Category: Gardner Minshew

Former Jags QB Gardner Minshew set to start for Eagles Week 13

Minshew Mania has returned!

Finally, fans will get to see the return of Minshew Mania! However, this time it will be with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Former Jacksonville Jaguars sixth-round pick, Gardner Minshew II, will make his first start with his new team as Jalen Hurts was ruled questionable on the final injury report with an ankle injury. With the Eagles’ game against the New York Jets set to take place in less than an hour, the team decided to make Hurts inactive, giving the nod to Minshew for his first start since being traded by the Jags.

While with the Jags, the young quarterback built a huge following due to his unique style on and off the field. However, with the Jags falling into No. 1 overall pick Trevor Lawrence, they found themselves in position to trade Minshew in late August. They then sent him to Philly for a conditional 2022 sixth-round pick that could end up being a fifth if Minshew plays in 50% of the snaps in three games.

Minshew will enter Sunday’s game with 20 starts to his name and a 7-13 record. Throughout his career, he’s been able to complete 63% of his passes (503-of-799) for 5,541 yards, 37 touchdowns. and 11 picks. He will also enter the game with 96 rushing attempts for 497 yards and a touchdown.

Urban Meyer says decision to trade Gardner Minshew II was an emotional one

Meyer said he was “choked up” when he spoke to Minshew after the trade.

Jacksonville’s de jure quarterback battle came to an end this week when coach Urban Meyer named first-overall pick Trevor Lawrence the starter. Shortly after, the Jaguars did what many expected them to do a while ago and traded two-year starter Gardner Minshew II to the Philadelphia Eagles for a conditional sixth-round pick.

The Jags may have their quarterback of the future entrenched, but Meyer said the decision to move on from Minshew was far from an easy one.

“That was tough, man,” Meyer said after Sunday’s preseason finale. “I was a little choked up when I saw him in that office. I walk in and, you know, I didn’t know him at all. It didn’t start off on the best of terms because I’m not sure how much he wanted to be here. I get it. First overall pick. He’s a competitive maniac, that guy. And I get it. I told him for the rest of his life, count me as a big fan because he’s what you want. He’s a warrior. He’s competitive.”

Minshew had a solid rookie season in 2019, but he battled injuries in 2020 and saw his production drop off in the games he was able to play in. Though the coaches talked him up in camp this offseason, he struggled during his appearances in the preseason, making it clear the team needed to roll the dice with Lawrence.

It’s clear that Meyer and many others within the Jaguars organization have a lot of respect for Minshew, a former sixth-round pick who took over the reins as a rookie when free-agent signing Nick Foles went down with an injury in the first game. That respect extends to the player who just beat him out for the starting job.

“Me and Gardner had a really good relationship,” Lawrence said on Sunday. “He’s always treated me really well since I’ve gotten here. Helped me as much as he could. We just had a really transparent relationship. We would talk about things and I will always be rooting for him. He’s a great player, super smart. I’ve learned a ton from him. I don’t really know about the details of the situation in Philly so I can’t really know if that is a good spot or not. But, I know wherever he goes, he is going to make the most of his opportunities. I am excited to watch him. I am going to miss him. He is a really great teammate. I am excited for him, excited for him to get an opportunity.”

Minshew joins a Philadelphia Eagles roster that could use another body at quarterback. The team enters the season with a second-year quarterback in Jalen Hurts, but he has a lot to prove in 2021. Behind him, there’s only aging veteran Joe Flacco, who hasn’t been capable of playing at a starting level for a few years now.

In what is shaping up to be a tough year in Philadelphia, Minshew will almost certainly get a chance at some point this year after things didn’t work out in Jacksonville.

Twitter reacts to Jags’ decision to trade Gardner Minshew II to the Eagles

The Jags once again gave the football community something to talk about after trading third-year QB Gardner Minshew.

It was fun while it lasted, but Gardner Minshew’s time with the Jacksonville Jaguars came to an end Saturday. The team traded him to the Philadelphia Eagles for a 2020 sixth-round pick that could be a fifth-rounder if he sees the field for 50% of the snaps in three games this season.

For some fans of the Jags, he’s a polarizing player who will be missed after providing the team with memorable moments on and off the field. In fact, the Minshew Mania movement not only proved to be one that took over Jacksonville temporarily but one that garnered a lot of buzz around the country.

Of course, when he was traded Minshew instantly was a trending topic on Twitter with fans all over the NFL community chiming in. Here are some of the reactions that surfaced on Twitter as Minshew is now headed to the City of Brotherly Love.

 

4 thoughts on the Jags trading Gardner Minshew II to the Eagles

Gardner Minshew II had an interesting timeline with the Jags and will now join the Eagles via trade. Here are some thoughts on the Jags’ decision to send him to Philly.

The Jacksonville Jaguars started this weekend with a boom by trading former quarterback Gardner Minshew II to the Philadelphia Eagles. They will be receiving a conditional sixth-round pick that could be a fifth-round pick if Minshew takes part in 50% of the plays in three games.

