The quarterback side of the equation has been figured out in Jacksonville. Though we’re yet to see first-overall pick Trevor Lawrence compete in a game, he may already be the most talented passer the franchise has ever had. The question now is, where will he be throwing the ball?
The passing game was one of the areas that suffered the most with a revolving door at quarterback in 2020 between Gardner Minshew II, Jake Luton, and Mike Glennon. Three of Jacksonville’s top-five receivers from a year ago, Keelan Cole, Chris Conley, and Tyler Eifert, are no longer with the team.
Last year’s leader in receiving yards, D.J. Chark, is back after totaling 706 yards and five scores a year ago. But that was a bit disappointing after breaking 1,000 yards during his second season in 2019, and he’s one of the players on the team looking for a major bounce-back this season.
He’s a natural candidate to be the team’s No. 1 receiver, but he won’t claim that spot without a challenge. Second-year receiver Laviska Shenault Jr., who finished third with 600 receiving yards last year and matched Chark’s five touchdowns, has been impressive in organized team activities so far. Some have said he looks like a No. 1 receiver in his own right, and he’ll certainly try to prove that on the field.
These are the two obvious candidates to lead the team in receiving yards, but what of the dark horse candidates? Marvin Jones Jr., a free-agent signing from Detroit, finished with more yards last year (978) than any Jacksonville receiver. He’s 31-years-old, but the production is still there.
Jones will be an important veteran leader for this team, but he simply may not see enough targets throughout the season to compete with Chark and Shenault.
There are also less likely options, like second-year receiver Collin Johnson, who had 272 yards and two touchdowns as a rookie last year, and Jalen Camp, a receiver from Georgia Tech who was taken in the sixth round. But neither will likely see more than rotational action.
Chark and Shenault are the clear candidates to be the most productive receiver on the team next year, and the young duo will certainly play a major role in the years to come. But you also can’t sleep on Jones, who remained productive despite a moribund situation in Detroit.
Which of these three do you think will be the team’s leading receiver? Let us know in the poll below.
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