Quarterback Controversy
It’s early into the NFL offseason for us fans. We have months to wait until we get to see the pigskin again. And it’ll be worth the wait to see Trevor Lawrence, Christian Kirk, Zay Jones, Travis Etienne and hopefully Evan Engram and Calvin Ridley. Maybe it’s just me, and god I hope I’m wrong, but the longer Commissioner Goodell drags his feet about the reinstatement of Ridley the more I worry he’s contemplating Pete Rose-ing the guy. Goodell loves making statements, albeit stupid ones. He’s not above using his power for personal reasons, like suspending Brady for the ridiculous deflate-gate scandal. But I digress. I’m simply saying, personally, the more time that goes by without Calvin officially being reinstated as a Jaguar, the more I wonder what’s up ol’ Roger’s sleeve? And then we have Evan Engram. I realize the title of this column is “quarterback controversy” but we here at JaguarsTalk would be remiss if we didn’t touch on Mr. Engram. There have been some cryptic tweets coming out of the Jacksonville Jaguars camp. The official twitter for the Jags has been pumping up Engram lately. They’re making everyone, including Engram, believe that he has been, or is about to be, resigned. It’s actually quite interesting to follow. From a fans perspective, I like the cryptic tweets. From a marketing perspective, I think it’s a great idea. It gets the fanbase riled up and talking about the Jags during the pre-draft lull. Frankly, if I were in charge of Jags twitter I would encourage more fan interaction. However, as Evan Engram, I would hate this. My livelihood doesn’t depend on this contract like Engram’s so I get that Engram may not love these tweets. That said, I don’t think the Jags official twitter would be tweeting out positive Engram stats without permission from above. And I doubt the powers that be would allow it unless they know Engram is coming back. Take all of that with a grain of salt because, well, if you’ve learned one thing from this website, it’s that I know nothing. Now let’s talk quarterbacks.
If you read the title of this column you might think that the Jaguars have a QB controversy. More than likely you would think I’m an idiot to suggest that the Jags have a QB issue. Well, they don’t, but I still may be an idiot. These things are not mutually exclusive. But just because the Jaguars have settled the QB question doesn’t mean everyone the NFL has. Take our AFC South opponents, the Tennessee Titans, Indianapolis Colts, and Houston Texans. All are in need of a new quarterback. All are rebuilding and all have the opportunity to draft a very highly sought after college QB on draft day. As a Jags fan, I hate the fact that right when the Jags get on top of the AFC South, seemingly set to achieve playoff births year after year, their opponents have a shot at one of the best QB draft classes in a long time. Not only is the 2023 draft full of good quarterbacks (Bryce Young, Will Levis, CJ Stroud, Hendon Hooker, Tanner McKee, Anthony Richardson) but this offseason will see a handful of good QB free agents as well (Aaron Rodgers, Derek Carr, Jimmy G, Ryan Tannehill, Daniel Jones). Within these ranks exists some controversy.
In looking at the 2023 draft and assuming that the Chicago Bears do not trade their number one pick, and stick with Justin Fields as their QB1, then the best quarterback in the draft will go to the Houston Texans. Houston will have their pick of the litter. Arizona has the third pick and they also have Kyler Murray, so they aren’t taking a QB. This means that the Jaguars other AFC South foe, the Colts, will take the second best QB in the draft. This sucks for the Jaguars. Especially considering that the Texans have the 12th pick in the draft as well and are projected to complement their brand new QB (probably Bryce Young) with the best WR in the draft, Quentin Johnston. This is horrible. Tennessee has the 11th pick and could also take Will Levis or Anthony Richardson, if they drop that far. Richardson very well may be had at the 11th pick. Tennessee may choose instead to trade for a free agent QB, as I doubt they stick with Tannehill any longer. But what if Chicago trades away their first pick? That means Houston gets the second best QB (maybe CJ Stroud). Will that leave Will Levis for Indy at pick number four? And if Bryce, CJ, and Will are gone by pick seven then what will the Las Vegas Raiders do? Will they grab Anthony Richardson or will they open the checkbook to reunite Davonte Adams with Aaron Rodgers (I think this is highly likely). They are surely getting rid of Derek Carr and in need of a QB who can hang with arguably the best receiver in the NFL, D. Adams. Ain’t nobody better when paired with Davante than Mr. Ayahuasca. So in this scenario what does Tennessee do? Bryce Young, CJ Stroud, Will Levis, and possibly Anthony Richardson are gone. As the Titans GM do you take a Hendon Hooker or a Tanner McKee? If it were me, and I had to take a QB, I like Hendon Hooker. But I’m not sure a pro GM will like his advanced age. I think this is the same reason that Georgia’s Stetson Bennett is projected by Mel Kiper to go in the third round, he’s old. Also, we haven’t even mentioned Bennett’s national championship opponent, TCU’s Max Duggan. If Duggan is even drafted he would be the first Horned Frog drafted since Andy Dalton in 2011 (Cincinnati Bengals). Duggan was the Heisman runner up and still he’s projected in the later rounds of the 2023 draft. So if you are an AFC South GM, pop quiz hot shot, what do you do? WHAT DO YOU DO? Name the movie and shoot the hostage.
The Jaguars sit at number 24 in this years draft and it might be the most exciting draft for the Jags in a long time. Every other team in the AFC South stands to get a lot better, very quickly. This draft might be one of the most interesting to watch as a Jaguars fan. When the Jags picked number one, there really wasn’t much anticipation, it was pretty much a given who the Jags were taking. At #24 the Jags are looking to pick positions and not specific players. The excitement this year exists to see how our AFC South opponents improve. The Jags are building something special and while I’m not afraid of competition, I don’t really want to see the AFC South become a powerhouse division anytime soon.
The controversy won’t be decided until draft day folks and it’ll be very interesting to see it unfold. As time goes by Justin Fields sounds like he wants to leave Chicago (he complained about it being too cold and wanting a dome). As time goes by Daniel Jones keeps asking for ridiculous amounts of money (he wants $45 mill/year. Those are Mahomes type numbers). As time goes by Green Bay gets more frustrated with Aaron Rodgers, and Derek Carr’s vacancy opens an intriguing option. What about Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens. Lamar doesn’t even have an agent and the more time that passes the more he says about Baltimore (in a negative light). What’s Baltimore going to do without Lamar? If he leaves, where will he go? What team has enough cap space to even afford Lamar Jackson? The excitement is palpable when you add in the draft and trade possibilities that accompany a huge QB class. Couple that with the fact that all three of the Jaguars AFC South Division foes have a need for a new QB and there’s a great chance for each of them to draft an elite one. Ooh, here is a good one. How about I leave you with this… Jimmy G. to Tennessee. He’d have Derrick Henry in the backfield and would be throwing to Treylon Burkes. If the Titans can pull this off then they are also set to snag Quentin Johnston with their 11th pick before Houston can grab him at 12. That would be a scary offense for Mike Caldwell to deal with next year.
Maybe controversy wasn’t the right word to use in the title. This offseason might not be controversial but it will surely be exciting and interesting. 2023 will be as edge of your seat as anything draft related can be folks, and your AFC South is right in the thick of things. Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.