Jacksonville Jaguars

Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Urban Meyer believes his former college star Tim Tebow is just one of 90 guys trying to make the roster this offseason. He also sees the former quarterback making notable strides as he transitions to tight end.

Speaking to reporters Thursday after another round of offseason training activities, the first-year NFL coach praised Tebow's progress. 

"He has improved," Meyer said. "It's all new for him. [Tight ends coach] Tyler Bowen is doing a good job. Our tight ends as a whole, [James] O'Shaughnessy and [Ben] Ellefson in particular, if you watch a video last year and watch practice now it's night and day. Those guys have really improved and the position is trending upward. They're doing a nice job."

Meyer did admit Tebow's first practice at tight end was "awkward" but didn't express any concerns about the 33-year-old being able to make the transition. 

It's not just that the former Florida Gators star is attempting to play a new position, it's that he's trying to complete an NFL comeback after being out of the league for five years, most of those spent trying to make it as a baseball player in the New York Mets organization. 

ESPN's Dianna Russini reported on Thursday's episode of Get Up!  that some in Jacksonville believe Meyer will attempt to use Tebow similar to how the New Orleans Saints use quarterback Taysom Hill at tight end—with passing plays involved.

"There are people in camp right now who strongly believe the reason why Urban Meyer brought Tim Tebow in is not to play tight end, but actually to use him in that utility role, that Taysom Hill role that we see Sean Payton use in New Orleans," Russini said (h/t 247Sports). "In terms of comparing the two, we always talk about on this show how much Sean Payton loves Taysom Hill. It's been very obvious over the years. That same kind of love is what Tim Tebow and Urban Meyer have between each other. It could be a very similar situation, but in terms of football, this is something we could be seeing."

Whatever Meyer has planned for Tebow, the coach seems pleased with his player's progress so far. 

The Jacksonville Jaguars signed Tim Tebow as a tight end, but head coach Urban Meyer might use him all over the field in 2021.

As ESPN's Dianna Russini reported on Get Up, the expectation is he will be used like Taysom Hill was with the New Orleans Saints:

.@diannaESPN says a lot of people around the league aren't buying that Tim Tebow will be used as a TE.

"There are those in the league who think Urban Meyer is bringing Tebow in to play QB at that Taysom Hill role. Using him in that wildcat as we've seen him use in the past." pic.twitter.com/XC7HfFwksz

— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) May 27, 2021

Hill started four games at quarterback after Drew Brees was injured last season and will compete for the starting role this year, but he has otherwise been used as a gadget player, lining up at tight end, receiver, running back and as a Wildcat quarterback.

Nathan Jahnke of Pro Football Focus provided a breakdown of how the Saints used Hill in 2020 through Week 10 prior to his string of starts at quarterback:

Taysom Hill offensive snaps by position this year
QB - 42
RB - 19
In Line TE - 32
Slot WR - 41
Outside WR - 16

— Nathan Jahnke (@PFF_NateJahnke) November 20, 2020

In those nine games, Hill had 34 carries and six receptions along with five pass attempts.

Tebow was a quarterback during his initial run in the NFL but hasn't played a regular-season game since 2012. With a 47.9 career completion percentage, he has struggled as a passer but could find success in short-yardage situations. The Florida product totaled 12 rushing touchdowns and 5.4 yards per carry in his two years with the Denver Broncos and might be a weapon running the ball for Jacksonville, even at 33 years old.

On the other hand, any snaps for Tebow at under center would hinder the development of No. 1 overall pick Trevor Lawrence, who is expected to run the show for the Jaguars. The team also used a first-round pick on running back Travis Etienne, while James Robinson proved to be a hard-nosed runner as a rookie in 2020, rushing for 1,070 yards (4.5 yards per attempt).

After winning two BCS national championships with Tebow as his dual-threat, Heisman-winning quarterback, Meyer may be tempted to rekindle that Gators magic with some creative play-calling. However, there are likely better options on the roster.

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence said Wednesday he was pretty confident by March that the Jags were going to select him with the first overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft.

Lawrence, the consensus top prospect for the entire college football season, told Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk there weren't any guarantees ahead of the April 29 event but he read the tea leaves like pretty much anyone else.

"I'm a guy that never really wants to put the cart before the horse," the Clemson star said. "I didn't make many assumptions. I probably knew sometime in March. I was thinking like, 'This is probably going in this direction.' You never want to say for sure that something's going to happen. I was keeping all my options open and just trying to stay ready for whatever. I knew that was likely going to be the spot where I land. I kind of figured there."

