Jaguars' Doug Pederson Hopes to Retain Evan Engram, Jawaan Taylor
Though the NFL is still in the midst of the playoffs, off-season preparations for the teams not involved in the big dance have already begun.
The Jaguars are no exception and face a number of decisions when it comes to retaining talent from its playoff core. Two of those players are tight end Evan Engram and offensive tackle Jawaan Taylor.
Engram arrived last off-season on a one year prove it deal and delivered in a big way. The sixth year veteran produced career highs in receptions (73), yards (766) and posted his second highest touchdown total since his rookie season with 4. His contributions brought stability to the tight end position for the first time since longtime Jaguar Marcedes Lewis departed following the 2017 campaign.
Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson made clear that Engram plays a large part in the offensive success and is grateful that Engram chose to come to Jacksonville.
“I told Evan again this morning how much I appreciated him, and he could’ve gone anywhere as a free agent; he chose to come here,” Pederson said. “Even on a one-year deal, what he did this year, I just saw the joy in his eyes talking to him again this morning. He’s a big part of our success. We hope to possibly get him back here, we’d love to have him back. He knows how we feel, we know how he feels, and hopefully it gets worked out. Just knowing who he is now and really what he did for us this year, it means a lot to the team and the success that he had.”
Offensive tackle Jawaan Taylor is another player that produced a career best season under the guise of Pederson, allowing just five sacks and drawing seven penalties per Pro Football Focus. Previous worry about being a draft just was temporarily put to rest, as Taylor was an integral part of an improved offensive line. His play along with strong showings from tackle Walker Little and newcomer Brandon Scherff have head coach Doug Pederson feeling confident about the unit for next season.
“I like where the offensive line is,” Pederson said. “. I know where Jawaan [OL Jawaan Taylor] is this year, but he played outstanding football for us and he’s another one that we hope to tie up if we can. Having somebody like Walker Little [OL Walker Little] to be able to step in and do the things he did, you see the importance of having that third tackle. Really, the guy that can fill in at guard if needed to. Walker has been that guy. Obviously, Cam [OL Cam Robinson] we’re excited to get him back at some point this year and get him rolling again. We get Ben Bartch [OL Ben Bartch] back in the mix. There’s excitement with that group. The focus is to get them healthy and get Brandon [OL Brandon Scherff] healthy, Luke [OL Luke Fortner] healthy, this is that time. Excited where the offensive line is, I know we’ve got some things to work out this spring but feel really good about those guys.”
The improved play makes Taylor a highly important player in the eyes of Pederson and the Jaguars coaching staff, one that the Jaguars will do everything in their power to try and re-sign this off-season.
“It’s important; it’s important to us that we make every effort to get guys back,” Pederson said. “We know what J.T. [OL Jawaan Taylor] is and what he means to this team and organization. We’d love to be able to get that done. He knows that, and sometimes they’re business decisions that are out of our control. It is important to let them know that we want them all back, and we will try to make every effort to do that.”
