Category: Urban Meyer

Jags’ fourth-round pick Jordan Smith signs contract

The fourth-round pick made things official with Jacksonville on Tuesday afternoon by signing his rookie deal.

The Jacksonville Jaguars have officially added another player from their 2021 draft class to the team’s roster. After sixth-round pick Jalen Camp signed his contract on Monday, pass rusher Jordan Smith, who the team traded up to take with its second fourth-round pick, agreed to terms with the team on Tuesday.

Smith was a 2020 All-Conference USA First-Team selection for his efforts in his final year at Alabama-Birmingham. Smith became the first player from the program to be drafted since it returned from a football hiatus in 2017, and he had 12.5 sacks in 21 games with the Blazers.

The Jaguars liked what they saw from Smith’s production in the Group of Five, as they chose to move up nine spots to take him with the 121st overall selection, ultimately costing them a pick. Coach Urban Meyer has said that although he is raw, the coaches see Smith eventually developing into a reliable backup for Josh Allen.

As much as Jacksonville addressed the interior this offseason, the edge was a bit of an afterthought as Jihad Ward was the only addition that fits that skillset aside from Smith. Both should see significant opportunities in the rotation behind Josh Allen and K’Lavon Chaisson in 2021.

If injuries limit either of those two like they did in 2020, the Jags should be much more prepared for that situation from a depth perspective.

Urban Meyer given 35/1 odds to win Coach of the Year

While Urban Meyer has proven to be a winner since his days at Bowling Green, his odds win Head Coach of the Year are at 35/1 currently.

Dating back to his time with Bowling Green, Jacksonville Jaguars coach Urban Meyer has had success at every stop he’s made as a head coach, which is a big reason Shad Khan wanted him leading his organization. However, despite that success, he’s tied (with four other coaches) for the seventh-best odds to win coach of the year, according to BetMGM. 

Meyer’s +3500 (35/1) figure only slots him ahead of five coaches in the league with those being Jon Gruden, Dan Campbell, Nick Sirianni, David Culley, and Zach Taylor. However, that figure also puts him at the same number as Mike McCarthy, Matt Rhule, Mike Tomlin, and Cliff Kingsbury.

Talk about some interesting company. 

Overall, 22 other head coaches came in with better odds than the Jags, which is not surprising. After all, Meyer is inheriting a 1-15 roster when looking at last year’s record. 

While he hasn’t coached on the NFL level, Meyer will come into 2021 with an absurd .854 win percentage on the college level (187–32 record) and three national championship victories. And despite the NFL not being too kind to coaches who’ve made a similar leap like Nick Saban, Meyer has said he’s expecting to win immediately and isn’t of the mindset that the Jags will take several years to rebuild. 

One thing he’ll have in his corner is first overall pick Trevor Lawrence, who has +275 odds to win the Offensive Rookie of the Year award, good for the best in the league. If that happens and Lawrence could get the Jags to the playoffs, that would mark significant progress from last season and definitely should get the attention of the league. However, most pundits have come out to say that feels unlikely and expect the Jags to win sigma’s or less. which still would be a huge leap from 1-15.

If Meyer were to achieve the feat, he’d be the second consecutive rookie head coach to do so as Cleveland Browns coach Kevin Stefanski did it in 2020. The rookie head coach was able to get the Browns into the postseason for the first time since 2002 after they previously had won just six games. However, if Meyer made the postseason, it would prove to be a more impressive achievement when considering Jacksonville’s 2020 record.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

Jags legend Jimmy Smith in favor of possible Tim Tebow addition

The legendary Jaguars receiver said that Tebow will be a positive presence to the team as someone with a strong love for the city.

With the Jacksonville Jaguars reportedly finalizing a deal to bring on Tim Tebow as a tight end, the attention of many current and former players has returned to another former NFL quarterback who hasn’t been able to get an opportunity in a while. Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick hasn’t appeared on a roster since he knelt during the national anthem as a form of protest against racial injustice.

With Tebow getting another chance, many have been quick to point out that Kaepernick is still waiting on that opportunity despite having a more productive football career than Tebow.

But legendary Jaguars receiver Jimmy Smith loves the Tebow addition, telling TMZ Sports that he will bring a positive change to the franchise.

“We need a guy like Tim Tebow,” Smith said, “who’s a hometown hero who has love for the city anyway. He’s going to be a great support for Trevor Lawrence. Whatever capacity that is, it’s going to be a positive rather than a negative.

