The Jacksonville Jaguars cut ties with tight end Evan Engram in the offseason in part because they believed Brenton Strange was ready for a feature role after a strong showing in 2024. It took the third-year tight end one game to prove the Jags made the right call.
Strange had four receptions for 59 yards in the 26-10 win over the Carolina Panthers. On top of that, he showcased his chopping blocks, earning a Pro Football Focus grade of 85.4 in that area. A couple of clips show why the former Penn State Nittany Lion was deserving of such a high mark.
Here's one where Strange "decleated" Panthers safety Tre'von Moehrig.
.@BrentonStrange led the Jaguars in receiving yesterday but that's not what's going to catch the eyes of his peers in the NFL. Watch 85 on tape run block. Nothing makes offensive coordinators more happy then skill players who wanna drop their manhood on someone! Love this sh*t! pic.twitter.com/rEzvmIYDwx
— Breiden Fehoko (@BreidenFehoko) September 8, 2025
Here's another where Strange helps clear a lane for Travis Etienne to run through.
Brenton Strange is a good blocker and now a good receiver. Young TE to watch this season pic.twitter.com/LHWT1IN2xJ
— Pete Prisco (@PriscoCBS) September 8, 2025
A second-round pick in the 2023 draft, Strange was unremarkable as a rookie but showed notable improvement when he filled in for Evan Engram last year, hauling in 40 receptions for 411 yards with two touchdowns.
Related: 3 winners (and 1 loser) from the Jaguars win over the Panthers
Jaguars HC Liam Coen heapes praise on Brenton Strange's physicality
One day after the 26-10 win over the Panthers, head coach Liam Coen met with the local media and heaped praise on Brenton Strange, pointing out that his physicality was evident throughout the game.
"Yeah, played his tail off. I mean, he did," Coen said (5:08 mark). "He was physical in the run game, was explosive when he had the ball in his hands, made a couple good catches, but his ability to be able to — whether it's at the point of attack or slicing across the formation — he plays violently, and he helps set the tone for our offense to be able to go and run the football, whether you're going to run at the tight end or run away from the tight end."
Coen continued, "He's physical, and he finishes, he strains. Everybody sees it, and they all have kind of seen it all throughout this whole training camp is his physicality and playing the game the right way. So was really pleased with the way that he performed on Sunday and looked to continue to build off that."
One of the reasons Strange was a better fit for Coen's system than Evan Engram is that he's a much better blocker. Heck, he takes pride in that area of his game. That was abundantly clear in the season opener.
Now, it's hard to see Brenton Strange putting huge numbers in 2025, but he showed in the 26-10 win that his impact goes beyond the stat sheet. That's why Liam Coen made sure to give him the spotlight.