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Should Marqise Lee return punts for the Jaguars?

The Jaguars have struggled in many areas and returning punts is one of them.

Sam Greenwood

The Jacksonville Jaguars have struggled in a lot of areas this season, including special teams. The team has also seen second-round pick Marqise Lee struggle to get snaps on a consistent basis and it's not like the Jaguars couldn't use a receiver with his speed on the field.

Lee has played just 190 snaps on offense this season, which is half as much as Cecil Shorts III has played. Shorts has missed multiple games with injury, as has Lee, but there is clearly something limiting Lee's snaps on the field, be it route running, effort or whatever.

That being said, one way the Jaguars might be able to get him on the field and use some of the play making ability he showed in college is by allowing him a chance to either return punts or kickoffs. Lee was an explosive kickoff returner in college, averaging 26 yards per return and returning multiple kick offs for touchdowns. Lee returned a few punts (eight) his final season at USC, but he's a player who can make things happen with the ball in his hands.

Ace Sanders, who was drafted to be a punt return specialist, has left a lot to be desired since his return from suspension. He's averaging just 7.4 yards per return, which isn't any better than what Mike Brown was giving the Jaguars when he filled in for Sanders while he was out. Sanders also had a critical fumble in Sunday's loss to the Dallas Cowboys and has fielded multiple punts inside the 10-yard line when he should have allowed the ball to bounce into the endzone for a touchback.

Why not let Lee try to contribute a bit with kick returns, in both facets? The team is likely to do a lot of self evaluation during the bye week and figuring out ways to get Lee on the field and be productive I'm sure is one of them.