From the moment Jay Gruden joined the Jacksonville Jaguars, many fans singled out Tyler Eifert as a player who could join his former coach in Northeast Florida as the team had a need for a veteran tight end. As expected, the reunion between the two became a reality in March and now the two are ready to restore the success they had with the Cincinnati Bengals.
In a Zoom meeting with the media Thursday, Eifert was asked about his connection with Gruden and how well his transition was going. Unsurprisingly, he stated that things were going as well as possible despite the limitations that the coronavirus has caused.
“We get along great,” Eifert said Thursday in a conference call with the media. “I had a good understanding of the offense he runs. Just having that familiarity with the offense is nice. There’s some new stuff in here. But just being familiar with it and having a general idea of what’s going on makes it a lot easier to learn.”
Eifert’s addition wasn’t one only made to bring an experienced veteran into the mix but it was also one made for the sake of giving quarterback Gardner Minshew II the big target he desperately needed up the middle in 2019. Of course, the reason for the Jags’ struggles at tight end was due to the slew of injuries they had at the position as James O’Shaughnessy and Josh Oliver were placed on injured reserve. In addition to Eifert both will be back, which could give the Jags a huge boost offensively.
In the Zoom call, Eifert praised Minshew’s abilities as a leader and stated that he felt the young quarterback was someone the team could rally behind despite not meeting him in person since signing with the Jags or watching film on him.
“Seems like a fearless leader”#Jaguars TE Tyler Eifert on Gardner Minshew pic.twitter.com/UAYOttS1g5
— Ben Murphy (@BenMurphyTV) May 14, 2020
With the NFL stating that the season will begin on schedule, Eifert and Minshew will eventually take the field together though it isn’t certain when. In the meantime, it appears the veteran and the rest of the offense is doing everything in their power to hit the ground running when team operations start.