Tag: Laviska Shenault

Falcons, Packers also had interest in new Panthers WR Laviska Shenault Jr.

The Panthers had some competition for WR Laviska Shenault before acquiring him on Monday.

The Carolina Panthers see something in Laviska Shenault Jr. Oh, and so do a few other teams.

On Monday evening, the Panthers completed a trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars for the third-year wideout. The deal has Carolina taking in the 2020 second-round selection from Duval in exchange for a pair of draft picks—a 2023 seventh-rounder and a 2024 sixth-rounder.

Luckily for them, they got the swap done before another interested party or two could swoop in. And among those possible parties, as reported by ESPN NFL insider Dan Graziano, were the Atlanta Falcons and Green Bay Packers.

Shenault wasn’t a total disappointment in Jacksonville. He reeled in a decent enough 121 balls for 1,219 yards and five touchdowns between 2020 and 2021.

But the 6-foot-1, 227-pound pass catcher didn’t hone in his eye-opening physical traits he so often displayed during his standout collegiate career at the University of Colorado. Apparently, however, the Panthers—as well as the Falcons and Packers—believe Shenault still has a chance at being the player the Jaguars drafted him to be two years ago.

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Panthers WR Laviska Shenault gets new uniform number

New Panthers WR Laviska Shenault won’t be causing P Johnny Hekker to change his uniform number for a second time this summer.

Carolina Panthers punter Johnny Hekker has already changed uniform numbers for a new, incoming teammate this summer—going from No. 6 to No. 10 for quarterback Baker Mayfield. So will he be doing the same for Laviska Shenault, who wore No. 10 with the Jacksonville Jaguars?

Nope. There will be no third number for Hekker, which may have been some sort of record for a player that hadn’t even recorded a snap with his team yet.

Instead, Shenault will be taking up the No. 15.

Shenault’s new digits are, perhaps, a callback to his high school career. The DeSoto, Texas native attended DeSoto High School, where he donned No. 2 and No. 15 for the Eagles.

As far as who has worn No. 15 for the Panthers, the list of past occupants isn’t exactly a prodigious one:

  • WR Joe Adams (2012)
  • WR Marvin McNutt (2013)
  • WR Chris Hogan (2019)
  • TE/QB Tommy Stevens (2020)
  • WR Seth Roberts (2020)
  • CB CJ Henderson (2021)

Henderson, by the way, has since switched to a chef’s kiss of an aesthetic  with No. 24.

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Packers were among teams interested in trade for WR Laviska Shenault

Brian “In Every Conversation” Gutekunst had the Packers talking about a deal for WR Laviska Shenault, who was eventually traded to the Panthers.

The Green Bay Packers were among the teams interested in a trade before the Jacksonville Jaguars agreed to deal wide receiver Laviska Shenault to the Carolina Panthers on Monday, per Dan Graziano of ESPN.

Shenault was a second-round pick of the Jaguars in 2020 who has 121 career catches in two seasons.

The real question here: Was this the Packers just “being in every conversation,” as general manager Brian Gutekunst likes to say, or was the interest in adding Shenault truly genuine?

The Packers, already with a lot of moving parts at wide receiver, may have viewed Shenault as a position-less player who could handle gadget touches in Matt LaFleur’s diverse offensive scheme and also contribute on special teams, although second-year player Amari Rodgers is cut from the same cloth.

It’s certainly possible Shenault was a player Gutekunst liked but wasn’t in a position to draft back in 2020, prompting the conversation with the Jaguars. Per Graziano, the Falcons were also interested in Shenault before the deal with the Panthers was made. Atlanta is coached by Arthur Smith, who runs a similar offense as LaFleur.

Last season, Shenault caught 63 passes for 619 yards and zero touchdowns. He also rushed 11 times for 41 yards.

For his career, Shenault has caught 67.6 percent of his targets and averaged 6.8 yards per target.

The Packers try to leave no stone unturned when it comes to player acquisition. The process leads to perceived interest, even when the moves usually don’t happen.

Jaguars trade WR Laviska Shenault to Panthers

Shenault was a key playmaker for the #Jaguars since they drafted him in 2020.

After a day spent cutting their roster closer to the maximum 53-player limit, the Jacksonville Jaguars managed to trade receiver Laviska Shenault to the Carolina Panthers, effectively getting a return for a talent they may have otherwise cut outright. The compensation they’ll be getting back is still unclear, though it is likely that they’ll receive a conditional draft pick for Shenault in a deal that should pave the way for preseason standout Tim Jones to make the final roster.

Shenault has been a mercurial presence on the Jaguars offense since 2020 when Jacksonville selected him with a second-round pick out of the University of Colorado. He has made some highlight reel worthy catches for the team but hasn’t managed to play a full season to this point in his career.

After a rookie season where he started 12 games for the Jaguars, he took a step back last year with 10 starts, though he managed to slightly out-pace his 2020 production with 5 more catches for 19 more yards in his sophomore campaign. He did not score a touchdown last year but found the end zone five times as a rookie.

