Tag: Darrell Bevell

Jags’ Charlie Strong all but confirms Trevor Lawrence selection, talks about getting a QB

While he didn’t completely confirm what the team plans to do with the first pick, Strong offered some candor about the quarterback position.

Whenever a franchise selects first overall and don’t have a proven quarterback, it almost always chooses to address that position with the pick. This is the exact situation Jacksonville finds itself in, and it’s an open secret that the team plans to address the position with its first pick.

In an interview with reporter Anthony Amey, Jaguars assistant head coach and inside linebackers coach Charlie Strong said that the current coaching staff knows what it’s doing when it comes to developing a quarterback. Before working for the Lions, offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell held the same position in Seattle where he helped develop Russell Wilson and led the unit to two Super Bowl appearances (including a win in Super Bowl XLVIII).

Meanwhile, passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach Brian Schottenheimer succeeded Bevell in Seattle, where he worked for the last three years. Before that, he was the offensive coordinator for the St. Louis Rams and the New York Jets as well as a stint at the college level with the Georgia Bulldogs.

Strong said the duo, with the leadership of head coach Urban Meyer, whose track record as an offensive coach at Ohio State, Florida, and prior jobs speaks for itself, knows what it’s doing when it comes to developing a quarterback.

“With Bevell being the offensive coordinator and then (coach Schottenheimer) being the quarterback coach, they have a track record of getting the quarterback ready,” he said. “And Urban’s an offensive guy, he’s driven, that’s his deal is offensive. So I think when they make that selection, which it’s been a lot poured into it so the groundwork has already been laid, so when they make that selection, everyone will be prepared to go.”

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In addition to basically stating that the team will take a quarterback with the first overall pick, Strong seemed to heavily imply who that quarterback will be. Though no one affiliated with the Jaguars has officially come out and said it, the predominant belief has been that they will take Clemson passer, Trevor Lawrence.

While Strong didn’t confirm this, he also seemed to concede that the team’s decision is already widely known.

“When you talk about the quarterback, whomever it may be — and everybody knows who it’s going to be, it’s no secret…”

The NFL draft is less than a week away, and soon the coaches won’t have to speak about Lawrence in such coded language. But for the time being, it seems Strong, who is very familiar with Meyer as the two worked together at Florida from 2005 until 2009, is confident in this coaching staff’s ability to prepare a quarterback.

Darrell Bevell explains how Jags are constructing playbook

There are a lot of bright offensive minds in Jacksonville’s coaching meetings, and Darrell Bevell said they’re trying to blend philosophies.

Jacksonville’s offensive coaching staff is littered with bright offensive minds. Between head coach Urban Meyer, offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell and passing game coordinator/quarterbacks coach Brian Schottenheimer, there are a lot of people influencing the creation of the playbook.

One might be concerned about a “too many cooks in the kitchen” scenario, but on a recent podcast appearance with John Oehser, Bevell said they are attempting to blend the strengths of the different offensive coaches when crafting an offensive scheme.

“We have feelings of what he [Meyer] likes, what he wants to do, where he’s at – but then we’re able to blend where [passing-game coordinator] Brian [Schottenheimer] has been, where I’ve been and where [offensive line coach] George [Warhop] has been,” Bevell said. “We want to be able to blend all that together to be able to come up with the best plan.

“The plan starts one way, then once you start getting the players and start putting those players in, then that plan can morph. We’re going to make sure whoever our guys are that we’re getting – that we’re putting them in the best position to be successful.

“The more we get to know them, then the more it starts to move around.”

The playbook starts with the terminology and depending on which coaching philosophy your background is in, that can vary tremendously. Bevell said that much of the coaches’ energy so far has been spent attempting to codify and standardize the language of the team.

“It’s important for all of us to be speaking the same language,” Bevell said. “It’s powerful when your whole staff is aligned and has the ability to speak it the same way. We start on Page One, go through the cadence, the huddle and then we get into, ‘What do we call this when we line up in this formation?’ ‘What’s the best way to communicate?’ ‘Is that the simplest?’

“Everybody comes from a little different area. At some point, we have to pick a language for the Jaguars. That’s what we’ve been sitting in there doing.”

Bevell was asked what the team’s offense would look like in 2021, but he hesitated to give a straightforward answer, saying that it will depend on the personnel on Day 1. The Jags are expected to draft a franchise quarterback in Trevor Lawrence, and he will likely start opening week. Jacksonville may not know exactly how best to use him until he joins the team, so its best-laid plans could still change.

