Much of the NFL news cycle has been focused on Jacksonville for the last few days, as a report from NFL insiders Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero earlier this week indicated that the Jaguars plan to sign Tim Tebow as a tight end. Tebow hasn’t been on an NFL roster since 2015 and hasn’t made a 53-man group since 2012.
The news has been polarizing, to say the least. According to a report from ESPN’s Jeff Darlington, even the Jags’ locker room is unsure of the decision, with some players feeling as though the signing sends the wrong message.
But on an episode of the “Cris Collinsworth PFF Podcast,” coach Urban Meyer explained what has led the team to consider bringing Tebow on. He said that the former NFL quarterback and minor league baseball player remains in great shape, calling him a “competitive maniac.”
“We have not signed Tim,” Meyer said. “There’s a thought going around. He was in the best shape of his life, asked to see if he could work out with a couple of our coaches. I wasn’t even there. They came back to me and said, ‘Wow, this guy’s in incredible shape.’ Then I went another time and watched them try him out. And they said go work on these things, he comes back later. They try him out again, I’m not there, they come in and they said, ‘Wow, this guy’s ball skills, he’s a great athlete, he looks like he’s 18-years-old, not 20, whatever he is, 33. I said, ‘Guys you don’t understand, now this guy is, he’s the most competitive maniac you’re ever gonna talk to and let’s give it a shot.'”
Based on this context from Meyer, it doesn’t sound like the Jaguars coaching staff was particularly bullish on the idea of bringing in Tebow until they saw him work out. But if Meyer, who has known Tebow since he was a high school prospect, thinks he’s in as good of shape now as he was when he was college-age, that’s a promising sign.
Tebow has no experience playing tight end in college or the NFL, but there’s a reason he may get a chance: Jacksonville failed to significantly address the position this offseason. With that being said, it’s hard to see Tebow being more than James O’Shaughnessy, who has never been a major contributor but is coming off career highs in both receptions (28) and yards (262).
But after O’Shaugnessy there are a lot of question marks. Chris Manhertz, an offseason addition from Carolina, has just 12 career catches. Tyler Davis was targeted just twice in his five appearances as a rookie and made no catches, while Luke Farrell, the team’s fifth-round pick this year, projects as a primarily blocking tight end.
Tebow will have the chance to prove himself at a position he hasn’t played since his freshman year of high school. But whether this Hail Mary will work out for Meyer and Co. remains to be seen.