“I pray that he makes the 53-man roster, because we need all we can get.”On the discussions about Kaepernick, Smith said he didn’t think the Jaguars should have signed him, saying he would “divide (the) locker room.”

“We don’t need Colin Kaepernick on our team,” he said.

The comparison between Tebow and Kaepernick is, to say the least, a bit of an apples to oranges one, especially in the context of Jacksonville’s offseason plans. It desperately needed help at tight end, and given Meyer’s extensive relationship with Tebow, this move is far from a surprising one.

Meanwhile, the team just invested the first overall pick in a quarterback in Trevor Lawrence, and the three other quarterbacks on the roster all started multiple games in 2020.

However, it’s hard to ignore the irony in Smith’s statement that Kaepernick would be a divisive presence considering that, according to reporting from ESPN’s Jeff Darlington, the decision to sign Tebow has in fact divided some members of the team.

But there’s no denying what Smith said is true with regard to Tebow having love for the city and being a bit of a hometown hero. Having someone like that on the roster could definitely have an impact on fan interest, but for the team’s sake, hopefully, it doesn’t come at the cost of roster unity.

Former NFL DB Darius Butler thinks Tyson Campbell is a better fit as a perimeter CB

Though Urban Meyer has said the team’s second-round pick could see action at nickel, Darius Butler thinks that would be a mistake.

Jacksonville had many directions it could have gone with the 33rd overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft. With safety Trevon Moehrig, defensive tackle Christian Barmore and offensive tackle Teven Jenkins all falling out of the first round, the Jaguars could have selected any one of them with that pick.

Instead, the team made a move that came as a bit of a surprise (especially to national analysts) in drafting Georgia cornerback Tyson Campbell. It’s a position the team has invested heavily in over the last two years, drafting C.J. Henderson in the top 10 last year and giving Shaquill Griffin a three-year contract that guarantees $29 million this offseason.

But on the “Cris Collinsworth Podcast,” coach Urban Meyer said that Campbell’s versatility (he also played safety in high school) was the driving factor leading to his selection. Asked if it was an “insurance policy” for Henderson, Meyer said that Campbell’s ability to play nickel makes him more than that.

“It is, but no — I wouldn’t say ‘insurance policy,'” Meyer said, according to transcription from 247Sports. “It’s an ‘insurance policy,’ the fact that guys get dinged up at that position. Last year was a tough year for us. We had a lot of injuries back there. But it’s also — the thing Tyson Campbell gives us is flexibility, something other than (cornerback). He was a safety in high school and he’s a very physical player, great blitzer. Those are all the qualities of a nickel.

“I love the guy,” Meyer said, according to Pro Football Focus on Twitter. “We’re going to dual teach him out of the gate at corner and nickel.”

Though his athletic profile may allow him to play both inside and outside, Campbell played on the perimeter in college (though Georgia cross-trains players in practice), and most analysts projected that’s where he would play in the pros. Former NFL defensive back Darius Butler, who played nine seasons in the league for the New England Patriots, Carolina Panthers and Indianapolis Colts, said on Twitter that playing Campbell at nickel would be a mistake.

“BIG MISTAKE! Put him outside and let him figure that out first,” he said. “They do have a “Nickel” Coach on the staff but still a big mistake IMO.”

It’s easy to see where Butler is coming from. Adjusting to the speed of the professional level and stylistic differences in the passing game is hard enough for defensive backs playing at their most natural position. But it sounds like Meyer and the staff want him to play at a position he didn’t even play much of in college — and likely sooner rather than later.

The Jags still have considerable depth issues in the secondary, and they wouldn’t have invested the first pick in the second round in Campbell if they didn’t think he’d be a major contributor in Year 1. But Butler, who played most of his career at cornerback and moved to safety his final season, knows how difficult a position change can be in the NFL. If Campbell is going to be a successful nickelback, his work is cut out for him.

Jags’ rookie Jordan Smith ready to be part of next Urban Meyer dynasty

The Jaguars traded up nine spots to take Jordan Smith in the 2021 NFL draft. Here’s how he sees himself fitting in with the team.

Jacksonville’s new head coach Urban Meyer may have no experience at the NFL level, but at all of his previous stops at the college level, he’s achieved greatness. In his first job at Bowling Green State, he inherited a team that went 2-9 in 2000 and put together a 17-6 record in two years. At Utah, he went undefeated and won a BCS bowl in 2004. Between Florida and Ohio State, he won three national championships and had seven seasons end with one loss or fewer.

Jordan Smith, who Jacksonville traded up nine spots to draft in the fourth round with the 121st pick, said he’s excited to be a part of Meyer’s next dynasty with the Jaguars.

