Despite the Jacksonville Jaguars registering another lackluster win total last season at 6-10, rookie quarterback Gardner Minshew II gave fans something to be excited about going forward. After being thrust into the starting role Week 1 then reinserted Week 14 against the Los Angeles Chargers, he finished the season .500 (6-6) as a starter.

Part of the reason he was able to have such success is because of his deep ball accuracy as he was able to link up with D.J. Chark Jr. and Chris Conley for multiple explosive plays. In fact, his success with deep balls made him one of the best in the NFL in the category per Pro Football Focus, who ranked him as their third-best deep thrower in 2019.

3. Gardner Minshew, Jacksonville Jaguars

49.0% completion percentage, 16.7 yards per attempt, 129.0 Passer Rating

Gardner Minshew has one of the weaker arms in the league, so this is proof that exceptional deep passing is not about arm strength but rather accuracy, timing and anticipation. Minshew led the NFL in passer rating on deep targets a season ago and was one of the league’s best in terms of accuracy, too. He didn’t have a single turnover-worthy play on 49 deep shots as a rookie — that’s impressive.

The only players to rank higher than Minshew in the category were Russell Wilson and Deshaun Watson. That’s some very impressive company if you ask me.

Minshew was able to impress to the point where the Jags’ front office elected to commit to building around him this offseason instead of looking for another option at quarterback. That will give him the opportunity to prove himself this season and show the fans and team that he’s the franchise quarterback they’ve long wanted.