5 Jacksonville Jaguars who must earn bigger roles in 2022

No. 3 Jaguars player who must earn a bigger role – Laviska Sheneault, WR.

As of this writing, it’s unknown what the Jaguars plan to do with third-year wide receiver Laviska Shenault Jr. in 2022. The team’s brass reportedly placed him on the trade block earlier this year but ended up keeping him.

If a club suffers an injury at wide receiver or isn’t pleased with the group they have, the Jags will probably get a call about Viska. However, there’s a good chance he will remain in place and if that’s the outcome, the coaching staff needs to put him in a position to succeed. Last year, the former Colorado Buffalo caught 63 passes but only averaged 9.8 yards per reception and didn’t score a single touchdown.

There’s no doubt Shenault can play better than he did last year but the Jags also need to help him. They must craft a game plan that maximizes his skill set and help him create separation. Oftentimes in 2021, he was targeted near the line of scrimmage and was asked to create yards on his own but by the time the caught the ball, he already had two or three defenders in his face.

Make no mistake, Shenault is good at forcing missed tackles but he’s not a one-trick pone and can get deep too. The Jaguars signed wide receivers Christian Kirk and Zay Jones in free agency. Both of them will get plenty of playing time but offensive coordinator Press Taylor must also find a way to get Shenault involved.