A team that sorely needs a solid tight end signs a player who isn’t.
An obvious trend over the past few NFL seasons is that having a good, pass-catching tight-end is considered second only to having a good quarterback. Consider how the most recent Super Bowl featured two of the best TEs in the business–Rob Gronkowski and Travis Kelsey.
Jags new tight end? (photo, InsideHook)
Now, consider this. The worst team in the NFL last year–the Jacksonville Jaguars–sorely lacks at the TE position. Well, despite having wads of cash and a bevy of high draft picks, why didn’t new head coach, Urban Meyer, acquire a high-profile pass-catching tight end in the off-season? Instead, I guess he wanted to remain bad at the position such that even a new signee, Tim Tebow, can make the squad.
That sort of roster manipulation is common in college football where coaches are kings and rarely suffer the slings and arrows of job-scared beat reporters. But the NFL is an entirely different beast.
So the big question is what to do with this tiger by the tail?
It’s often said that the most popular player on any NFL roster is the backup quarterback. That is already true in Jacksonville, where that ‘quarterback’ is supposed to be a tight end. The fans don’t seem to mind, though. Tebow’s jersey sales have eclipsed Trevor Lawrence’s sales–a head-shaking situation, to say the least.
If Urban eventually cuts Tebow, he’ll have more than the media to worry about.
This is an interesting take. We will have to see how it plays out!