Allen Hurns has been quiet, but still clutch

Allen Hurns has been awfully quiet since star tight end Julius Thomas has returned to the field and it’s an odd dynamic of the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Perhaps the front office didn’t realize that both Allen Hurns and Allen Robinson would emerge so quickly, or perhaps they thought there would be room for both of the Allens and Julius Thomas, but since Thomas has gotten on the field it seems more and more like Hurns is the odd man out.

That’s not particularly a good thing.

Over the last three weeks here are how Hurns, Robinson, and Thomas have looked factoring in targets, receptions, yards, and drops (as measured by Pro Football Focus to keep it consistent).

Allen Hurns: 19 targets, nine receptions, 199 yards, three touchdowns
Allen Robinson: 28 targets, 19 receptions, 256 yards, four touchdowns, one drop
Julius Thomas: 20 targets, 10 receptions, 102 yards, one touchdown, two drops

We also shouldn’t forget the rise of Bryan Walters. He has 15 targets, 13 receptions, 156 yards.

Before Week 5, here is how Hurns and Robinson were looking:

Allen Hurns: 29 targets, 22 receptions, 314 yards, two touchdowns, one drop
Allen Robinson: 37 targets, 15 receptions, 330 yards, two touchdowns, two drops

Obviously there’s a decline in the percentage of targets that Hurns has been catching over the last few weeks. He isn’t dropping those balls (or at least PFF isn’t crediting them as drops) and he is also seeing targets get spread out a bit more. If the balls going his way aren’t being caught, then it is logical for quarterback Blake Bortles to look at other receivers.

What is interesting to see is that even though Julius Thomas has struggled to catch the ball both based on targets and because he has dropped a couple, he is getting more looks than Hurns.

It’s no coincidence, though, that as both Hurns and Thomas have not been as productive when targeted, Bryan Walters has risen to prominence.

It also helps that Allen Robinson’s performance has increased in recent weeks as he solved his drop problem from the first game of the season and has out-battled receivers on tougher balls to increase the percentage of targets that he catches.

Still, while Hurns has been more quiet lately and has lacked consistent production, he is still tremendously clutch for the Jacksonville Jaguars. He came down with an impressive touchdown catch to win the game against the Buffalo Bills and a ridiculous one-third of his catches are going for touchdowns right now.

Ideally, Allen Hurns gets back into a groove like earlier in the season, where he can be relied upon to consistently come down with the ball on the outside. Yet even if he doesn’t, he’s still finding ways to be effective for the Jaguars and that matters immensely as well.

Next: T.J. Yeldon greatly improves the Jaguars

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