This move didn’t exactly shock anyone as the Jags drafted Trevor Lawrence first overall in April. That left the door open for teams to call the Jags and see if they could snag the third-year player who has established himself as a serviceable backup with 20 starts to his name.

Now that the expected move has been made, here are four takeaways from the Jags’ decision to move on from the former sixth-round pick.

Jags announce 2 additions on offense alongside Gardner Minshew trade

In addition to trading Gardner Minshew II, the Jags signed WR Devin Smith and OL Jermaine Eluemunor Saturday.

After making the unsurprising decision to send Gardner Minshew II to the Philadelphia Eagles, the Jacksonville Jaguars made the announcement official. They also announced that they signed two players on offense in receiver Devin Smith and lineman Jermaine Eluemunor.

Smith, who played for Urban Meyer at Ohio State, reportedly worked out for the Jags earlier in the month. With speed threat Tavon Austin recently suffering a quad injury that has put him in a day-to-day situation, the decision to sign Smith makes a ton of sense. He will join the Jags after previously being on the New England Patriots’ practice squad last season.

Smith, who was a second-round pick for the New York Jets in 2015, has also spent time with the Dallas Cowboys and Houston Texans. He’ll enter his time in Jacksonville with 15 catches for 248 yards and two touchdowns.

As for Eluemunor, he was a fifth-round pick for the Baltimore Ravens in 2017 out of Texas A&M. He spent two seasons with them, then two with the Pats before spending this offseason with the Miami Dolphins. He has experience at both guard and tackle and has registered 11 career starts since entering the league. As a rookie, he was also named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team after seeing the field for eight games and playing in two.

Urban Meyer says backup QB job is still up for grabs

Urban Meyer said the competition between Gardner Minshew II and C.J. Beathard for the No. 2 quarterback spot is still very much open.

The Jacksonville Jaguars coaching staff finally dispelled any notions that Trevor Lawrence won’t be their team’s starting quarterback when coach Urban Meyer named him the starter for the Week 1 game against Houston. It was a highly anticipated move although Lawrence hasn’t had the opportunity to showcase much of his skills in the preseason.

With Lawrence having secured the starting job, one might assume that Gardner Minshew II, who was at least nominally in the running to win the job, would assume the backup role. However, things may not be that cut and dry.

The Jaguars signed C.J. Beathard from San Francisco this offseason, who is an experienced backup that saw a lot of action after Jimmy Garoppolo went down last season. Beathard is being paid like a backup, and he’s been the clear standout among the quarterbacks through two preseason games.

He’s 22-of-30 passing right now for 223 yards and three touchdowns, and Meyer said that he’s still in the running with Minshew for the backup job.

“That’s open as well,” Meyer said of the No. 2 quarterback role. “Obviously, my respect for Gardner [Minshew II] has been well documented as just a warrior. Then Gardner got stuck behind some protection issues, at times [he] was running for his life back there. Then C.J. [Beathard] came in, that’s two weeks in a row. I just admire C.J., and I like C.J. as a person. He has a nice release ball, gets out fast. He played well, so yes that’s open as well.”

Given Minshew’s struggles in the preseason, the Jaguars could potentially look to move on from the third-year passer if it gets a good trade offer for him. If that doesn’t happen, though, the Jaguars will have a difficult decision to make. It is certainly possible that both players remain on the roster into the regular season, however.

Minshew will hope to make a strong statement in the final preseason game, where his role as even the backup could be on the line.

Urban Meyer on Gardner Minshew’s competitive streak: ‘He’s a warrior’

Despite the fact that Trevor Lawrence is likely the Jags’ QB of the near-future, Urban Meyer is a fan of the ‘warrior’ mentality that Gardner Minshew has brought with him.

Jacksonville Jaguars coach Urban Meyer didn’t know much about Gardner Minshew II when he was hired, but found out quickly during their offseason program how hard of a worker he is. As a result, he’s grown to respect the third-year player a lot, which may be playing a part in the team not naming a QB1 yet.

Of course, it’s still hard to find anyone who believes Trevor Lawrence won’t be the starter, but Meyer told Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer that he’s impressed with Minshew’s relentless mentality despite the circumstances.

“Well, Minshew’s not giving it up,” Meyer said … “He’s a much different player than Trevor. Trevor’s a down-the-field passer, this guy’s a scramble-around, make-plays guy, but I’ll tell you what he really is, he’s a warrior. And I appreciate warriors. It’s a street fight right now.”

While most who’ve attended practice wouldn’t go as far as saying it’s a street fight, they probably would agree that Minshew is a top-10 backup quarterback in the league. That’s why it’s hard to imagine that teams won’t be showing interest in him over the coming weeks, but at the same time, that’s also why many Jags fans feel Meyer is trying to raise Minshew’s stock. So, in other words, there may be a mixture of genuine respect for Minshew and the potential desire to trade him.

When asked about the status of who will start in Monday’s game between the New Orleans Saints and Jags, offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell said that it would likely be Lawrence. With that being the case, Lawrence could end up taking the field with the starters for his second consecutive preseason game, which would show the team’s dedication to seeing how the rookie fares against the best competition on their schedule.