Jaguars head coach Urban Meyer hadn't tried to play the franchise's cards too close to the vest during an interview with NBC Sports' Peter King in late March when asked whether Lawrence was the choice.

"Uh, I'd have to say that's the direction we're going," Meyer said. "I'll leave that up to the owner when we make that decision official. But I'm certainly not stepping out of line that that's certainly the direction we're headed."

So the selection of Lawrence didn't come as a surprise to anybody. He was a 5-star prospect coming out of high school and built on that potential while at Clemson, making him the most highly touted quarterback prospect since Andrew Luck came out of Stanford in 2012.

The 2020 ACC Player of the Year also addressed the moment the Jags tried called him on draft night to make the pick official—only to have their first three attempts go unanswered.

"I don't know [what happened], honestly," he told Florio. "I was sitting there by my phone. Had my Bose headphones in there, just waiting. I live kind of in the woods in South Carolina. That was where my place was, and the service was terrible. I guess that's what it was. People were texting me like, 'I didn't know you hung up on them three times in a row.' And I'm like, 'I didn't even get the calls.'"

Lawrence is expected to take over the Jacksonville offense right away, and he's got plenty of talent around him to make a serious push toward Rookie of the Year honors.

The 21-year-old Tennessee native is surrounded by running backs James Robinson and Carlos Hyde as well as wide receivers DJ Chark Jr., Marvin Jones Jr. and Laviska Shenault Jr. Clemson teammate Travis Etienne, the team's other first-round pick, is expected to play a hybrid role within the offense.

Lawrence and Co. are scheduled to kick off the regular season Sept. 12 at the Houston Texans.

Jacksonville Jaguars rookie Trevor Lawrence is having a good time with Tim Tebow on the roster. 

Appearing on the AP Pro Football Podcast (via the Associated Press), Lawrence explained that Tebow is "a guy that you want to be around" and "no one is going to work harder than him."

The Jaguars officially signed Tebow to play tight end on May 20. He is returning to the NFL for the first time since being released by the Philadelphia Eagles in Sept. 2015 at the end of the preseason. 

Tebow's signing has sparked a lot of reactions. Trey Burton, who played with Tebow in Philadelphia during the 2015 preseason, told ESPN's Jeremy Fowler he doesn't "understand the outrage" about the Jaguars adding the former Heisman winner. 

"There are 90 [roster] spots," said Burton. "If they want to bring someone in, why not? A lot of teams take fliers on guys from various backgrounds every year."

SiriusXM ESPNU Radio host Greg McElroy, who played with Tebow as a member of the New York Jets, said that New York tried using the longtime quarterback as a tight end "and he wasn't good."

Tebow appeared in 35 NFL games as a quarterback from 2010 to 2012. He threw for 2,422 yards, 17 touchdowns and completed 47.9 percent of his attempts. 

The 33-year-old spent parts of five seasons playing minor league baseball in the New York Mets system from 2016 to 2020. He retired from professional baseball in February. 

Signing with Jacksonville reunites Tebow with Urban Meyer, who was his head coach at the University of Florida from 2006 to 2009 as part of two national championship-winning teams. 

Dede Westbrook could be headed west for the upcoming season.

According to NFL reporter Josina Anderson, the former Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver has had "preliminary communication" with the San Francisco 49ers as he nears a return from his ACL injury.

Westbrook had season-ending surgery to repair the injury in November and should be able to resume football activities once it has been eight months since his operation, per Anderson. 

Westbrook was limited in his two games in 2020, but he was a major contributor to Jacksonville's offense in his first three seasons. After being drafted in the fourth round out of Oklahoma in 2017 and appearing in seven games, Westbrook missed just one game between the 2018 and 2019 seasons.

He had a career year in 2018, when he played all 16 games, finishing with 717 receiving yards and five touchdowns. He started a career-high 11 games the next year and appeared in 15 outings, with 660 yards and three scores.

The 49ers aren't the only team interested in the 2016 Biletnikoff Award winner. Anderson reported earlier this month that the Kansas City Chiefs, Minnesota Vikings and Cincinnati Bengals had also spoken to the 27-year-old. 

The 49ers are in decent shape on the receiving end, with 2020 leader Brandon Aiyuk (748 yards, five touchdowns) due to return. While the team lost Kendrick Bourne to the New England Patriots, George Kittle will return at tight end and Deebo Samuel is expected to be more of a factor after playing in just seven games due to injuries and time on the COVID-19 list. 

