If you go by the reports coming out of OTAs, the Jacksonville Jaguars are positioning themselves to have one of their best seasons ever. Despite suffering major losses in the running back and linebacker rooms, the men in the building have been putting in some of the best work we've seen thus far.
One of the most intriguing guys plying his trade out there is still a fairly fresh face when you think about it. Jakobi Meyers is still within his first 17-game window as a Jaguar, but he could already be the best wide receiver on the team. If you won't take my word for it, look at what Sports Illustrated's John Shipley had to say about Meyers' recent performance during minicamp:
"Meyers was the most popular target on the day for [Trevor] Lawrence, catching a touchdown to kick off red-zone drills before making several long gains in the middle of the field during team drills later in practice. Meyers simply knows how to get open, and it is clear that he and Lawrence's chemistry has taken a leap from a year ago when he was thrown into the fire after [being traded to Jacksonville]," Shipley wrote.
That last little ditty is the most telling part, as it looks like the former New England Patriot could still be one of Trevor Lawrence's most trusted targets. Once upon a time, the Jaguars' offense was in the middle of a deep rut that they just couldn't get out of. The drops were coming aplenty, and the team needed a reliable target to step up and get them back on track.
Right at the trade deadline, James Gladstone made a move to bring Meyers in from the Las Vegas Raiders, and the Jacksonville offense never looked back. Since then, the NC State alum helped the Jaguars rally to one of their best regular seasons ever, signed a fat contract extension, and won an AFC South division title to top it all off.
Jakobi Meyers could be the Jacksonville Jaguars' No. 1 receiver after all
Whether we'd like to admit it or not, it feels like the Jacksonville Jaguars have been searching for their next Jimmy Smith for a long time. Like other legends from the team's action-packed expansion era, Smith wasn't drafted by the franchise. Instead, he arrived to Duval County after various personal struggles during his tenure as a Dallas Cowboy.
Meyers had a better start to his NFL career than Smith did, but he was still one of the more underappreciated receivers in the league before last season's brilliant stretch after the trade deadline.
John Shipley's reporting shows that Meyers could be blossoming into a legitimate star before our very eyes; and another tidbit from the journalist shows that there could be a steady process to Meyers' maturation as well.
In his article, Shipley cites a quote from the eighth-year pro explaining how he and Trevor Lawrence have developed their rapport since the former joined the Jags. While explaining himself, Meyers said, "It's more so just paying attention to him, so I would say it’s moving in the right direction. We are still finding a way to make plays, but the more I could pay attention to him, how he moves, how he thinks, what he's looking for when we run our routes, I think the better we'll be."
To me, that quote signifies that Meyers and Lawrence still have a long way to go before they can make audibles by just giving each other a head nod. However, such room for growth also means that last season was just a taste of how good the Lithonia, Georgia native can be while wearing a teal jersey.
If he can reach his full potential in Liam Coen's offense, Meyers could give the Jaguars a level of production and security they haven't seen from the wide receiver position in years. Since the ultimate plan has always been to run it back anyway, that would be fantastic news.
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