Teams will have tape on him now. The AFC and NFC North divisions on this year's schedule will test him as well.

I like what I saw out of him from time to time. He has the ability to escape and buy time for a critical play.

He can make pretty good throws under pressure. He just has to show consistency in year two.

Sophmore slumps are very real. So that's why I am tempering my expectations for him. There's a lot of holes to fill.

My concerns would be finding him a viable option at the TE position. Finding him another WR like Chark. And certainly addressing the LT and RG positions in particular.

But the defense could hinder some of that this off season if we lose Dareus, Campbell and Bouye. The back seven is weak enough as it is.

Losing two big bodies on the front four will hurt us. We'll see though.

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Teams will have tape on him now, but he'll also have tape on himself and a whole off season to tear it apart and break it down.

He should also have a full off season/camps/preseason with an Offense that's built for him, rather than one that got thrown together in week 2 of the season when the bullets were flying.

He doesn't strike me as somebody who's just going to go into cruise control this off season and party it up. I have no doubt he'll continue to push and try to get better for next season.

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CeeDee Lamb and Jerry Jeudy are pretty close prospect wise.

As much as we need help on defense this year. Those two receivers would be tempting.

Especially if you're convinced Minshew is the guy and Chark will continue to grow in year three.

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I dont think there is that much of a gap between Lamb, Jeudy, and say the 8 best WR prospect. Whether that be Higgins, Johnson, Jefferson, or Smith

That gap will close once they start showing out at the combine.

I just think with a weak TE class on paper. And with a lot of unknowns between Oliver and O'Shaughnessy they'll aim to add around Minshew somehow.

D.K Metcalf would have been an awesome pick up back in April.

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"What do I know of cultured ways, the gilt, the craft and the lie? I, who was born in a naked land and bred in the open sky. The subtle tongue, the sophist guile, they fail when the broadswords sing; Rush in and die, dogs - I was a man before I was a king."

I dont think there is that much of a gap between Lamb, Jeudy, and say the 8 best WR prospect. Whether that be Higgins, Johnson, Jefferson, or Smith

That gap will close once they start showing out at the combine.

I just think with a weak TE class on paper. And with a lot of unknowns between Oliver and O'Shaughnessy they'll aim to add around Minshew somehow.

D.K Metcalf would have been an awesome pick up back in April.

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I hope we add a verteran TE to pair with Oliver O'Shaun.  Metacalf and Brown were my 2 favorite WR's last year and they were both great this year.  That said its harder to find a franchise tackle than it is a WR and I think Taylor will prove he was the right pick next year.  It usually takes a tackle a little longer to have the positive impact

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Teams will have tape on him now. The AFC and NFC North divisions on this year's schedule will test him as well.

I like what I saw out of him from time to time. He has the ability to escape and buy time for a critical play.

He can make pretty good throws under pressure. He just has to show consistency in year two.

Sophmore slumps are very real. So that's why I am tempering my expectations for him. There's a lot of holes to fill.

My concerns would be finding him a viable option at the TE position. Finding him another WR like Chark. And certainly addressing the LT and RG positions in particular.

But the defense could hinder some of that this off season if we lose Dareus, Campbell and Bouye. The back seven is weak enough as it is.

Losing two big bodies on the front four will hurt us. We'll see though.

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Teams will have tape on him now, but he'll also have tape on himself and a whole off season to tear it apart and break it down.

He should also have a full off season/camps/preseason with an Offense that's built for him, rather than one that got thrown together in week 2 of the season when the bullets were flying.

He doesn't strike me as somebody who's just going to go into cruise control this off season and party it up. I have no doubt he'll continue to push and try to get better for next season.

Agree.  They already said he was working on the other players line ups and responsibilities in the play book so he would know everyone's responsibilities on the plays.  Seems to be a committed guy that will put in the work.  He said that was where Foles experience helped him as well.  I hope for the best and like the guy.  I just hope the front office can do enough work this offseason.

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Birth of the Franchise - November 30, 1993
Death of the Franchise - November 29, 2011

Fans deserve better. Thanks for all the good times too many are in the past.