What's unclear for the 49ers is who will be throwing those balls, with Jimmy Garoppolo joining No. 3 overall pick Trey Lance in a suddenly crowded quarterback room. 

Wherever Westbrook ends up, he has proven himself as a capable receiver and it's no surprise that there are plenty of teams interested in him. 

Trey Burton doesn't see a problem with Tim Tebow getting an opportunity with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

"I don't understand the outrage," the free-agent tight end said, per Jeremy Fowler of ESPN. "There are 90 [roster] spots. If they want to bring someone in, why not? A lot of teams take fliers on guys from various backgrounds every year."

Burton was teammates with Tebow on the Philadelphia Eagles during the 2015 preseason, although the latter did not make the roster for the regular season.

That 2015 preseason was the last time Tebow, who will be 34 years old during the 2021 season, was in the NFL.

He played baseball in the New York Mets' farm system since, but he is back in the NFL now that Jacksonville signed him. The move reunited Tebow with head coach Urban Meyer, who led the Florida Gators during the quarterback-turned-tight end's collegiate career.

Tebow appeared in 35 total games for the Denver Broncos and New York Jets from 2010-12 and completed just 47.9 percent of his passes. He struggled with his accuracy downfield and ultimately failed to make the Eagles and New England Patriots after preseason stints with both.

He will now switch to tight end, and Fowler explained Burton is quite familiar with position switches on a Meyer-coached football team.

Burton joined the Gators as a quarterback but eventually switched positions to tight end. He went undrafted but found his footing at the NFL level as someone who won a Super Bowl with the Eagles and has 159 catches for 1,532 yards and 15 touchdowns in his career for the Eagles, Chicago Bears and Indianapolis Colts.

"From an athletic and mental standpoint, there's no doubt he'll do a great job," Burton said of Tebow. "It's the day-to-day physical part, the technique that's the toughest thing.

"As a quarterback, you're in the pocket looking into coverage. At tight end, you know the coverages but you have to go full speed in a three-point stance and diagnose. You see the linebacker, the defensive end and the safety on your side of the field. ... There's a lot more to it than whether he can do it or not. It's deeper than that."

While Jacksonville's addition of Tebow generated plenty of headlines, he still may not even make the team much like his time in New England and Philadelphia.

For now, Burton doesn't see an issue with the Jaguars taking a chance on him.

There is plenty of skepticism surrounding the Jacksonville Jaguars signing Tim Tebow to a one-year deal at tight end last week.

"I can’t find anyone who thinks it’ll work," Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated wrote after speaking to several of Tebow's former coaches.

Not only is Tebow six years removed from even practicing football, Breer noted the former quarterback is undersized for the position at 6'2", while his speed, based on what he timed at 10 years ago, is only middling for current tight ends.

As argued, the situation could hurt the credibility of Jaguars head coach Urban Meyer if Tebow doesn't play well.

Meyer coached Tebow for four seasons at the University of Florida, winning two national championships together before the 2007 Heisman Trophy winner was selected by the Denver Broncos in the first round of the 2010 draft.

Things weren't quite as smooth in the NFL for the lefty passer, who got only 14 regular-season starts at quarterback before a trade to the New York Jets in 2012. That was when he last appeared in an NFL game before getting chances in the preseason with the New England Patriots and the Philadelphia Eagles without making a roster.

The 33-year-old spent the past several years playing minor league baseball while also beginning a television career.

While in some ways there is little risk in seeing if a talented athlete can help the team, it has already created some question marks in the locker room.

"Not everybody in the Jaguars building is thrilled with this," ESPN's Jeff Darlington previously reported.

If Tebow gets any sort of special treatment from his former coach, it could create a divide in the locker room before Meyer even sees his first NFL game.

It's a time of great change and optimism for the long-suffering fans of the Jacksonville Jaguars. By virtue of last year's 1-15 debacle, Jacksonville landed the most highly touted quarterback prospect in a decade in Clemson's Trevor Lawrence. Jaguars owner Shahid Khan turned over the reins of the franchise to a head coach in Urban Meyer who won a staggering 85.4 percent of his games at the collegiate level, including three national championships.

But dark clouds are already starting to obscure the Florida sun. Before Lawrence has even taken a single snap in the pros, his head coach has made a number of puzzling moves, punctuated by signing a washed-up former quarterback to play tight end.

