Jaguars' arsenal of weapons has Trevor Lawrence's seal of approval
By Joel Lefevre
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The Jacksonville Jaguars receivers’ room will look slightly different in 2024, but that seems to suit their franchise quarterback just fine.
Trevor Lawrence recently spoke on the NFL network’s The Insiders about the new faces and the soon-to-be father had high praise for this group.
"We have a really dynamic group of pass catchers," Lawrence told Steve Wyche of NFL Media. "I really don't want to say just receivers because tight ends are another piece to it too. We have some great tight ends. You talk about Evan, had a great year last year. He's great with the ball in his hands. He does a lot of things to help us, a good blocker too."
"Brenton, who's a young guy that didn't get as many touches last year but has a lot of talent and a really good player. He could take off this year. Then, all the receivers, you got Christian, Devin, Brian, and Gabe, who we picked up in the offseason as well. That's just to mention a few. We got a lot of young guys that can really play," Lawrence said.
Here's Lawrence's exchange with Wyche. They begin to discuss the Jags' wide receiver group at the 1:37 mark.
Jags QB Trevor Lawrence spoke on the re-tooled offense, signing his extension and how to avoid another late-season swoon. From The Insiders @nflnetwork. pic.twitter.com/gzv2A7MG7S
— Steve Wyche (@wyche89) July 12, 2024
How does the Jaguars' current receiving room look?
The Jaguars’ receiving core contains a good mixture of youth and experience, many of whom possess different skill sets.
While everyone was talking about Lawrence’s high ankle sprain on Monday Night against the Bengal last season, he wasn’t the only significant loss in that game. Christian Kirk has built instant chemistry with Lawrence and has been one of their most reliable receivers since arriving from Arizona. His loss was felt tremendously down the stretch of 2023.
Evan Engram had another outstanding campaign at tight end, though he looked more like a wide receiver throughout the season. Gabe Davis, on the other hand, has playoff experience in Buffalo and can be a reliable deep threat.
Many have raved about Brian Thomas, an LSU product with breakaway speed and soft hands. Devin Duvernay could be used in a similar way to Jamal Agnew. He has a great resume as a kick returner but may also help with draw plays or slant patterns in the offense.
Some of the other contributors are Brenton Strange and Parker Washington.
"You look at that and just the type of pass catches we have, whether they are big, fast, strong, good after the catch or creating separation. We have all of that — as a quarterback, it makes me really excited," adds Lawrence.
What do the experts say?
Lawrence may be high on his pass catchers, but the experts at Pro Football Focus (PFF) do not share the same sentiments. Heading into the 2024 season PFF has the Jags receiving room ranked 25th out of 32 teams.
They contend that the loss of Calvin Ridley is a net negative when compared to the addition of Davis. It adds that Brian Thomas may raise the ceiling, but they aren’t very optimistic, which will make them a dangerous team in the air. It could be a tall order, as they mention to have Thomas be the No. 1 guy. That distinction will probably go to Christian Kirk, though, as long as he stays healthy. PFF notes that Evan Engram received their highest grade last year at just 73.2.
It’s hard to argue with their assessment on paper, but what better motivation for this group to turn heads in 2024?
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