It’s Time for Marqise Lee to Shine

Marqise Lee is likely to see a lot more looks following fellow rookie wide receiver Allen Robinson’s move to injured reserve.

Coming out of the bye, Lee has a chance to shwo why he was taken in the second round and why he was such a highly touted prospect in the 2014 NFL Draft. If he can prove that the first half of the season was a fluke and he has the potential to be a game breaking wide receiver, then the Jaguars will be in very good position moving forward.

But can he do it?

Lee has just 141 yards so far this season and no touchdowns. His 13 receptions on 24 targets put him seventh on the team (fifth in targets) and he hasn’t shown the flashes of excellence that his round-mate Robinson did.

So, for Lee to make a leap, he will have to get better.

He’s going to find no better opportunity than during Robinson’s absence the rest of the year.

Lee needs to take advantage of that and show that he can be at least a productive member of the Jaguars’ receiving corps. Currently he is outranked by undrafted wide receiver Allen Hurns, who surpassed him as a playmaker in the preseason.

One of my biggest concerns about Lee is that he has not shown he will take advantage of his opportunities in the past with the Jaguars. In his short career the easiest time to look back on is the preseason. During the 2014 preseason, Robinson was also out and Lee was expected to get a lot of looks at wide receiver. He did. He got plenty. But he was overshadowed by Hurns, who proved to be far more productive. Lee finished the preseason with eight catches for 94 yards and two touchdowns.

Lee’s preseason production and his regular season production seem to be in line (minus the touchdowns) and the Jaguars need him to make a step further than that. They need him to be a reliable target (which Hurns is not) to replace Robinson. They need him to keep his yards per reception up (currently 10.8) and, most importantly, they need him to find his way into the end zone. A significant portion of the Jags’ passing TDs have come from the receiver outworking defenders once he has the ball in his hands. Lee needs to do that too.

Sunday marks the beginning of a key opportunity for Marqise Lee. It’s his chance to shine. I hope he can do it.