A 6-6 record this year.

A 2-2 record in the division (it could have been 3-1 if Marrone had let him throw for the extra point against the Texans).

A 90+ rating and 21 TDs against what....6 INTs?

All behind a shaky OL.  And he's a rookie.

He's had some bad games. He needs to learn to make short throws (the three short incompletions in the red zone vs. the Colts was especially frustrating). I'd like to see him complete more passes over the middle. 

Maybe I'm wrong, but I think all of those problems are fixable.

I know it's too early to anoint him the franchise QB. But I feel better with him than I did with Bortles. Not even when Bortles took this team to AFC Championship did I feel as confident in him as i do Minshew. I always thought of Bortles as a liability.

I wouldn’t fret too much about those short throws in the Colts game. Backup running back couldn’t catch a cold. One was a tick high. One in the end zone was the receiver making the wrong read on the defender.

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I'm sold on him being the unquestioned starter in 2020 and then we can go from there with his evaluation. If he thrives, great, we have a QB. If he plays bad, great we go into 2021 draft and take someone high.    

And if he plays average? Ehh i dunno. Half the fanbase will make excuses and say hes the guy, the other half will say draft a QB in 21'

This is where I'm at.  They have nothing to lose by turning over the keys to him because I'm not expecting much out of the team anyway.  Make next year his 'full audition'.

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I was one of the bigger advocates for Foles during last offseason.  But, C’mon man...

don't feed the trolls. Let them scream into the abyss.

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Knowing how quickly things can change, I want to continue improving on the most important position in football. I don’t want to reach for a QB but if one is there at 9 or 20, I’m taking it.

I kind of wonder if part of Shad's direction is not to bring in another QB, though. If your directive is to win now as coach and GM, you don't want to bring in a guy who is going to be overwhelmed or require patience to acclimate to the next level. In the random parallel universe where Burrow drops to nine, sure, grab him and don't look over your shoulder; I doubt that's this reality, though.

It's also why I don't foresee a lot of trades down by us in this darft - the GM is looking at performing within a limited window of time to keep his job. Making the job sweeter for the next guy (or gal) is not likely a motivation. I'm not foreseeing another 2008, but I see Dave using all the picks at our disposal to put players on the roster, and not worry about future prospects.

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I kind of wonder if part of Shad's direction is not to bring in another QB, though. If your directive is to win now as coach and GM, you don't want to bring in a guy who is going to be overwhelmed or require patience to acclimate to the next level. In the random parallel universe where Burrow drops to nine, sure, grab him and don't look over your shoulder; I doubt that's this reality, though.

It's also why I don't foresee a lot of trades down by us in this darft - the GM is looking at performing within a limited window of time to keep his job. Making the job sweeter for the next guy (or gal) is not likely a motivation. I'm not foreseeing another 2008, but I see Dave using all the picks at our disposal to put players on the roster, and not worry about future prospects.

These two things aren't necessarily mutually exclusive, as long as he doesn't reach and make bad picks.

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Fix the O-Line!

Knowing how quickly things can change, I want to continue improving on the most important position in football. I don’t want to reach for a QB but if one is there at 9 or 20, I’m taking it.

I kind of wonder if part of Shad's direction is not to bring in another QB, though. If your directive is to win now as coach and GM, you don't want to bring in a guy who is going to be overwhelmed or require patience to acclimate to the next level. In the random parallel universe where Burrow drops to nine, sure, grab him and don't look over your shoulder; I doubt that's this reality, though.

It's also why I don't foresee a lot of trades down by us in this darft - the GM is looking at performing within a limited window of time to keep his job. Making the job sweeter for the next guy (or gal) is not likely a motivation. I'm not foreseeing another 2008, but I see Dave using all the picks at our disposal to put players on the roster, and not worry about future prospects.

People keep saying this even though Dave clearly stated that he'd be cautious to achieve balance between immediate impact picks versus long-term value just days ago.  