“I feel like Urban Meyer has did this continuously in the past,” Smith said after he was drafted. “so I feel like it’s an honor to be a part of another dynasty he’s about to create.”

The edge rusher from Alabama Birmingham was a First Team All-Conference USA selection in 2020 despite his sack numbers dropping from 10 to 4.5. That’s because Smith, the first Blazers’ draft pick since the team’s hiatus from football, constantly drew double teams after his junior performance. He has said he took that as a sign of respect.

“I feel like I was the best pass-rusher in this draft,” Smith said. “I’ve shown multiple different moves that I’ve used effectively. Where other pass-rushers have less moves, two or three moves, I have a big arsenal of moves. I use my mind, I use my mental game to help me excel in the game, so I feel like I bring a lot to the table.”

Meyer says the team hopes to develop Smith into a backup for Josh Allen, but based on his comments, it sounds like he may be more of a project player.

“(He’s a) very raw, talented guy that can rush the passer,” Meyer said. “Very raw. He’s got a long way to go.”

But patience is something Smith knows very well. He originally began his college career with Meyer’s former team, the Florida Gators. However, he was dismissed from the team for his role in a credit card fraud scheme that implicated a number of UF players. Smith later pled no contest to third-degree felony charges and transferred to UAB after a JUCO stint with Butler Community College.

Smith said he had to develop a mental toughness to continue his football career after that setback, and he’s laser-focused on succeeding both on and off the field.

“What I learned about myself is that I’m very mentally strong,” he said. “I feel like if that was any other player in this draft who had to go through what I went through they probably wouldn’t have made it back to this point, so I just know I have a great mental. I give everything to God. I keep everything spiritual, and I just make sure I do everything I need to to make sure I don’t go back down those roads again and make sure I can just go up from here and excel.”

Meyer and general manager Trent Baalke had to like Smith a lot, as it was a surprisingly costly deal to move up nine spots to take him. In addition to pick No. 130, they gave up picks No. 170 and 249, getting the 209th pick in return. But if he develops into a capable edge rusher that can spell Allen, it was almost certainly worth it.

Urban Meyer says Tim Tebow’s workouts convinced him to ‘give it a shot’

The Jaguars coach said Tim Tebow’s stellar workouts were the main reason the team is interested in bringing him on as a tight end.

Much of the NFL news cycle has been focused on Jacksonville for the last few days, as a report from NFL insiders Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero earlier this week indicated that the Jaguars plan to sign Tim Tebow as a tight end. Tebow hasn’t been on an NFL roster since 2015 and hasn’t made a 53-man group since 2012.

The news has been polarizing, to say the least. According to a report from ESPN’s Jeff Darlington, even the Jags’ locker room is unsure of the decision, with some players feeling as though the signing sends the wrong message.

But on an episode of the “Cris Collinsworth PFF Podcast,” coach Urban Meyer explained what has led the team to consider bringing Tebow on. He said that the former NFL quarterback and minor league baseball player remains in great shape, calling him a “competitive maniac.”

“We have not signed Tim,” Meyer said. “There’s a thought going around. He was in the best shape of his life, asked to see if he could work out with a couple of our coaches. I wasn’t even there. They came back to me and said, ‘Wow, this guy’s in incredible shape.’ Then I went another time and watched them try him out. And they said go work on these things, he comes back later. They try him out again, I’m not there, they come in and they said, ‘Wow, this guy’s ball skills, he’s a great athlete, he looks like he’s 18-years-old, not 20, whatever he is, 33. I said, ‘Guys you don’t understand, now this guy is, he’s the most competitive maniac you’re ever gonna talk to and let’s give it a shot.'”

Based on this context from Meyer, it doesn’t sound like the Jaguars coaching staff was particularly bullish on the idea of bringing in Tebow until they saw him work out. But if Meyer, who has known Tebow since he was a high school prospect, thinks he’s in as good of shape now as he was when he was college-age, that’s a promising sign.

Tebow has no experience playing tight end in college or the NFL, but there’s a reason he may get a chance: Jacksonville failed to significantly address the position this offseason. With that being said, it’s hard to see Tebow being more than James O’Shaughnessy, who has never been a major contributor but is coming off career highs in both receptions (28) and yards (262).

But after O’Shaugnessy there are a lot of question marks. Chris Manhertz, an offseason addition from Carolina, has just 12 career catches. Tyler Davis was targeted just twice in his five appearances as a rookie and made no catches, while Luke Farrell, the team’s fifth-round pick this year, projects as a primarily blocking tight end.

