4 Jacksonville Jaguars facing a make or break preparation period in 2022

No. 2 Jaguars player facing a make-or-break situation: Laviska Shenault

Wide receiver Laviska Shenault Jr. didn’t perform up to expectations in 2021. After showing promise as a rookie, he wasn’t able to have the breakout season many thought he was going to have in his sophomore campaign.

But instead of waiting for Shenault to bounce back, the Jaguars’ brass revamped their wide receiver corps, signing Christian Kirk and Zay Jones in free agency. The duo is off to a great start for the Black and Teal, quickly building chemistry with Trevor Lawrence. Meanwhile, Viska will most likely have to earn playing time and take advantage of every single rep he gets in the offseason if he doesn’t want to fall down the depth chart.

Shenault had a solid Organized Team Activity session on Tuesday, per John Shipley of Jaguar Report and he will need to continue to make plays throughout the offseason. Working in his favor is that he’s working with the returners. Doug Pederson said the wide receiver approach him and the coaching staff gave him a chance to show what he can do.

It may not be fair for Shenault but such is life in the NFL. Unless you’re a superstar, you have to compete for your job on a consistent basis. On the bright side, the 2020 second-round pick has previously shown that he can play at a high level. It will now be up to him to turn that potential into production if he doesn’t want to ride the bench.