“The hard thing is, ‘Tell me who I have; tell me who’s out there on Day 1,”’ Bevell said. “Then I can give you a better answer on what it will look like. There are fundamental beliefs I believe in and Coach Meyer believes in. No. 1 is running the football. You want to be able to run the ball when you want to run it. Then when we get in the pass game, I want to be explosive. You want big plays. You want opportunities to get big plays and flip the field.”

It seems the Jags don’t want to overplay their hand now, but based on these comments from Bevell, it seems the coaching staff is comfortable with the progress it’s made over the last several months.

Jags OC Darrell Bevell attends Zach Wilson’s pro day, Urban Meyer not present

The Jaguars offensive coordinator was on hand for former BYU quarterback Zach Wilson’s pro day, but the Jags head coach was not.

Just because a team is fairly sure what they want to do with the first overall pick doesn’t mean they won’t do their due diligence. It seems that’s exactly what happened on Friday morning, as Jacksonville Jaguars offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell attended Zach Wilson’s pro day in Provo, Utah.

Notably, however, Jacksonville’s head coach Urban Meyer was not in attendance. That’s a bit surprising, as one would assume the man leading the team would want to be on hand to watch a potential franchise quarterback in action.

Meyer also didn’t attend the pro day for North Dakota State quarterback Trey Lance earlier this month. He was, however, in attendance for former Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence’s pro day, and he helped him coordinate an earlier pro day to accommodate his shoulder surgery.

Given these indicators, it doesn’t seem anything has changed regarding the Jags’ plans with the first overall pick. Though some analysts seem to prefer Wilson over Lawrence, there’s no reason to think the Jags’ staff feels that way.

But that doesn’t mean the team won’t scout the rest of the field, and considering the fact that, according to Albert Breer, Bevell has a house close to BYU (where his daughter attends school), there doesn’t seem to be much here that should worry fans who want Lawrence.

Jamal Agnew ready to be a leader in receiver room, on special teams

The former Lions receiver is surrounded with some familiar faces on his new team, and he’s ready to contribute in 2021.

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.”

Marvin Jones Jr. shows a high level of confidence in Darrell Bevell’s offense

The Jags needed more experience at WR and got just that with the signing of Marvin Jones, who brings familiarity to the offense.

While the addition of Urban Meyer was the biggest acquisition for the Jacksonville Jaguars tis offseason, his decision to add Darrell Bevell to the staff was one fans loved, too. Bevell is one of the NFL’s most respected offensive minds, and it’s showing even before he’s started coaching the players on the roster.

During the first week of free agency, the Jags signed two of Bevell’s former receivers from the Detroit Lions in Jamal Agnew and Marvin Jones Jr. Both had nothing but kind words to say about their former interim head coach and offensive coordinator, and Jones even went as far as saying the offense was “fun” to him on multiple occasions.

“I think just the camaraderie that we have with each other and just the leader that he is,” said Jones when asked what helps him the most in Bevell’s scheme. “Obviously, his offense kind of speaks for itself with the success that he’s had since he’s been in the league, and it’s just a fun offense. It’s a fun offense where I can go inside, go outside, do a lot of the things that I didn’t do before having his offense. So, it’s a lot of stuff that you can do, and I think it fits perfect for me.”

In addition to his familiarity with the offense and the abilities he brings to the table, Jones will be the most experienced receiver on the Jags’ roster with nine seasons under his belt. That said, he’ll be instantly thrust into a leadership role for the receivers as the Jags’ two biggest ascending stars in the passing game, D.J. Chark and Laviska Shenault Jr., aren’t even 25 yet.

“It feels good obviously because I’m still here and I’m still playing at the top of my game,” said Jones when speaking on being the most experienced receiver. “I just met everybody, met the young receivers and they didn’t know I was 31. They were like, ‘Man, you look like us.’ I’m like, ‘Yeah. I’ll show you the way. I’ll show you how to get there.’ I’m here, I’m here to be that mentor and for them to follow me. I love that and I love that type of pressure. So yeah, it feels good.”

There aren’t many receivers out there who would be better for Chark and Shenault to learn from than Jones, who is coming off a tenure where he went under the radar while accumulating 286 receptions for 4,296 yards, and 36 receptions with the Lions. Now, it will be a matter of the trio putting in the work and getting in sync with probable  No. 1 pick Trevor Lawrence before the regular season. If all of those things happen, Jags fans can expect an improved passing game, with Jones being a key reason behind it.

NFL free agency: WR Marvin Jones to join Jags on a 2-year deal

The Jags receiving corps got better Tuesday by adding a longtime veteran who is familiar with OC Darrell Bevell.

While Day 1 of the tampering period was slow for the Jacksonville Jaguars, Day 2 went way better. In fact, they ended the day by signing one of the more notable receiver free agents on the market in Marvin Jones.

Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, his deal is a two-year one with $14.5 million and $9.2 million is guaranteed.

Jones, 31, will be joining the Jags after his former coach from the Detroit Lions, Darrell Bevell, was named the team’s offensive coordinator this offseason. The two were together for two seasons as Bevell was named the Lions offensive coordinator in 2019 and eventually became their interim head coach in 2020 when Matt Patricia was fired.

Jones, who was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the fifth round of the 2012 draft, had been with the Lions since 2016. While in Detroit, he managed to accumulate 289 receptions for 4,296 receiving yards and an impressive total of 36 touchdowns. He was even able to register over 930 yards three times there in 2016-17 and last season.

Jones is a great addition for the Jags because he brings a veteran presence into the mix. He’ll work alongside receivers DJ Chark, Laviska Shenault Jr., and Colin Johnson, all of whom have shown promise and are under the age of 24.

Jacksonville adds a veteran presence in Marvin Jones Jr.

Fantasy footballers have a touchdown-scoring wideout returning to a familiar offense.

The Jacksonville Jaguars lost three receivers to unrestricted free agency in 2021, and new head coach Urban Meyer will have a veteran wideout in Marvin Jones Jr. to help incoming rookie quarterback Trevor Lawrence get off to the right start.

Jones is thoroughly familiar with the new offense in Duval County, one orchestrated by Darrell Bevell. As one may recall, Bevell was the playcaller in Detroit in 2019 and 2020, ultimately becoming the interim head coach after Matt Patricia’s dismissal.

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The Jaguars have the 2021 NFL Draft’s top pick, which undoubtedly will be spent on Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence. Jones brings the better part of eight seasons of play (missed 2014) as experience and scored 18 touchdowns over the past two seasons in Detroit. He’s coming off a 76-catch performance, which is a career high. The offense will take no time to learn, which means he can help his rookie quarterback and a pair of young receivers in Laviska Shenault Jr. and DJ Chark Jr.

Fantasy football outlook

Jacksonville has pieces in place to be a capable offense in Lawrence’s first year, and the defense is still porous enough that he could be asked to pass more than preferred. That’s a win for Jones and fantasy gamers alike.

In 2021, Jones’ numbers are likely to take a hit. He recently turned 31 years old and has averaged less than 13 yards per grab the past two seasons, which is down from at least 14.5 the prior three campaigns. This is due to a combination of the role in the system and his age, but we’re likely to see it continue.

Even being a tremendous prospect, Lawrence is still a rookie quarterback in an offseason that may be disrupted once again by COVID-19. He has to learn the ropes and build chemistry with his receivers.

With that in mind, and a pair of blossoming youngsters as positional mates, just how many catches can we expect from Jones? He averaged 64 catches from 2013-20 when extrapolated to 16 games. Consider that to be is likely ceiling. In fact, somewhere closer to 55 is a safer estimation.

Factoring 12.5 yards per catch gives us somewhere between 660 and 800 yards as a reasonable range. He has averaged a touchdown every 8.1 catches in that same time frame, so seven scores is a fair estimate based on the past. Given the weapons around him and the likely commitment to rushing the ball with James Robinson, Jones should finish closer to five touchdowns.

There’s nothing tangible to warrant belief in an uptick in production. Let’s give Jones a modest line of 60-750-5 … that would have been WR45 in PPR last year, which coincidentally was Shenault’s placement. This would have been WR42 in 2019. In standard scoring, the placement hardly varies (WR42 aggregate). In all practicality, Jones is a low-end WR3 or ideal flex target for fantasy football gamers.

PFF: Jags’ Laviska Shenault Jr. led all rookie WRs in missed tackles forced category

According to PFF no rookie WR was better than Laviska Shenault Jr. when it comes to tackle breaking and it could lead to a huge 2021 season.