Tebow will have the chance to prove himself at a position he hasn’t played since his freshman year of high school. But whether this Hail Mary will work out for Meyer and Co. remains to be seen.

Urban Meyer says Tim Tebow’s workouts convinced him to ‘give it a shot’

The Jaguars coach said Tim Tebow’s stellar workouts were the main reason the team is interested in bringing him on as a tight end.

Much of the NFL news cycle has been focused on Jacksonville for the last few days, as a report from NFL insiders Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero earlier this week indicated that the Jaguars plan to sign Tim Tebow as a tight end. Tebow hasn’t been on an NFL roster since 2015 and hasn’t made a 53-man group since 2012.

The news has been polarizing, to say the least. According to a report from ESPN’s Jeff Darlington, even the Jags’ locker room is unsure of the decision, with some players feeling as though the signing sends the wrong message.

But on an episode of the “Cris Collinsworth PFF Podcast,” coach Urban Meyer explained what has led the team to consider bringing Tebow on. He said that the former NFL quarterback and minor league baseball player remains in great shape, calling him a “competitive maniac.”

“We have not signed Tim,” Meyer said. “There’s a thought going around. He was in the best shape of his life, asked to see if he could work out with a couple of our coaches. I wasn’t even there. They came back to me and said, ‘Wow, this guy’s in incredible shape.’ Then I went another time and watched them try him out. And they said go work on these things, he comes back later. They try him out again, I’m not there, they come in and they said, ‘Wow, this guy’s ball skills, he’s a great athlete, he looks like he’s 18-years-old, not 20, whatever he is, 33. I said, ‘Guys you don’t understand, now this guy is, he’s the most competitive maniac you’re ever gonna talk to and let’s give it a shot.'”

Based on this context from Meyer, it doesn’t sound like the Jaguars coaching staff was particularly bullish on the idea of bringing in Tebow until they saw him work out. But if Meyer, who has known Tebow since he was a high school prospect, thinks he’s in as good of shape now as he was when he was college-age, that’s a promising sign.

Tebow has no experience playing tight end in college or the NFL, but there’s a reason he may get a chance: Jacksonville failed to significantly address the position this offseason. With that being said, it’s hard to see Tebow being more than James O’Shaughnessy, who has never been a major contributor but is coming off career highs in both receptions (28) and yards (262).

But after O’Shaugnessy there are a lot of question marks. Chris Manhertz, an offseason addition from Carolina, has just 12 career catches. Tyler Davis was targeted just twice in his five appearances as a rookie and made no catches, while Luke Farrell, the team’s fifth-round pick this year, projects as a primarily blocking tight end.

Tebow will have the chance to prove himself at a position he hasn’t played since his freshman year of high school. But whether this Hail Mary will work out for Meyer and Co. remains to be seen.

Josh Allen discusses new-look Jags on ‘Good Morning Football’

Jacksonville’s 2018 first-round pick is thrilled with the changes the franchise made this offseason.

This Jacksonville franchise looks a lot different than the one Josh Allen was drafted into just three years ago. When Allen arrived, Doug Marrone was still the head coach, newly acquired free agent quarterback Nick Foles was the starter under center, and the Jags were just a few months removed from an AFC title game appearance.

Now, that’s all changed. Marrone has been replaced with a first-time NFL guy in legendary college coach Urban Meyer, Foles has long since been traded and has now been replaced by Trevor Lawrence, and Jacksonville has a league-worst 1-15 season in the rearview.

But in an appearance on “Good Morning Football,” Allen said he’s excited about the new-look Jaguars team, especially now that it has a franchise quarterback in Lawrence. Allen said he reached out to Lawrence immediately after the team selected him.

“I hit him up as soon as he got drafted. I let him know I got his back…,” Allen said. “Personally, I know he’s going to light the scoreboard up. Especially with all the receivers and running backs we got. I’m excited to see that.”

As Allen alluded to, this will be a young offense, but it’s a talented group that includes running back James Robinson, who had a standout rookie year in 2020 as an undrafted free agent, as well as receivers D.J. Chark and Laviska Shenault. And if there’s one thing Meyer’s good at, it’s developing successful offense.

Allen spoke of Meyer as if he’s been a breath of fresh air for the franchise.

“It’s everything we needed so far,” Allen said. “He’s doing everything he can to make this team great. I like Coach Meyer personally. I’m ready to get rocking.”

