Jaguars WR Christian Kirk proving his worth for 2nd straight week

The Jacksonville Jaguars earned scrutiny in the offseason for signing wide receiver Christian Kirk to a four-year, $72 million deal in free agency. Hindsight is 20/20 but it looked like the Jags knew what they were doing, as Kirk has made an impact in back-to-back games.

The former Texas A&M Aggie was one of the few receivers that totaled 100 receiving yards or more in the opener. He followed it with a six-catch, two-touchdown performance against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 2.

Heading into Week 3, Kirk is 10th in the league in catches (12), fourth in yards (195), and seventh in yards after the catch (85). Moreover, he’s posted Pro Football Focus grades of 79.1 and 71.2 in Weeks 1 and 2, respectively.  After the Jaguars dismantled the Colts, the wide receiver met with the local media and talked about his offensive output over the last two weeks.

“The way I look at it it doesn’t say much because I gotta do this for all 17 weeks and that’s my plan”, Kirk said, via 1010 XL. “This is just two weeks. That’s my demeanor. I’m here to do this for all 17 weeks and help this team win. For me, being productive and helping the team get W’s, and putting us in a position to make a playoff push, that’s all I can ask for, that’s my mentality”.

The Jaguars should be pleased with their investment in Christian Kirk

Kirk isn’t an upper-echelon receiver but he doesn’t have to be. He’s a reliable target on the Jaguars’ offense and a movable chess piece that creates mismatches. Looking back, Jacksonville didn’t get a bargain but they didn’t overpay for him either. The Jags didn’t pay him for past production but instead for the role he would have on offense.

Trevor Lawrence was recently asked about the perception that Kirk was overpaid and said that it’s not something he thinks about. “I don’t really care about that stuff“, Lawrence said. “I know he doesn’t either. We’ve talked about just blocking all that out and at the end of the day, I said after the [Colts] game, the group we got, we’re confident we can beat anybody we play”.

Earlier this year, Pederson cited Kirk’s versatility as a reason for signing him. Moreover, general manager Trent Baalke said that the 2018 second-round pick had “proven that he can make big plays“. Per PFF, Kirk has played 89 snaps in the slot, three in Jacksonville’s backfield, and 36 outside, showing the ability to line up at different spots on the football field. Here’s a clip of him lining up in the backfield.

Next on the Jaguars’ slate is a Los Angeles Chargers team that is 19th in the league against the pass. Kirk will need to shine once again if the Jaguars went to win their second game in a row.