Now a member of the Panthers’ snakebitten offense, Shenault can expect to see a fair number of targets in Carolina off the arm of Baker Mayfield, who has found himself in the starting quarterback role after injuries to Matt Corral and Sam Darnold in the preseason.

Shenault will have some adjustments to make in Matt Rhule’s offense but should be a natural fit with his new team this season. The trade will prove to be mutually beneficial for both Shenault and the Jaguars, as he was unlikely to see significant playing time in Jacksonville after their addition of Christian Kirk in the offseason.

Depending on the compensation, this move could provide Jacksonville with crucial draft capital in the future, which will aid in its rebuild beyond the 2022 season.

Panthers trade for Jaguars WR Laviska Shenault

Before starting on their cut to a 53-man roster, the Panthers traded for Jaguars WR Laviska Shenault.

Update (8:17 p.m. ET): Per Mia O’Brien, the Panthers will send the Jaguars a 2023 seventh-round pick and a 2024 sixth-round pick in return for Shenault.

Despite a relatively stuffy wideout room, the Carolina Panthers were still on the lookout for some reinforcements. Well, they got themselves a pretty surprising one on Monday evening.

As first reported by NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport, the Panthers have traded for Jacksonville Jaguars receiver Laviska Shenault. What is headed back to Duval, however, has not yet been made clear.

Shenault was a second-round pick of the Jaguars back in the 2020 NFL draft. He played three years at the University of Colorado Boulder prior to his selection, where he earned First-team All-Pac-12 honors in 2018 and Second-team honors in 2019.

The 6-foot-1, 227-pound didn’t quite stick on Jacksonville like many believed he would. Over his two pro campaigns, he has amassed 121 receptions for 1,219 yards and five touchdowns—with each of those five scores coming during his rookie season.

Shenault now joins the group of DJ Moore, Robbie Anderson, Rashard Higgins and Shi Smith—all of which, to one degree or another, are considered likely members of the 53-man roster. This acquisition, in turn, may ultimately impact the roster chances of Terrace Marshall Jr., Brandon Zylstra and/or Andre Roberts.

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Watch: Jags QB Trevor Lawrence, WR Laviska Shenault Jr. linkup for a workout

Laviska Shenault Jr. and Trevor Lawrence are heading into their second seasons together and the hope is that their connection will be one of many that propel the Jags’ offense.

The Jacksonville Jaguars will start training camp in just over three weeks, which will be their first under new coach Doug Pederson. Two players who will be heavily watched when the process starts are quarterback Trevor Lawrence and receiver Laviska Shenault Jr., who hopefully will be two of several players propelling the offense.

Of the two, Shenault might be under the most pressure as the Jags added some competition to the receiver’s room by signing Christian Kirk and Zay Jones to starter-caliber contracts, which could push him down the depth chart. That said, Shenault needs a strong showing in camp if he wants to remain one of the Jags’ top receivers, which is something he is aware of as he said he embraced the competition earlier this offseason.

Shenault said he put in a lot of work to improve his speed this offseason and also has taken snaps as a returner to show off his versatility. However, the process of bettering himself hasn’t stopped there, though, as he recently shared a video of him linking up with Lawrence recently for a workout.

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With Lawrence starting in all 16 games for the Jags, Shenault was able to haul in 63 catches for 619 yards. That wasn’t much more than the figures he registered as a rookie when he had 63 catches for 600 yards, though he did have a career-high of five touchdowns.

With the two having one season together, the potential is there for them to display a stronger connection in training camp this season, which would be huge for Shenault’s chances to be one of the team’s top receivers. With the start of camp set for July 24, the two will have a little more time to get more pre-camp work in if they want in the next few weeks, as the Jags’ passing game will need to be much better this season.

Podcast: Previewing 6 Jags who have something to prove in 2022

In this week’s episode of @TDJaguarsPod, the crew previewed six Jags who have something to prove this upcoming season.

The Jacksonville Jaguars will take the field again later this month for training camp, and when they do, there will be a lot of competitions going on as the team will eventually go from 90 players to 53. Luckily for the Jags, they will have one extra preseason game for their bubble players to prove themselves, thanks to participating in the Hall of Fame game in Canton against Las Vegas.

Even when the Jags announce their final 53-man roster, there will be players on it who need to improve their play in 2022 after not quite meeting expectations last season, or even before that. In Episode 15 of the “Touchdown Jaguars!” Podcast, Jags Wire’s Phil Smith and I previewed six of these players, all of whom were either high draft picks or notable free-agent investments.

We also covered the recent news surrounding the Jags’ facility construction beforehand, as the Jags named a sponsor for their facility and struck some new permit deals with the Jacksonville City Council.

To listen to the full episode, hit play below:

 

“Touchdown Jaguars!” will be published weekly, giving Jags Wire readers a new go-to podcast to hear the latest in news, rumors, and more. To stay up to date, subscribe via Apple Podcasts and Spotify, and feel free to rate and comment. 