For fans, it should be encouraging to see that Meyer is building relationships with the star players in the building like Allen. One of the biggest differences between coaching in the NFL and coaching in college is the fact that you have to manage highly paid professionals instead of college students, many of whom are teenagers.

Only time will tell if Meyer can bridge that gap successfully, but based on Allen’s comments, it certainly sounds like he’s off to a great start.

Steelers LB Devin Bush voices displeasure with Tim Tebow signing

The Pittsburgh linebacker mocked the Jaguars on Twitter for reportedly signing Tim Tebow as a tight end.

Though if it works he’ll appear to be brilliant, coach Urban Meyer had to have known that bringing in Tim Tebow to play tight end (a position he hasn’t played since his freshman year of high school) would be lampooned around the league.

Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Devin Bush was one of the people who got in on the action. On Twitter, he expressed his surprise that Tebow ended up on a roster before former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who hasn’t been on a team since 2016, when he made headlines for kneeling during the national anthem. Kaepernick and the NFL settled a lawsuit where the former alleged that the latter colluded to keep him out of the league.

Bush also said that he’s excited for the next matchup against the Jaguars, though the two teams aren’t scheduled to face each other again until 2023.

After Bleacher Report posted a tweet that included Bush’s comments, he quote tweeted it with, “Here comes the bored media.”

It’s pretty clear that most of the league isn’t taking this move very seriously, but for the Jags, it’s a bit of a Hail Mary to solve the problems at tight end that they failed to address earlier this offseason.

Tebow’s chances of making the final roster are slim, and if he did it wouldn’t be a very good sign. But regardless, this seems to be a storyline that will dominate the rest of the Jaguars’ offseason, aside from the addition of quarterback Trevor Lawrence.

Report: Jags locker room split on upcoming Tim Tebow signing

According to ESPN’s Jeff Darlington, the Jaguars players are a bit divided on the move to bring in Tim Tebow.

The decision to bring in Tim Tebow as a tight end is certainly a bold one for coach Urban Meyer. If the report from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero, which indicates a deal between Tebow and the Jags is imminent, holds true, it will certainly be a controversial move.

Tebow a polarizing football player. To some, he’s the victim of an NFL media apparatus that never believed in him or gave him a fair shake in the first place. To others, he represents a player who can’t give up on dreams of glory and continues to attempt to leverage his fame into new opportunities, whether earned or not.

It seems these differences in opinion aren’t limited to fans and media talking heads. According to a report from ESPN’s Jeff Darlington, the Jaguars locker room is split on the potential news. On a SportsCenter appearance on Tuesday, Darlington said some players think the signing of Tebow sends the wrong message to the team.

“When you cite the resume, when you talk about all of these things, it sounds pretty wild, and that certainly is the mindset of those in the Jaguars building,” Darlington said, according to a transcript from Bleacher Report. “Not everybody—obviously Urban Meyer is the one behind all of this—but not everybody in the Jaguars building is thrilled with this. They don’t think that it necessarily sends the proper message to the rest of the team in the locker room and the guys trying to make this team. Urban Meyer, though, is quite the opposite. They said this can be a ‘cultural jolt’ in the locker room to kind of send a message that Urban wants.

“Now, I covered Tebow pretty extensively back in 2011 and basically lived in Denver throughout that whole experience, and what I can tell you is that Tebow’s leadership might be a little bit different in the NFL than what it was in college when Urban Meyer remembered him. So, when I talk to coaches and players in the NFL, they do look at this and say, ‘If you’re looking for somebody to change culture, it’s not necessarily a guy like Tebow, especially at this point in his career.'”

To be frank, it’s unclear what “cultural jolt” signing Tebow would provide considering he’ll be 34 by the time the regular season starts and hasn’t appeared on a 53-man roster since 2012. Rather, it seems most likely that the Jaguars whiffed on their offseason tight end targets, and Meyer sees it as an opportunity to bring in someone he’s very close with.

It would be understandable if that rubbed players on the current roster the wrong way. Tight ends like Tyler Davis, who saw minimal action as a rookie last year but is hoping for a bigger 2021, or free agent signing Chris Manhertz may see the addition of a player who has never played the position at a high level as a bit of an insult.

Whether intentional or not, the decision could be perceived as Meyer giving special treatment to players with whom he has a prior relationship — not exactly the best way for a first-time NFL coach to ingratiate himself with professionals.

Theoretically, there isn’t much to lose by signing Tebow. His odds of making the team are pretty slim (though it would be quite an indictment of the tight end group if he did). But if his presence in the locker room is a divisive factor, it begs the question, “Is it worth it?”