Gardner Minshew is back. In yet another wild twist to another disappointing season for the Jacksonville Jaguars, head coach Doug Marrone has again decided to change starting quarterbacks, naming Minshew as QB1 ahead of the Week 15 matchup with the Baltimore Ravens. The decision comes only one day after the team suffered their 12th consecutive loss, this one at the hands of the Tennessee Titans in a 31-10 beatdown that saw veteran Mike Glennon throw for just 85 yards on 13 completions with 23 attempts -- heaving an interception but no touchdowns.
Minshew entered the game and looked at least a bit better, finishing with 178 passing yards on 18 for 31 passing with a touchdown, and adding 22 rushing yards on two carries to his stat line. The benching of Glennon comes only three weeks after Marrone opted to keep Minshew on the bench and to place Jake Luton beside him, giving the elder statesman a chance to deliver wins for the Jaguars -- wins that obviously never arrived.
With the speed of a roadrunner chasing a wily coyote, the Jaguars ended the Luton era. It was an unceremonious run for the young QB in attempting to replace an injured Minshew, finishing with an 0-3 record in a stretch that saw him rapidly decline from an impressive first outing against the struggling Houston Texans to a zero touchdown, four interception day against the undefeated Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 11. The move raised eyebrows in regards to the Jaguars' plan going forward, seeing as they likely needed more evaluation on Luton in a season wherein they have nothing more to lose on the stat sheet, but film to gain in their assessment of the QB position in 2021.
The magic surrounding Minshew has all but died, and the decision to thrust a 30-year-old journeyman into the QB1 role seemed to confirm it, considering Minshew told Marrone his previously fractured thumb was at 100 percent and was still relegated to the bench -- until now. Currently sitting at 1-11 on the season, the Jaguars are simply rolling dice at this point and awaiting the offseason.
For Minshew, it's one final shot at proving he's the franchise QB in Jacksonville before the NFL draft.
