Tag: Gardner Minshew II

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.

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.

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.

Meyer praises C.J. Beathard’s play in preseason opener among other positive takeaways

Among his positive takeaways, Urban Meyer gushed over QB C.J Beathard. He out-performed Gardner Minshew in the preseason opener.

Many anticipated that the main storyline to watch during the preseason for the Jacksonville Jaguars was the quarterback battle between first-overall pick Trevor Lawrence and incumbent starter Gardner Minshew. But while Lawrence could’ve been better in his debut, he out-performed Minshew. Given that, plus the fact that he started the game, it seems the Jags have made their decision about the starter.

Now, it seems the more interesting discussion may center around the No. 2 quarterback, because statistically, neither Lawrence nor Minshew were the most effective quarterback on Saturday night. That honor goes to C.J. Beathard, who was signed to a backup quarterback deal this offseason after starting two games in San Francisco last year.

Beathard finished the game 13-of-16 passing with 102 yards and a touchdown pass to Tavon Austin, and his play has raised some questions about who the No. 2 quarterback should be — and in turn, about Minshew’s place on the roster.

In discussing his positive takeaways from the game, coach Urban Meyer praised Beathard’s play.

“Positives were C.J. Beathard came in and played fantastic, defense against the run,” he said. “I think they averaged 1 yard per carry, 1.5 yards per carry. Obviously, we loaded the box quite often, but our defensive line kind of controlled the line of scrimmage. Offensively, we took care of the ball. I thought the backs, receivers, everybody really did a good job taking care of the football, which was an emphasis.”

Meyer has been quick to praise both Lawrence and Minshew in the past and seems to have indicated that it’s still an open competition. But with his positive things to say about Beathard, one has to wonder if Minshew’s place on the depth chart may be slipping.

The play of the quarterbacks, in general, was hampered by offensive line struggles on Saturday. However, Meyer said he liked what he saw from the starting group in general.

“Cam [Robinson] was pretty solid. Jawaan [Taylor], we are working on some things today,” he said. “He had a great training camp, so we are good. [He] did not play great to answer your question, didn’t play awful, didn’t play great. A.J. Cann played very solid, gave up one pressure, but he’s been really solid all the way through. [Brandon] Linder didn’t play much. Obviously, [Andrew] Norwell has one more week out. But [Ben] Bartch actually did okay in there, so we’re developing that third guard which we need and the third tackle right now. Walker Little struggled. He was playing low hands for some reason, it was on him really fast, so he has to get a lot of reps. We’re counting on him. He had a really good training camp, so we have to get him going.”

The quarterback competitions — both for starter and backup — will be interesting to watch as the preseason progresses, but Minshew may need some impressive performances to even solidify his position as the No. 2 quarterback moving forward.

Jaguars coach Urban Meyer remains cryptic about QB competition

Meyer declined to name a starting quarterback for Saturday’s preseason opener against Cleveland.

The collective imaginations of the Jaguar faithful are running wild after leaked videos and reports from training camp indicate that first overall pick Trevor Lawrence is as good as advertised. Though he faces competition from Gardner Minshew II, the incumbent starter from the last two years who has had a solid camp himself, the rookie is clearly the team’s most talented option at quarterback.

Lawrence will make his debut in a Jags uniform on Saturday when the Jaguars take on the Cleveland Browns at home in their first preseason game. Coach Urban Meyer confirmed on Thursday that both Lawrence and Minshew will play in the preseason opener, but declined to say who will start the game. He instead praised Minshew’s work ethic throughout camp.

“He’s earned my respect. I love that guy,” Meyer said, via NFL.com. “He’s a warrior, competitor. He’s a fighter. I told him that. I just got great respect for Minshew. He brings it every day, every day.”

Since Jacksonville moved into position to select first overall, the expectation has widely been that Lawrence would line up under center for the season opener against Houston, barring unforeseen setbacks with his health. He’s now fully recovered from the shoulder surgery he underwent in the spring, and it’s not expected to impact him during the preseason.

Asked if there was a chance Lawrence isn’t the starter for the first game, Meyer once again left the question open for interpretation.

“Is there really a chance? I think we’ll answer that as we get closer,” he said.

Meyer has been hesitant to speak authoritatively on the quarterback battle, instead opting to praise both Lawrence and Minshew. However, one thing he has said is that the team wouldn’t play Lawrence for the sake of development. If Minshew puts the team in a better position to beat the Texans, he will start the opener.

“If he’s not the quarterback we think we can win with — we haven’t made that decision,” Meyer said earlier this week. “It’s not a four-year plan. It’s not fair to these players. It’s a one-year plan.”

There’s probably some misdirection going on here, and Lawrence starting Week 1 is more likely than not. But unless Meyer has already made the determination and is just keeping his cards close to the chest, it seems the competition between Lawrence and Minshew will continue into the preseason.