The Tebowmania sideshow has come to Jacksonville, and with it Meyer has demonstrated something quite clearly:

He's in over his head.

There had been reports for some time that the Jaguars were considering signing Tim Tebow, who starred for Meyer under center at Florida from 2006 to 2009, as a tight end. That signing became official Thursday, and Tebow released a statement thanking the team for the opportunity while embracing the challenge to come:

"I want to thank the Jaguars for the opportunity to compete and earn the chance to be part of this team. I know it will be a challenge, but it is a challenge I embrace. I am dedicated to taking the direction of our coaching staff and learning from my teammates. I appreciate everyone's support as I embark on this new journey."

Calling this a challenge is the understatement of the decade. It's also a farce.

The last time Tebow was on an NFL field was in the spring of 2015 in a tryout with the Philadelphia Eagles. His last regular-season game action was in 2012 with the New York Jets. Since then, the 33-year-old has been pursuing a baseball career that went approximately as well as his tenure as an NFL quarterback. As Tyler Greenawalt reported for Jets Wire, there was an attempt in 2012 to transition Tebow from quarterback to tight end while with the Jets.

According to former NFL quarterback and teammate Greg McElroy, it was a mess.

"[The Jets] tried switching him to tight end, and he wasn't good," McElroy recently said on SiriusXM. "That's what people don't acknowledge. Tim is a good dude, and I hope the best for him. But it's a sideshow."

For the record, here's a look at Tebow's only career passing target in the NFL:

Tim Tebow has ONE career NFL receiving target and it hit him in the face pic.twitter.com/cB2eW3Ov2X

— Pushing the Pile Podcast (@pushingthepile) May 10, 2021

Um...yeah.

Tebow is a wildly popular player in the state of Florida who is already selling jerseys like hotcakes. But there is no way you can make the argument with a straight face that a 33-year-old who hasn't played football since 2015 with no real experience playing tight end can make the Jaguars a better team. It doesn't matter how bare the cupboard is at that position in Jacksonville.

You know it. I know it. Meyer knows it. Tebow knows hit. And his new teammates know it too.

According to McElroy, the media circus that followed Tebow everywhere in New York didn't sit especially well with some teammates.

"It's going to affect locker room chemistry, just like it did for us with the Jets," McElroy said. "Not because anyone had any animosity toward Tim; they just have animosity with the coverage Tim receives. So, I think it's a stupid move."

Sure enough, ESPN's Jeff Darlington reported on SportsCenter that even before Tebow signed in Jacksonville, the brouhaha surrounding his arrival was already making waves in the organization:

"When you cite the resume, when you talk about all of these things, it sounds pretty wild, and that certainly is the mindset of those in the Jaguars building. Not everybody—obviously, Urban Meyer is the one behind all of this—but not everybody in the Jaguars building is thrilled with this. They don't think that it necessarily sends the proper message to the rest of the team in the locker room and the guys trying to make this team. Urban Meyer, though, is quite the opposite. They said this can be a 'cultural jolt' in the locker room to kind of send a message that Urban wants."

Who you know is seemingly more important than how you play, as former wideout Torrey Smith noted:

A perfect example of how success in life is about who you know. https://t.co/XrvkLTh01P

— Torrey Smith (@TorreySmithWR) May 20, 2021

That this is the message Meyer "wants" smacks of hubris in the highest degree—it's the mindset of a coach who believes he is the unquestioned lord and master of all around him, the way he was at Florida and Ohio State.

News flash: he isn't. Meyer isn't Bill Belichick or Pete Carroll, head coaches who have built respect from veteran players in their locker room through years of hard work and success. He's a rookie who hasn't accomplished squat in the pros.

Meyer also isn't dealing with teenagers and 20-year-olds anymore. He's dealing with grown men who also happen to be multimillionaires. This isn't a crowd that responds well to "because I said so." Or to limited roster spots being divvied out as personal favors to old friends.

This also isn't the first time that Meyer has stepped in it since taking the Jaguars job. Back in February, Meyer hired strength coach Chris Doyle as a member of his staff. According to the Associated Press, Meyer touted his longtime relationship with Doyle as one of the reasons he was brought on board.

"I feel great about the hire, about his expertise at that position," Meyer said. "I vet everyone on our staff, and like I said, the relationship goes back close to 20 years, and a lot of hard questions asked, a lot of vetting involved with all our staff. We did a very good job vetting that one."