Jags OC Darrell Bevell says Lawrence likely to start vs. Saints but competition continues

Bevell said the Jags are likely to start Trevor Lawrence vs. the Saints, but it appears the QB competition isn’t done just yet.

Since the Jacksonville Jaguars’ preseason opener against the Cleveland Browns on Saturday night, it’s been fairly obvious that Trevor Lawrence is the best option at quarterback for the team. It wasn’t exactly a stellar debut for the first-overall pick, but he was sharper than veteran Gardner Minshew II, whose role on the team is now seriously in question.

However, fans who were hopeful that Lawrence would be named the team’s regular season starter ahead of preseason game No. 2 will be disappointed. Offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell said that while it’s likely Lawrence will start Monday against New Orleans, the team would be further discussing it as the week closes.

“Not at this moment,” Bevell said when asked if a starter has been decided. “It probably is going to be Trevor [Lawrence], but we are still continuing to talk about it.”

It’s likely that Lawrence will see an expanded role in the second preseason game against New Orleans after getting just two offensive series in the opener. However, the fact that Lawrence started that game should be a good indicator of the state of the competition.

Bevell said that the decision isn’t being based on the results of a preseason game, though.

“I’ve been doing it a long time here, so I have a lot of experiences, as well as the other coaches that we have on the offensive staff,” he said. “I’ll say it doesn’t really matter at this point. What matters is what we’re going to do here, how we’re going to handle it. We’ve talked to [Head] Coach [Urban Meyer] about it and we’ve given our thoughts and his thoughts, and we’ll continue kind of in that direction.”

It seems likely that Lawrence and Minshew will continue to split reps in practice as the preseason continues. Bevell said that will be the case until a decision has been made.

“We are still going to handle it that way until we end up making the final decision, so right now they are still status quo,” he said. “We’re trying to make everybody better and we want competition at each and every position. I think both guys are getting better because of it.”

Though the coaching staff has hinted that Lawrence is winning the competition, they may not name him the starter until the week leading up to the season opener against Houston (if not later). Still, it seems like it’s only a matter of time before it becomes official that he will take the first snap against the Houston Texans.

Risers and fallers after Jaguars’ Week 1 preseason game vs. Browns

Which players from the Jags’ roster are climbing and which players are fading after their first preseason game of 2021?

Football has returned to Duval County finally as the Jacksonville Jaguars started their 2021 campaign in a preseason game against the Cleveland Browns at TIAA Bank Field. The fans in attendance were treated to the first taste of NFL action for No. 1 selection Trevor Lawrence and the NFL debut of former Utah, Ohio State, and Florida University coach Urban Meyer.

While the debuts of those two were high on the list, a few other Jags players stood out. Unfortunately, some who started off the season on the wrong foot, too. Here are the players whose stock is on the rise and some whose stock is already falling after Week 1’s preseason game.

Gardner Minshew on Tim Tebow: ‘He’s attacking every drill’

Minshew said he’s been impressed by Tebow’s work ethic so far.

Though there was certainly a media frenzy when the Jacksonville Jaguars initially signed him this offseason, quarterback-turned-tight end Tim Tebow largely went about his business during organized team activities without much distraction. He’s still considered a longshot to make the 53-man roster after a nine-year sabbatical from being on one, but it sounds like Tebow is working hard to try to secure a spot.

According to quarterback Gardner Minshew, who has started for Jacksonville the last two years, Tebow’s work ethic has been noticeable to this point. On an episode of the “Green Light with Chris Long” podcast, Minshew said that Tebow is putting in the effort on the practice field.

“We haven’t been in pads yet, so [we’ll] kind figure that out more in camp,” Minshew said, according to quotes transcribed by 247Sports. “But, I mean, he’s attacking special-teams drills. He’s attacking every drill. He’s running drill to drill. Everything is high energy with him. If he messes something up, you see some guys can shake it. It affects him. He doesn’t like it. He wants to get it right. He’s going to go to the side, get a couple reps, get it right and come back in. And he’s just a guy that genuinely wants it, man. It’s awesome to see.”

Asked by Long if he finds himself a bit starstruck by Tebow at times, Minshew, who grew up a fan of him, conceded that it happens fairly regularly.

“Dude, every day — it’s so cool,” Minshew said. “Like, I throw him a touchdowns and just the best thing ever. I was going crazy, just yelling, ‘Tim Tebow touchdown.’ Like, I had his jersey growing up. Like, I went to one of his games — actually shook his hand before a game. He doesn’t remember it, but something that’ll stick with me. He’s a pretty bad dude. But no, it’s so cool, man. And you meet him and he’s everything you’d want him to be and more. Like, it’s so cool.”

The Jaguars and coach Urban Meyer are hopeful that the addition of Tebow will help a thin tight end group that currently only includes veteran James O’Shaughnessy, free-agent signing Chris Manhertz, Tyler Davis, and rookie Luke Farrell.

Whether he’s good enough to play tight end at the NFL level remains to be seen, but it’s clear that his approach has made a strong impression on at least some of his teammates.