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There were two tweets I came across this morning that sum up the 2019 season for the Jacksonville Jaguars and the decision they have to make at the quarterback position next offseason.
The first was from Brent Martineau of ESPN 690 AM comparing Gardner Minshew’s numbers with every other rookie quarterback who played meaningful snaps this season. It’s a little jumbled so I’ll write it out below the tweet:
Minshew: 6-6, 3271 yds, 21td, 6int. Murray: 5-10-1, 3722, 20td, 12 int Jones: 3-9, 3027 yds, 24td, 12 int Lock: 4-1, 1020 yards, 7td, 3int Haskins: 2-5, 1365, 7td, 7int. Finley: 0-3, 474 yards, 2td, 2int
— Brent Martineau (@BrentASJax) December 30, 2019
Gardner Minshew (6-6): 3,271 yards, 21 touchdowns, 6 interceptions
Kyler Murray (5-10-1): 3,722 yards, 20 touchdowns, 12 interceptions
Daniel Jones (3-9): 3,027 yards, 24 touchdowns, 12 interceptions
Drew Lock (4-1): 1,020 yards, 7 touchdowns, 3 interceptions
Dwayne Haskins (2-5): 1,365 yards, 7 touchdowns, 7 interceptions
Ryan Finley (0-3): 474 yards, 2 touchdowns, 2 interceptions
It’s stunning to see these comparisons after a full season. If you didn’t know any better, you’d figure that Minshew, Murray, and Jones were all first round draft picks. They certainly all played functionally enough within their offenses for it to be assumed.
Minshew wasn’t though — he was a sixth round draft pick and therefore people cannot seem to give him the benefit of the doubt due a top draft pick. Six wins is a franchise record for a rookie quarterback. His touchdown percentage, interception percentage, and adjusted yards per attempt are all well within the top half of the league.
As Austen Lane, Brent’s partner on ESPN 690 and former Jaguars defensive lineman, has said for weeks: If Minshew were a first round draft pick, you’d be ecstatic with what he’s given you this year and he’d be the unquestioned starter going into 2020.
Which brings us to our next tweet and one man’s opinion on how Jacksonville still has a decision on its hands when it comes to the quarterback position:
"The danger is making a snap judgement based on a small sample size. My sense is that Foles and Minshew will be your QBs and there will be a competition in OTAs with a starter announced before training camp." - @TonyBoselli on future of #Jaguars QB position
— 1010 XL / 92.5 FM (@1010XL) December 30, 2019
This is an absolutely ludicrous take from Tony Boselli.
First, we had a quarterback competition. It was called the 2019 regular season.
Second, what is this snap judgment you’d be making? Nick Foles had four starts this year. You have months of practice to gather an opinion. You’ve seen the guy throw. He ain’t it.
Third, why should a controlled practice environment be better at judging who the quarterback should be as compared to... well... real live football? Foles looked like the sixth round rookie when he was benched in his third game back from his injury. Minshew, to his credit, at least looks functional within a bad offense — and he seemed to improve as the year went on.
Summary
What do you think? Should the Jaguars have an open quarterback competition during training camp next year? Or has Minshew done enough to stave off the second guessing? Let us know in the comments below!