Trevor Lawrence says Laviska Shenault looked faster in OTAs

Laviska Shenault has been known more for his strength at the WR position, but he entered this offseason looking to improve his speed and agility, and Trevor Lawrence has noticed it.

The Jacksonville Jaguars had a productive offseason, but questions remain about their receivers group. They paid Christian Kirk and Zay Jones like starters in free agency and will need both to play like it, though neither has registered 1,000 yards in a single season.

However, neither free-agent addition is alone when it comes to fans hoping they will step up. Third-year receiver Laviska Shenault Jr. is also a player the Jags need to step up as he will be coming off a 2021 season where he didn’t make the impact fans were hoping for. Shenault seems well aware of this and came into organized team activities looking to improve and his quarterback, Trevor Lawrence, has already taken note of it.

Lawrence recently told the media that Shenault looks faster by his eyes and expressed his confidence in him to be a playmaker for the offense.

“He looks a lot faster,” Lawrence said to the Florida Times-Union about Shenault. “He’s just going to be that guy when you get the ball in his hands, he’s going to make the play. I think he’s made a big improvement since last season and he’s really been attacking it. I think it’s showing on the practice field.”

It seems Shenault had plans to get faster in mind all along this offseason as he told News4Jax he wanted to be more than a big strong target for the offense. Shenault says he cut down his weight lifting routine a bit and replaced it with agility exercises.

“This year I have been working on a lot of my agility and my first-step quickness. I’m a big guy. I love to lift,” Shenault said. “So, I wanted to cut that down this offseason and get moving because I feel like I lost a little bit of that going through my surgeries during the Covid year. I’m not making any excuses it is part of life.”

With the additions of Kirk and Jones, things are a little more crowded at the top of the receivers depth chart. Both players and Marvin Jones could be the starting split end, flanker, and slot receivers, which means Shenault will have to battle to earn the same depth chart spot he had last season. That’s already showing as he’s now picked up returner duties (at least in OTAs) to increase his value for the roster.

Fans will get to see the new and improved Shenault in camp next month. And when considering his competitive nature and diverse skill set, they could be in for an impressive showing from the young receiver.

“Touchdown Jaguars!” will be published weekly, giving Jags Wire readers a new go-to podcast to hear the latest in news, rumors, and more. To stay up to date, subscribe via Apple Podcasts and Spotify, and feel free to rate and comment. 

Lavish Shenault, Jamal Agnew among notable veterans to participate in mandatory OTAs

The Jags started minicamp on Monday and Laviska Shenault Jr., and Jamal Agnew were some of the notable veterans to participate.

Mandatory minicamp started for the Jacksonville Jaguars on Monday, marking the last phase of organized team activities for the team. Last week, coach Doug Pederson announced that most veterans would have the period off, while rookies, injured players, and some veterans would take the field.

When the team took the field Monday for the first day of minicamp, there were a few notable veterans working with the rookies, including receivers Laviska Shenault Jr. and Jamal Agnew. In Shenault’s case, it seems the third-year receiver wanted some extra time on the field as the depth chart is loaded at his position. The team added notables like Zay Jones and Christian Kirk in free agency, which crowded the receiver position and will make things interesting in training camp.

It’s been clear for a while now that Shenault may have to work harder to reclaim his previous spot on the depth chart from 2020-21. He seems well aware of it and has been looking to help the Jags in any way that he can and has been taking snaps as a returner lately.

As for Agnew, he falls under the injured players category. He’s been working towards returning from the hip injury he sustained in November. Agnew was seen taking reps with the receivers and as a special teamer last Monday, so it appears he’s slowly working his way back to being on the practice field full time. That’s huge for the Jags as Agnew is a former All-Pro returner and a player who Trevor Lawrence looked to as a receiver.

The Jags have two days remaining for their mandatory OTAs, with sessions set to take place on Tuesday and Wednesday. Once those two days are over the Jags will take a break until around July 24, which is when they are aiming to start training camp.

“Touchdown Jaguars!” will be published weekly, giving Jags Wire readers a new go-to podcast to hear the latest in news, rumors, and more. To stay up to date, subscribe via Apple Podcasts and Spotify, and feel free to rate and comment. 

Top photos from Jags’ fourth OTA session

Here are some of the best pictures taken from OTA session No. 4 for the Jags.

The Jacksonville Jaguars took the field for their fourth organized team activity session Tuesday. After taking the field for one more today, the team will have five more before completing the current phase.

Jags coach Doug Pederson seemed to like where the team was heading into Tuesday’s session. Before taking the field for practice, he discussed a wide variety of things including how the quarterbacks behind Trevor Lawrence have fared, who the team is looking at for return duties, the defensive backs room, and much more.

After he met with the media, the Jags proceeded to have a productive practice session despite rain interfering at one point. Initially, things started outside before the team moved into their indoor facility where they were able to get some work in before concluding things.

Here are some of the top pictures that were taken along the way: