The Jaguars wide receivers will bounce back in 2019
Will a new quarterback and new offensive coordinator help the Jacksonville Jaguars wide receivers have a better season in 2019?
The wide receiver group for the Jacksonville Jaguars was one of the worst in the league in 2018, looking for a bounce-back year in 2019.
Having quarterback Nick Foles will be the biggest factor in the Jaguars wide receivers improvement. To put it simply, Foles throws the ball much better than Blake Bortles.
Many of the team’s receivers league-high 33 drops came from bad ball placement from Bortles. That will no longer be the case with Foles in the backfield. Having a healthy offensive line to protect Foles will also be a benefit for the wide receivers, something the team didn’t have in 2018.
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With a healthy offensive line, not only will the passing game improve, but the running game. Leonard Fournette allows the Jaguars to be a run-first team, taking slack off the receivers but still letting them make a big difference in the play action and chunk plays. A more consistent offensive gameplay will keep defenses on their toes.
It was a large adjustment period for Jaguars wide receivers after the 2018 offseason. Allen Robinson took his talents to Chicago, and Marqise Lee suffered season-ending knee injury against Atlanta in the preseason.
Lee will be back for the 2019 season, taking some pressure off of the other young receivers. While Lee hasn’t had a 1000 yard season, he proved to be a reliable target for Bortles before his injury.
The roster has a surplus of young receivers looking to make the leap and prove to be consistent producers for Foles: Dede Westbrook, Keelan Cole, and D.J. Chark.
Westbrook has shown glimpses both on the receiving end and in the return game. He led the team in receptions last season. Cole is an acrobatic receiver who took a step back during his sophomore campaign, and Chark didn’t live up to second round status in year one. Injuries did play a part in his lack of time on the field.
One can assume that these three receivers will improve with the help of former Jaguars great Keenan McCardell teaching them. McCardell has a room of receivers he is familiar with, which may make it a bit easy to resolve the issues this group faced last season.
The front office also added Chris Conley from Kansas City in free agency. Conley does have some experience playing with Foles with the Chiefs.
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While this franchise doesn’t have a solid number one wide receiver like Julio Jones or DeAndre Hopkins, they can still make an impact by committee.