Who will be Jacksonville Jaguars starting tight end in Week 1?

The Jacksonville Jaguars have spent the whole offseason looking for ways to upgrade their roster but even though they have done a good job of reinforcing most position groups, they have hardly made any changes to their tight end room, and there doesn’t seem to be a clear cut candidate to start in Week 1 of the 2021 NFL season. .

The Jaguars moved on from Tyler Eifert (their best tight end last season) after not exercising the team option on his contract. They brought back James O’Shaugnessy and signed Chris Manhertz but the former is better suited for a backup role and the latter will be mainly used in short-yardage and red-zone situations. Jacksonville also added Luke Farrell in 2021’s draft but he hasn’t shown he’s the kind of deep threat the team needs at the position.

Furthermore, the Jags will give Tim Tebow a shot to make the team as a tight end. Even if the Florida product makes the roster, he won’t suddenly turn into an All-Pro. None of Jacksonville’s in-house options look appealing, so they may still look for ways to upgrade the position.

What can the Jacksonville Jaguars do about the tight end position?

Alex Kay of Bleacher Report previously suggested the Jags trade for Cleveland Browns tight end David Njoku and Kristopher Knox also believes they should pull the trigger on the 2017 first-round pick. Kay floated the idea before free agency and thought that it made more sense to bet on Njoku’s potential rather than spend a big amount of money on the position. Meanwhile, Knox argues that even though the fifth-year tight end has been inconsistent throughout his career, he’s got better production than any of the tight ends on the Jaguars’ roster.

Knox points out that Njoku hauled in 56 receptions for 639 yards and four touchdowns in 2018 but that was three years ago and has missed 15 games the last two seasons, so the Jags may be better off sitting this one out. If Jacksonville really wants to add someone else to their tight end room they can bring back Eifert or sign Trey Burton who is still available in the free-agent market.

Also, there’s a legitimate chance the team’s brass can turn Farrell into a playmaker after being underutilized at Ohio State even if it’s a long shot. If the season started today, O’Shaugnessy or Farrell would be the Jaguars’ starting tight end in Week 1, so how would that make you feel?

The Jacksonville Jaguars could’ve done a better job of addressing the tight end position this offseason. Although there is still time to upgrade the position, time is running out and may go into Week 1 without a clear answer at tight end.