Assuming there are no more changes at the position, who among the current group has the best odds to be TE1 in 2021?
Jacksonville was active in upgrading its roster following the collapse in 2020 that led to a 1-15 season, the worst in franchise history. Positions all across the field will have new starters heading into the 2021 season.
But with free agency and the NFL Draft now in the books, there’s one position group that felt largely ignored this offseason: the tight ends. After a one-year experiment with Tyler Eifert in 2020, the team let him walk this offseason. Considering the only players the Jaguars replaced him with were Chris Manhertz, a free-agent blocking tight end with just 12 catches in five years, and Luke Farrell, a fifth-round rookie who is also primarily a blocker, it’s fair to say they downgraded.
It’s always possible the team could look to bring in another player, such as Zach Ertz from Philadelphia, but as the days pass and the beginning of the season approaches, it’s becoming increasingly likely that the current group is the one they will roll with Week 1.
Assuming there are no changes, which of them will be the top option? Well, there’s one obvious answer: the only one of the bunch who has ever actually caught a ball with the Jaguars, James O’Shaughnessy.
The former Kansas City Chiefs fifth-round pick has been with the Jags since 2017, but his most productive year came in 2020 when he totaled 28 catches for 262 yards, both career-highs. That’s a pretty impressive output when you consider the revolving door the team had at quarterback at the time.
Manhertz and O’Shaughnessy should be the top-two options to begin the season, but the latter’s skills in the passing game will likely give him a leg up. Farrell is more of a developmental player and practice squad candidate, while Tyler Davis, a 2020 sixth-round pick who appeared in eight games last year but recorded no stats, is on the roster bubble.
There’s also the elephant in the room, quarterback-turned-tight end Tim Tebow, who the Jaguars signed earlier this offseason. Though he remains a bit of a wildcard, it seems ambitious to assume he will factor into this battle in a meaningful way. Coach Urban Meyer has been cryptic about his odds of making the final roster, but even if he does, it will likely be as a reserve/gadget player rather than as one who’s expected to contribute regularly.
Barring a splashy move before the end of the offseason, this seems to be the group the Jaguars will roll with (for better or worse). And if things remain as is, the starting job feels like O’Shaughnessy’s to lose.
But we want to hear from you, Jags fans. Who will be the top tight end on the depth chart this season? Let us know in the poll down below.
[polldaddy poll=10875991]