Brian Schottenheimer tight-lipped on Jags’ starting quarterback situation

Though Trevor Lawrence is expected to win the job, the Jags’ passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach said no decision has been made.

Ever since Jacksonville secured the first-overall pick back in December, it was assumed that Trevor Lawrence would be the starting quarterback this fall. Though the rookie is well on his way after some impressive moments at minicamp despite recovering from shoulder surgery, it appears he hasn’t done enough to lock up the job, at least at this point.

According to ESPN’s Mike DiRocco, passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach Brian Schottenheimer wouldn’t give a definitive answer when asked if there’s been a decision made.

“It’s still too early to say how this thing’s going to play out,” Schottenheimer said on Wednesday.

While there’s certainly some smoke and mirrors going on here, it’s far from a foregone conclusion that Lawrence will be ready to start Week 1. It’s not like the Jaguars necessarily need him to be, either.

He’s clearly the future, but the Jags still have a quarterback on the roster who’s thrown for 37 touchdowns and just 11 interceptions in two years in Gardner Minshew II. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, Minshew wants to win the starting job in camp this fall. He’s a clear trade option for Jacksonville, but if no deal materializes and Lawrence isn’t ready for the opener against Houston, the cupboard is nowhere near bare.

Still, it would be at least a minor upset if Lawrence doesn’t start Week 1. Though he’s dealing with lingering issues from the surgery, it seems he’s getting closer and closer to 100% each day. He should be fully healthy by the fall, and it would likely take a herculean effort from Minshew to unseat him as the presumed starter, assuming he’s still on the roster at that point.

Watch: Ravens take down Jaguars’ Gardner Minshew II for safety

The Ravens’ Matthew Judon took down Gardner Minshew II for a safety

The Jacksonville Jaguars are in a battle … trying to find a way to catch the New York Jets in the race for the No. 1 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.

It won’t be easy since the Jets seem intent on losing all 16 games. The Jaguars came into Sunday on a 12-game losing streak after somehow defeating the Indianapolis Colts in their opener.

The Jags’ losing ways got off to a swift start against the Ravens as Gardner Minshew II was sacked by Matthew Judon for a safety to give Baltimore a 2-0 lead.

Minshew never had a chance.

The Ravens took the free-kick and scored a touchdown as Lamar Jackson connected with Miles Boykin.

Gardner Minshew to begin throwing on air, but won’t be ready for Steelers game

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Gardner Minshew II (thumb) won’t be ready for this week’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, but will begin throwing against air soon. Per coach Doug Marrone, the team will then evaluate him and see where he’s at …

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Gardner Minshew II (thumb) won’t be ready for this week’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, but will begin throwing against air soon. Per coach Doug Marrone, the team will then evaluate him and see where he’s at in terms of his throwing ability.

“He’s feeling a little bit better, not fully 100 percent,” said Marrone Monday. We’ll wait for routes on air. During practice he’ll throw, see how he feels for the first time. [We’ll] see how it is after that and then we’ll take it from there, but he won’t be ready.”

Marrone’s comments means rookie Jake Luton will likely get the nod again this week, which would make his third start. His first was against the Houston Texans Week 9 and the second occurred Sunday against the Green Bay Packers. Throughout both games he’s gone 44-of-73 (60.3%) for 473 passing yards, two touchdowns, and two picks. He also had a rushing touchdown against the Texans.

If Luton gets the nod this Sunday, he will have another difficult task ahead after struggling against Green Bay. The Steelers’ defense is one that most would say are significantly better than the Packers’ as they ranked ninth against the rush and are sixth overall (allowing an average of 318.1 yards a game).

As for Minshew, he revealed a previously hidden thumb injury to the team after their by week. After having an X-ray, the Jags found out that he had multiple fractures and a sprained ligament in the thumb, which was sustained Week 5 against the Texans.

Report: Gardner Minshew II has multiple hand fractures

Gardner Minshew II of the Jaguars apparently has fractures in his throwing hand.

The Jacksonville Jaguars have lost six in a row and now they may have to deal with losing their quarterback.

Per ESPN:

X-rays taken this week revealed that Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Gardner Minshew II has multiple fractures and a strained ligament in his right thumb, league sources told ESPN.

Minshew has had discomfort in his thumb since Jacksonville’s Oct. 11 game at Houston, a source told ESPN. He did not tell the team about the pain until after the last game, which led to a postgame X-ray in Los Angeles.

The Jaguars didn’t know about Minshew’s injury until this week, per sources.

Minshew has completed 65.9% of his passes and thrown for 1,855 yards with 13 TDs and 5 picks.

The Jaguars have a bye this week and play the Houston Texans on Nov. 8.