The Jacksonville Jaguars made quarterback Gardner Minshew the unofficial starter in 2020 by trading away Nick Foles to the Chicago Bears earlier this month. Minshew burst onto the scene as an exciting playmaker once Foles went down with an injury in the 2019 season opener, but the Jaguars now want to see more.
Minshew completed 60.6 percent of his passes for 3,271 yards, 21 touchdowns and six interceptions in 14 games played. He went 6-6 as a starter, which is impressive considering the Jaguars went 6-10 last season. The sixth-round pick was exciting in the pocket, dangerous in the open field and a capable thrower downfield. While he proved that he's a legitimate NFL starting quarterback, the Jaguars know how much he can improve in 2020 is directly correlated with how Jacksonville will do in the win column.
"Obviously, we want to see a big jump," head coach Doug Marrone said of Minshew, via the Jaguars' official website. "We're excited for him. It's a great opportunity. He's not going to change the way he is. He's a hard-working kid who has a lot of potential. We've got to make sure everyone around him is doing their job and doing it at a high level."
Minshew was benched for two and half games when Foles returned in Week 11 after breaking his collarbone in the season opener. The Jaguars lost the next three games that Foles started, and Minshew was reinserted into the starting lineup.
"A lot of times when you're playing, you have a million different things you're having to focus in on and you can lose some of the smaller stuff," Minshew said about the benching. "When you're out of that [starting] role, you can kind of step back and see the little details. Watching Nick was a great opportunity to learn."
The Jaguars currently hold the No. 9 and No. 20 overall picks in the 2020 NFL Draft, and many analysts believe they will take a quarterback. Just from what occurred last year, Jacksonville knows how valuable having two capable quarterbacks on roster is. While Minshew is the starter heading into 2020, it remains to be seen if he is the Jaguars' true franchise quarterback.