Remember the owners of the team (including Tony Khan) are going to be involved in this process.  As much as some element of the fanbase want to assume Tony Khan knows nothing about football, he'll certainly be wary of a slew of "win now" picks that eschew better value. 

The bigger question in all of this is exactly how well they rate Minshew and what they anticipate from him with better protection and weapons. That will determine their QB draft philosophy much more than which QB might fall in the first round.

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One thing is certain, there is no way I would draft a WR in the 1st 2 rounds.  Its almost certain you will be able to get a really good WR in the 3rd and probably the 4th as well.

I love when people say this.

If CeeDee Lamb or Jeudy is there at 20 (they won't be), the Jags should pull the trigger on them. Both would pair very nicely with Chark.

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I’m fine with heading into next year with Minshew but passing up potential franchise QBs (again I only see Tua as one at pick 9) because you may have something in Minshew is a mistake. It’s like drafting Leftwitch and then passing on Ben.

The Cardinals took Rosen and then said “nah. We aren’t complacent. Lets go take Murray”.

Minshew has earned the right to come back in 2020 but to me, we aren’t so set that we should pass up elite QB talent if it’s there. 

Right now they don’t have a backup plan if Minshew doesn’t plan out other than “Hey. We will just go get one in 2021” which is such a Jaguars thing to do. “There’s always next year”

Lol, Tua isnt some sure fire elite prospect.  He isnt Andrew Luck or John Elway.  Say you draft Tua, start him and he doesnt play that great his rookie year.  Then you draft another QB in 2021?

Did I say he was?

No one is a "sure fire" (whatever that means anyway) prospect but Tua is certainly an elite one. And like someone else said, if his hip checks out, he most likely won't fall to #9 anyway. Which is why if he did fall to #9 (like Watson), I would take him.

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One thing is certain, there is no way I would draft a WR in the 1st 2 rounds.  Its almost certain you will be able to get a really good WR in the 3rd and probably the 4th as well.

I love when people say this.

If CeeDee Lamb or Jeudy is there at 20 (they won't be), the Jags should pull the trigger on them. Both would pair very nicely with Chark.

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Lol, Tua isnt some sure fire elite prospect.  He isnt Andrew Luck or John Elway.  Say you draft Tua, start him and he doesnt play that great his rookie year.  Then you draft another QB in 2021?

Did I say he was?

No one is a "sure fire" (whatever that means anyway) prospect but Tua is certainly an elite one. And like someone else said, if his hip checks out, he most likely won't fall to #9 anyway. Which is why if he did fall to #9 (like Watson), I would take him.

And if in the big boy leagues he can't make a read to save his life, runs into defenders and takes easy sacks... that's a wasted top 10 pick when you already have a QB that did what Gardner did with one of the worst O-lines and no TEs.

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I love when people say this.

If CeeDee Lamb or Jeudy is there at 20 (they won't be), the Jags should pull the trigger on them. Both would pair very nicely with Chark.

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Did I say he was?

No one is a "sure fire" (whatever that means anyway) prospect but Tua is certainly an elite one. And like someone else said, if his hip checks out, he most likely won't fall to #9 anyway. Which is why if he did fall to #9 (like Watson), I would take him.

And if in the big boy leagues he can't make a read to save his life, runs into defenders and takes easy sacks... that's a wasted top 10 pick when you already have a QB that did what Gardner did with one of the worst O-lines and no TEs.

"And if Watson gets hurt, his arm isn't strong enough and he was a product of the Clemson program, it's a wasted pick. We need to give Bortles more weapons."

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One thing is certain, there is no way I would draft a WR in the 1st 2 rounds.  Its almost certain you will be able to get a really good WR in the 3rd and probably the 4th as well.

I love when people say this.

If CeeDee Lamb or Jeudy is there at 20 (they won't be), the Jags should pull the trigger on them. Both would pair very nicely with Chark.

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Lol, Tua isnt some sure fire elite prospect.  He isnt Andrew Luck or John Elway.  Say you draft Tua, start him and he doesnt play that great his rookie year.  Then you draft another QB in 2021?

Did I say he was?

