Jacksonville Jaguars fans shouldn’t count Nick Foles out just yet

The Jacksonville Jaguars still have two quarterbacks on their roster. Nick Foles is still competing for a starting role with the team.

The hiring of Jay Gruden has the Jacksonville Jaguars new offensive coordinator may have been a sign that the team is leaning towards starting Gardner Minshew next season, but I’m not sold completely on the notion the second-year quarterback will win the job.

I know as people are reading the story, there may be a little bit of anger from my audience, but determining that Minshew, who threw for 3,217 yards last season and 21 touchdowns in 2019, is the instant starter would be a disservice to Nick Foles.

The veteran quarterback deserves a chance to win his job back. There is still some thought amongst the football masses that the former Philadelphia Eagles Super Bowl champion wasn’t completely prepared to come back from the broken clavicle that sidelined him for 10 weeks.

I am one of them.

Also given the state of the team’s offensive line, and the disarray with the Jaguars offense, Foles probably deserved a chance to rest the remainder of the season in preparation for 2020.

The Jaguars are still in a good situation at the most important position on the football field. While I have written about different scenarios involving trades and salary cap issues, it’s a pretty solid bet that Jacksonville will have both players in the roster when the team opens the season in September.

There are many fans believe there shouldn’t be a discussion over who the starter should be. There are plenty of scenarios out there regarding Minshew that may hold true.

• He engineered six wins for the Jaguars
• He’s the more mobile quarterback
• The offense has more energy when he’s out there
• How can you bench “Minshew Mania”?

They are all valid points, but none of us know what the 2020 season will bring. Can the heralded rookie take the next step in his NFL education? Will the same moxie lead to more wins in 2020? Now that teams have studied him, will they be able to contain him? Remember, with the good, there were still those mad moments that we all tend to forget like having novocaine that tends to linger. We can’t anoint him the savior based on one season.

Factoring into the debate is the scheme the Jaguars will use this season. Gruden has used the West Coast offense with success. It’s a good bet he will use some sort of variation here in Jacksonville. Ben McAdoo, who was just hired as the teams quarterback coach, is familiar with a more pro-style offense geared around Eli Manning, who much like Folesfalls, is a statue in the pocket.

Somehow, someway, there must be a game plan to cater to both players’ strengths.

Putting everything aside from last season, where we saw a game of musical chairs on the field, Foles still give the Jaguars a chance to win football games, provided he has enough time in the pocket to get set and release the football. The offensive line will play a huge role in that. If the same issues with the front five the Jaguars suffered through this past season continue, then head coach Doug Marrone more than likely will lean toward the more mobile Minshew.

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If there is more stability and discipline, then all bets are off.

I had a friend tell me that they are still 22 million reasons why the veteran Foles should start over the rising star. My response was clear – that whoever gives this team the best chance to win should be on the field. Right now I don’t know who that is. But I do know the Jaguars will walk into training camp with two competent quarterbacks with a tough decision to make.

Everything is fairly quiet right now inside TIAA Bank Field. The coaching staff and front office are preparing for free agency, finding salary cap relief, and preparing for the NFL draft. At some point, the topic of who will start at quarterback will creep up. But for now, that’s an issue to be handled later.

We do know fans will continue to talk about this topic until a starter is named. It’s a good bet that won’t be decided until right before the start of the 2020 NFL season, adding a bit of anger in the voices that want to be heard. Marrone and his tough decision to make this offseason. There is no sense in making the wrong one now and apologizing for it later.

That seems too much like the M.O. of years past. The Jaguars front office must get it right the first time. There’s too much riding on the decision not to.