3 questions surrounding the Jaguars tight end group ahead of the 2023 season

1. What kind of impact will Brenton Strange have for the Jaguars in 2023?

Whether Evan Engram got a long-term deal or not, he was slated to be the Jaguars' starter at tight end in 2023. Similarly, his contract status had no bearing in Brenton Strange's potential impact next season.

A second-round selection in this year's draft, Stranger was seen as a potential heir apparent for Engram if he had played the 2023 season under the tag but he's now set to be the primary backup at the position for the foreseeable future.

This isn't necessarily a bad thing when you take into account that Dan Arnold and Chris Manhertz left in free agency and the Jaguars need to replace their 2022 production. All in all, the duo accounted for 594 offensive snaps and Strange could get many of those if he makes a strong impression in training camp.

Working in Strange's favor is that he's a much better receiver than Manhertz and a better blocker than Arnold. That should make him the favorite to be TE2 on the depth chart in 2023. Of course, you could argue that the Jaguars shouldn't have used a second-round pick in a 'reserve' player but good teams plan for injuries and Strange gives them a contingency plan in case Engram has to miss time.

It's also worth noting that the Jags entered the draft without a glaring weakness, which allowed them to take a 'best player available approach'. Furthermore, the Jaguars had several chances to draft one of the top tight ends in Round 1 but instead traded down a couple of times and then patiently waited for Strange to fall to them to No. 61.

Looking back, you can make the case that the Jaguars should have addressed another position in the first or second round. But by drafting Strange, the Jaguars added a promising talent to their tight end room, and aren't NFL teams in the business of stockpiling talent?

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