No one is a "sure fire" (whatever that means anyway) prospect but Tua is certainly an elite one. And like someone else said, if his hip checks out, he most likely won't fall to #9 anyway. Which is why if he did fall to #9 (like Watson), I would take him.

You didnt answer the question.  What happens if you take Tua this year and he doesn't have a great rookie year and we pick around 10 next year? Take another QB next year?

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I love when people say this.

If CeeDee Lamb or Jeudy is there at 20 (they won't be), the Jags should pull the trigger on them. Both would pair very nicely with Chark.

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Did I say he was?

No one is a "sure fire" (whatever that means anyway) prospect but Tua is certainly an elite one. And like someone else said, if his hip checks out, he most likely won't fall to #9 anyway. Which is why if he did fall to #9 (like Watson), I would take him.

You didnt answer the question.  What happens if you take Tua this year and he doesn't have a great rookie year and we pick around 10 next year?  Take another QB next year?

If there is a franchise QB there, sure.

You're missing the point though. I'm not advocating for taking just any QB for the sake of it. Only what are deemed franchise/elite QBs prospects. If the Jags take Tua this year (which is unlikely I think) and they end up being terrible with a top 3 pick, they should draft another QB.

I'm done playing the "Well let's see what this QB can do with more talent and THEN if they aren't good, we move on." It's happened with every QB on this team for the past 20 years.  Leftwich, Gabbert, Bortles and now Minshew. Jags passed on Ben because they needed to get Leftwich more weapons (Reggie Williams. Brilliant.) Passed on Watson because we need to make sure Blake has a better RB and ground game.

All of this isn't because I dislike Minshew. I actually really like him but I also want to be prepared in case he doesn't take a big step forward.

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You didnt answer the question.  What happens if you take Tua this year and he doesn't have a great rookie year and we pick around 10 next year?  Take another QB next year?

If there is a franchise QB there, sure.

You're missing the point though. I'm not advocating for taking just any QB for the sake of it. Only what are deemed franchise/elite QBs prospects.

...

Nearly every draft sees at least one QB that a majority of the talking heads deem "franchise/elite."  

So you want to draft one every year until you are certain one of them is going to achieve and maintain "franchise/elite" performance?  Even if it means carrying 4 on your roster?

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If there is a franchise QB there, sure.

You're missing the point though. I'm not advocating for taking just any QB for the sake of it. Only what are deemed franchise/elite QBs prospects.

...

Nearly every draft sees at least one QB that a majority of the talking heads deem "franchise/elite."  

So you want to draft one every year until you are certain one of them is going to achieve and maintain "franchise/elite" performance?  Even if it means carrying 4 on your roster?

And then be set up for the next 15-20 years? Absolutely. It's better than going to through this QB purgatory.

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I think there's a lot of draft position bias when it comes to Gardner.

He had one of the best passer rating on deep passes in the entire NFL. As a rookie. With this O-line.

He has every chance to be elite. He showed incredible promise as a rookie.

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Nearly every draft sees at least one QB that a majority of the talking heads deem "franchise/elite."  

So you want to draft one every year until you are certain one of them is going to achieve and maintain "franchise/elite" performance?  Even if it means carrying 4 on your roster?

And then be set up for the next 15-20 years? Absolutely. It's better than going to through this QB purgatory.

Bold strategy, Cotton.

(by the way, you could still easily be in purgatory for 12 years using this technique you suggest - most 1st rd. QBs don't work out in the long run)

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Other than Burrow, I don't see any potential franchise QBs in the first round. Herbert, the kid from Oregon? Looks too inconsistent to me. And did you know that in 2018, it was Minshew--not Herbert--who won PAC 12 Player of the Year?

As for Tua, my problem with him is his injury--it's not as bad as Bo Jackson's career-ending injury, but any GM who takes him now will be taking a big chance on him.

I want to use our first two picks to take a run plugging DT and MLB. But I wouldn't complain if we took one of those WRs you guys are raving about. Question for you draftnicks: can we find a good MLB and/or DT in the second and third rounds?

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