There weren’t a lot of positives to come from the Jacksonville Jaguars 2020 season after the team registered a 1-15 record. However, one thing that became clear is that the Jags can only get better heading forward as their rookie class showed promise.

Second-round selection Laviska Shenault Jr., in particular, was amongst the players who showed promise and is now one of the Jags’ most intriguing building blocks heading forward. For those who watched him in action, it was clear that his greatest strength was breaking tackles, and after having time to calculate the data, Pro Football Focus has declared him a specialist in that category.

With an official total of 22 missed tackles forced, Shenault led all rookie receivers when it comes to breaking tackles. And although the Jags now have a new staff in place, his ability to stay upright is something that Urban Meyer and company will undoubtedly look to utilize heading forward.

Shenault ended up being a highlight reel for the Jags and finished the season with 58 receptions for 600 yards and five touchdowns. In the process of his rookie campaign, he also proved to be versatile, lining up in the backfield (had 18 carries for 91 yards) and as a receiver.

With a creative mind like Meyer in Jacksonville, Shenault undoubtedly looks like a breakout candidate for 2021. That said, all of our fantasy football readers may want to keep him in mind for their drafts of the future as he could end up being a huge source of points during the regular season.

Listen to the latest from Jags Wire’s own James Johnson and Phil Smith on their podcast “Bleav in the Jags.” Subscribe via Apple Podcasts and check out our archived episodes via Bleav Podcasts.

2021 NFL free agency: 4 reasons the Jags could reunite with Allen Robinson

NFL free agency is just under a month away and Jags fans seem to have an eye on Allen Robinson, who is a fit for the team in several ways.

The Jacksonville Jaguars are basically done putting together their coaching staff, and now the group can focus on scouting talent. Of course, they will hope to acquire a majority of that talent by building through the draft, but with the team being so young, the 2021 free agency period will be an important part of the game plan, too.

Urban Meyer undoubtedly wants to start his first NFL season off on a high note and that can’t happen without adding some elite talent through free agency. A name who many fans believe can help Jacksonville make significant strides is that of receiver Allen Robinson, who was a 2015 second-round selection of the organization.

Unfortunately, despite having a productive career with the Jags, he got away from the team in 2018. Now, he’s on the verge of hitting the open market again and has come out to say that everything is on the table. While there is still time for the Chicago Bears to retain him, as time passes, it feels like he’s slipping from their grasp, and if it happens, the Jags are a fit in many ways.

With less than a month to go before free agency officially begins, let’s examine some reasons why the Jags and Robinson could reunite:

Meyer explains why new OC Bevell is the right man for the job

The new Jags coach said Darrell Bevell had the best interview, but a ringing celebrity endorsement from one of his former players helped.

Darrell Bevell has a major task at hand. The new Jaguars offensive coordinator will be the man primarily tasked with the development of quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who Jacksonville will almost certainly take with the first overall pick.

Despite that, coach Urban Meyer said he’s confident that Bevell was the right hire. In the staff’s introductory presser, Meyer said the former Lions play-caller had the best interview in a large candidate pool (and a high-profile endorsement, to boot).

“The amount of people we interviewed was as many as I’ve really ever done,” Meyer said Thursday. “His interview was by far the best. His ability to adapt to my vision of the offense, which is a little different than maybe he’s done in the past, the flexibility and not rigidness, that was very important to me because we do have the first pick in the draft and there is a vision that I have about the style of offense. I’m certainly not going to call plays — that’s his responsibility. But I have a real clear vision of what I want the offense to look like.

“And by the way, Brett Favre — I called I don’t know, 10 people about Darrell — and Brett Favre, who I’ve known for quite some time, when he made a comment [saying], ‘That’s as good a coach as he’s ever been around, and by the way I had my best year with him in Minnesota.’ And he said, ‘Hire the guy.’ Brett Favre, the respect I think we all have for him, I listened closely.”

Jags fans will hope Favre’s impression of Bevell, who was his quarterback coach from 2003-05, is an accurate one. Bevell was also Favre’s offensive coordinator in Minnesota, and he won a Super Bowl coaching offense for the Seahawks before spending the last two seasons under Matt Patricia in Detroit.

He’ll have some pieces to work with in Jacksonville, including the talented receiver duo of D.J. Chark and Laviska Shenault and the NFL’s third-leading rusher last season in James Robinson in addition to Lawrence. The question will be how much improvement he can get in one year from those pieces.