What Meyer didn't mention was that Doyle left the University of Iowa after multiple accusations of bullying and racial discrimination against players. After a firestorm of criticism, Doyle resigned from the Jags.

This shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone. Urban Meyer has long done as Urban Meyer pleases, and "accountability" has never been a big part of his coaching toolbox.

Meyer's time at Florida was marred by multiple arrests of players, and after he departed, former player Bryan Thomas told Sporting News' Matt Hayes, "The program was out of control." In his last year at Ohio State in 2018, Meyer was suspended for three games for "mishandling [assistant Zach] Smith's misconduct that included domestic violence allegations, a drug problem and poor job performance."

Making up the rules as he went along may have worked for Meyer in college, but it won't in the NFL.

This doesn't mean that Meyer and the Jaguars are doomed. The odds that Tebow will make the cut (if said cut is at all merit-based) are slim. Once he's gone, the whole thing could blow over. Maybe Meyer will even learn something from the fallout and criticism.

However, Meyer hasn't shown an affinity for changing how he does things. He seems convinced that he doesn't need to change or adapt to succeed in the NFL, and if Tebow somehow makes the 53-man roster, this sideshow will continue making headlines right into the regular season.

We've seen this movie before. Greg Schiano treated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers like his personal fiefdom when he made the jump from Rutgers. Chip Kelly did his best Napoleon impression after moving from Oregon to the Philadelphia Eagles.

The two combined to go 39-56 in the pros, and neither coach lasted more than four years.

If Meyer isn't careful, his tenure in Jacksonville won't be any different.

The Jacksonville Jaguars' draft-day calls to Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence went to voicemail three times before Jags head coach Urban Meyer connected with him on the fourth try.

The moment was revealed in the latest episode of Jacksonville's The Hunt miniseries, which covers the team's draft and free-agency processes. NFL reporter Dov Kleiman provided the clip:

#Jaguars released a video of their Draft night, turns out that because the NFL required them to wait 7 minutes, they took their time to call @Trevorlawrencee. Once they tried it went to voicemail... 3 times

They finally got in touch to draft him.https://t.co/JeeHCo3U6t

— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) May 21, 2021

The entire episode can be found here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flGBtX2QJ-0?start=250s

The video also cleared up why there was such a long pause to start the draft, with the Jaguars waiting until near the end of their 10-minute time frame to turn in the pick, despite the fact that the team had long known Lawrence would be the selection.

Turns out the NFL asked the Jags to wait at least seven minutes before moving forward.

It's unclear why the phone call went to voicemail. As seen in the video, Lawrence was clearly ready and prepared to answer his cell, which was right next to him on the couch armrest. 

Regardless, the Jaguars probably would have walked the 375 miles from Jacksonville to Seneca, South Carolina, to tell him the news if needed. Lawrence held his draft party alongside family and friends in his hometown.

The 2018 national champion was the clear-cut No. 1 overall prospect in this year's draft, and the Jaguars, who are coming off a 1-15 season, need a franchise signal-caller to pull them out of the AFC South basement.

They have one in Lawrence, who will look to immediately turn the team's fortunes around.

As part of Mental Health Awareness Month, Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver DJ Chark Jr. discussed his experience with anxiety and depression.

Chark told his story in a video for the NFL's official Twitter account published Friday:

.@Jaguars receiver @DJChark82 reveals his struggles with anxiety and depression, and explains the crucial ways he’s managed to cope with the pain.

For more information or to seek help, visit https://t.co/NLwmIMDBdD. #MentalHealthAwarenessMonth pic.twitter.com/9xn6EMQolL

— NFL (@NFL) May 21, 2021

The 24-year-old Chark said he was first diagnosed with anxiety and depression during his time in college at LSU, which resulted in him getting prescribed anti-anxiety medication.

Chark said that by taking the medication every day and going to therapy, he has been able to "gain more control over my actions and my life."

The talented wideout added that spending time with his loved ones, including his wife and dogs, has helped him stay mentally healthy.

Chark is preparing to enter his fourth NFL season after getting selected by the Jags in the second round of the 2018 NFL draft.

He played sparingly as a rookie but broke out in a big way in 2019, recording 73 receptions for 1,008 yards and eight touchdowns en route to his first career Pro Bowl nod.

Last season, Chark finished with 53 catches for 706 yards and five touchdowns in 13 games for a Jaguars team that started three different quarterbacks.

Chark could be in for the biggest season of his career in 2021, as he will have No. 1 overall pick Trevor Lawrence throwing him passes.