Jaguars Dede Westbrook Has Breakout Performance Against the Jets

After the best game of his career as a member of the Jacksonville Jaguars, has Dede Westbrook sent a message to the rest of the NFL he is ready to become a true No. 1 wide receiver?

Before the start of the 2018 NFL season, I sat down with Dede Westbrook to talk about the upcoming year with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He said he had personal goals for 2018, but did not want to reveal them. They were sacred. It’s possible one of them was to become the best wide receiver on a talented and fast wide receiver unit that showed up in a big way this past Sunday.

Westbrook not only showed up in the Jaguars 31-12 win over the New York Jets, but he also caught nine passes for 130 yards. He made it look easy, playing against the Jets secondary. It might have been a sign of things to come.

"“At the end of the day, we kind of knew this going in,” Westbrook said after the win on Sunday when he spoke to the media.  “We practiced, and we prepared for it. At the end of the day, none of this would happen without the offensive line. They blocked great up front which gave Blake [Bortles] enough time to execute and throw the ball and put them perfectly spot on for us to go out there and have a big game.”"

More from Jacksonville Jaguars News

• Jacksonville Jaguars should welcome Derrick Henry into the kingdom
• Jaguars Rumors: Trent Baalke seems to be getting respect now
• Jaguars News: This division rival might be making a big move
• Former Jacksonville Jaguars S Johnathan Cyprien: “New Profession, Same Standards”
• Jacksonville Jaguars TE Evan Engram officially gets the franchise tag: 3 takeaways

Things are a bit different for Westbrook this season. He came into camp and performed. He was healthy and unlike last season, did not start this campaign on the injured reserve list. The second-year player out of Oklahoma and Jacksonville’s fourth-round draft pick in 2017 has top-end speed that can stretch the field.

He is a true deep threat in this offense. There are others who have that ability. Keelan Cole and Donte Moncrief also have the ability to take it to the house every time they catch a pass. Sunday was also a huge game for Moncrief, who has come in from Indianapolis and has shown flashes in moments but had not put it all together yet.

"“This week was a good week. Somebody has to bring the spark. You can’t wait on somebody to bring the spark,” Moncrief said when asked about the game and the week leading up to Sunday.“That was our thing today. Everybody has to bring the spark. That’s what we did. Everybody continued to make plays and people just played off of each other. Dede had a great game.”"

Moncrief had five catches for 109 yards and a 67-yard touchdown from quarterback Blake Bortles.

Jacksonville’s wide receiver corps may be one of the more underrated in the NFL. With no true No. 1 pass catcher, there is plenty of opportunities for everyone to step forward and make a difference in the passing game.

"“I’m getting more targets and catches. I’m just trying to show what I can do with and without the ball.  I think I’m continuing to grow and continuing to gain trust from the quarterbacks and coaches.  I wanted to show them what I came here for and what I can do,” Moncrief added."

Westbrook’s rise last week should come as no surprise. He was the Biletnikoff Award winner in  2016 as the nation’s top wide receiver and a Unanimous All-American as well as finishing fourth in the Heisman Trophy vote.

Now, with the team headed to play the Kansas City Chiefs on the road in a huge game for both teams, Westbrook will be asked to do more in this offense, especially since the running game has been hampered by injuries. At 6-foot and 178 pounds, he has played bigger than his size would indicate.

The group of wide receivers as a whole has played bigger so far this season.

"“We have a group message that goes around, and we know that we’re the spark of the offense. We go out there and make one play and convert on a third down or if it’s a first down and we get a big play, we know that’s going to get the crowd fired up and also the offense,” Westbrook said."