Jacksonville Jaguars: Julius Thomas’ liabilities are examples of needed versatility
By Luke Sims
The Jacksonville Jaguars did not find Julius Thomas versatile enough, which will lead to his departure in a trade deal with the Miami Dolphins.
The Julius Thomas to Miami Dolphins and Branden Albert to Jacksonville Jaguars trade deals are not official until the start of the new league year on March ninth, but they are representative of the Jags’ new commitment to versatility.
The non-existent blocking that Thomas provided the Jaguars has quickly become a focal point following executive vice president Tom Coughlin’s pre-combine press conference.
Yet that isn’t exactly what Thomas was brought to Jacksonville to do. In fact, it was clear when general manager Dave Caldwell threw money at him in free agency two years ago that the Jags were bringing him in purely for his receiving skills. This may be best illustrated by First Coast News’ Mike Kaye:
I'm kind of surprised by the sudden realization or at least the reaction to Julius Thomas not blocking. It was glaring for two years.
— Mike Kaye (@mike_e_kaye) February 26, 2017
It's like being surprised JT is slow. You could see it during 1st regular season game in a Jags uniform. Still, he wasn't used effectively.
— Mike Kaye (@mike_e_kaye) February 26, 2017
That glaring lack of versatility is becoming prominent not because the Jags are suddenly doing an about face on what they value at tight end, but because of the shift in the front office. The team is going in a different direction with a number of positions and that direction means that whoever is playing at a position must be versatile. Thomas can’t block and it gave away what the Jags were doing far too often.
This may be the clearest reflection of what the new regime is compared to the past. Even with Caldwell still in the fold and coaches from the Gus Bradley era still on staff, the Jaguars are making changes that are reflective of a new direction and new order. It isn’t just with Thomas. The Jags are also doing it with Albert who can play the valuable left tackle position or shift inside to guard.
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In fairness, Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union highlights that there were plenty of reasons to move on from Thomas, not just his inability to block. But the overarching theme coming from Jacksonville is reflective of a need for versatility and to be more than a one trick pony.