and it’s just more opportunities to make plays… That was one of the main reasons why I chose Jacksonville was because I got to pick up where I left off with Bevell because I felt like I was just getting started.”
Though he’s a bit new to being an offensive player full-time, Agnew said he’s excited for the opportunity to help a young quarterback and receiving corps. He said his familiarity with both Bevell’s offense and new addition Marvin Jones, who played with Agnew in Detroit, should be beneficial for the still-improving group.
“So, now I’m very comfortable for some of the younger guys to lean on me.” Agnew said. “I feel like I have a really good grasp of the offense, but I’m excited for this opportunity to work with a young quarterback. Especially to work with Marvin again, he’s a great player, even better person off the field. He’s a great father, he’s just a great role model and I was so grateful to learn from him these past four years.”
Though he could figure into the Jags’ offensive game plan to some degree, the bulk of Agnew’s production as a pro has come on special teams. He’s been one of the NFL’s best return men over the last few years, though he’s struggled to match his production as a rookie. That season he totaled 447 punt returns yards and two touchdowns, bringing home First-Team All-Pro honors in the process.
Though he had just 178 punt return yards and a touchdown in 2020, he emerged to have his best season on kick returns, taking 28 for 783 yards (both career highs).
Like many players on the Jags’ roster, Agnew said he’s excited to play for Meyer, a coach who understands what elite special teams players can bring to the table. Skilled returners are a staple of Meyer’s teams, as evidenced by players like Brandon James and Chris Rainey when he coached at Florida. In securing one of the league’s best special teams players, it’s clear he’s working on a similar vision in Jacksonville.
And if Agnew’s to be believed, the Jaguars’ first opponent may be best served sending the opening kick of the season away from him.
“It definitely means a lot to me just to know my skill set is being valued as it is,” Agnew said. “I feel like special teams is a very important aspect of the game and you don’t really realize that until something catastrophic happens. But I want to come in and be that spark. I want to bring the juice. I want to create energy plays, spark plays. I love doing that, that stuff’s fun to me. It was kind of weird last year without fans. I’m running a big return back and it’s kind of quiet so it’s just like what’s going on? But I’m here, we’re going to have 100 percent capacity, so I can’t wait to house call that first one in this stadium.”