I've been saying in thread after thread that XWR is a need, but Kirk has more versatility than his naysayers want you to believe and Pederson has run his offense through TEs, RBs, and sub-par WRs successfully before.
Mike Kaye echos that in a mailbox answer about Jags WRs here. Unlike me, he sees Shenault as possible trade bait, while I'd like to see him get a fair shake through camp and preseason to contribute.
Quote:His first year in Philly was a wash from a receiver standpoint, as they essentially had practice-squad level talent at the position. Seriously, last year’s Atlanta Falcons had a better wideout group than the 2016 Philadelphia Eagles.
Then, the Eagles wisely invested in the X spot with Alshon Jeffery, who caught 65 passes for 843 yards and 6 touchdowns in 2017 on the way to a Super Bowl. However, tight end Zach Ertz served as the primary passing target and possession receiver for the Eagles throughout Jeffery’s radical up-and-down tenure.
Pederson has used the X spot in different ways. When Jeffery was out of the lineup, he used the position as either an extra blocker (Mack Hollins) or a complement to the tight end and Z spots (Travis Fulgham). The X spot was never a featured marquee position for Pederson in Philly, partially due to talent and Jeffery’s inconsistent availability.
The Jaguars paid Christian Kirk a ton of money (four years, $72 million) to be their primary receiver. Kirk is an excellent flanker, and he can get open in the slot and Z positions. Despite the classic X reputation that Tim Brown and Michael Irvin set in the past, the Z spot can be the primary outlet receiver.
Pederson, who was part of the Eagles’ decision to draft Jalen Reagor over Justin Jefferson, is fond of speed over size, and his first offseason in Jacksonville has further proven that point.
The Jaguars have a lot of Z/slot types. Kirk, Marvin Jones, and Zay Jones can all be on the field at once and play all three positions, even if press coverage essentially limits one of them. The guess here is that Kirk will play X quite a bit while the Joneses rotate in every now and then. Laquon Treadwell and Laviska Shenault Jr. could see opportunities at X as well.
I’m not sure why we would assume Kevin Austin Jr., a UDFA out of Notre Dame, would make the roster, but let’s play along. He’s 6-foot-2 and 215 pounds, so the presumption is he could handle playing the X position if called upon. Pederson has typically kept five or six wideouts, and that’s likely to be the case this year.
If Austin were to make the team, the depth chart would probably look like this:
WR1: Christian Kirk, Laquon Treadwell
WR2: Marvin Jones, Kevin Austin Jr.
WR3: Zay Jones, Jamal Agnew
So, Shenault, who a previous GM selected, would probably serve as trade bait. It’d be interesting to see what he could fetch on the open market if another team has injuries.
