Jaguars TE Chris Manhertz excited to work with HC Doug Pederson

While Urban Meyer’s stint as the head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars was a short one, you will be hard-pressed to find someone that wasn’t relieved when he was kicked to the curved. Tight end Chris Manhertz is ready to put last year behind and is looking forward to working with Doug Pederson.

Manhertz appeared on the Jaguars’ Drive Time and said that it’s exciting to be part of a new environment and is thrilled. He later cites Pederson’s champion pedigree and the work he put in as a former NFL player as reasons to be excited.

"You see a guy that heavily utilizes tight ends in his offense, and are an integral part of the offense. I think it’s good for our room. We obviously have me, Dan Arnold, Evan [Engram], Luke [Farrell]. And I think it’s it’s it’s very complimentary for us to work off of each other and one of the scheme entails for us in that particular week. Or, you know, even so far this year."

Later in the sitdown, Manhertz described Pederson’s system as “very complementary”, meaning that it’s tailored to what players can bring to the table and their skillset. Here’s the whole clip in case you want to look at it.

Expect the Jaguars tight ends to have a bigger impact in the 2022 season.

Chris Manhertz signed a two-year deal with the Jags last offseason. The team’s brass liked him because of his pass-blocking skills but also believed he could become a reliable target in the passing game. In the end, he caught six receptions for 71 yards and one touchdown. Then again, Jacksonville had the worst scoring offense and ranked 27th in total yards, so it’s unfair to single Manhertz out.

Keep in mind that it’s unrealistic to expect the veteran to haul in 30 receptions and five touchdowns in 2022. After all, he’s never caught more than 12 in a season and the recently-signed Evan Engram and Dan Arnold will get most of the targets in the Jaguars’ tight end room. However, Manhertz should be definitely more involved, so racking up 15-20 receptions and reaching the endzone two or three times are reasonable expectations on Pederson’s tight-end friendly offense.

Pederson has a history of developing tight ends and featuring them in his offense. As the offensive coordinator for the Kansas City Chiefs, he helped Travis Kelce become the best tight end in the league. As the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, he turned Zach Ertz into a Pro Bowler and made him the focal point of his offense. For that reason, it’s not hard to envision him getting the most out of the Jaguars’ current tight end room.

Everyone who was on the Jaguars’ roster last year will benefit from Pederson’s arrival but the tight end room might see the biggest uptick in production.