Jaguars Optimistic About Gardner Minshew’s Development Potential After Stint As Starter
Unless any injury issues occur, Gardner Minshew II's time as the Jacksonville Jaguars starting quarterback in 2019 drew to a close after the team's 26-3 loss to the Houston Texans in Week 9. For now, it is Nick Foles' team, and the Jaguars will look to their $88 million veteran quarterback to lead them over the last seven games of the season.
But despite head coach Doug Marrone making the tough decision to Minshew back on the bench after the rookie quarterback went 4-4 as a starter following Foles' Week 1 clavicle injury, Marrone still sees bright things in Minshew's future.
This is probably obvious considering the production Minshew had despite being a sixth-round pick and largely an afterthought following a poor preseason. In nine games, eight of those starts, Minshew completed 61.2% of his passes and threw for 2,285 yards, 13 touchdowns, and four interceptions. He also had seven lost fumbles, but for the most part he was impressive as a rookie backup.
What does Marrone think about his rookie backup moving forward? He wouldn't go into specifics on Monday, but he did note he has a lot of optimism in the promising rookie's future development.
“I think some people that look at the film may get to know that I’d rather not give out the scouting report on him," Marrone said. "There are about two or three things that we think are coachable, that come with experience, that we’re going to be able to show him and he’ll just grow."
Marrone continued, "It’s not anything that is limited from a physical standpoint of what he can and cannot do, so that’s what’s encouraging about that.”
While Marrone would not detail exactly where he thinks Minshew has to improve, it is probably obvious that fixing his fumbling issues is near the top of the list. Aside from that, it can be theorized that Minshew needs to improve his footwork and his willingness to stand tough in the pocket instead of bailing too often.
But, as Marrone said, the fact that there is nothing from a physical standpoint restricting Minshew, which in other cases of backup quarterbacks is what ultimately hinders them. This provides good reason for Marrone and the Jaguars to be optimistic in Minshew's developmental path.
In terms of Minshew finally stepping back into a depth role for Jacksonville after taking the NFL by storm and becoming the face of Jacksonville's first half of the season, Marrone knows that he can still play a role on the team despite Foles leading the offense.
Marrone noted last week when he announced his quarterback decision that Minshew was a competitor and took the news as any competitor would. But even with him on the bench, he can still provide value to the Jaguars as well as continue to develop his own game.
“Like I said before, we had a good conversation, a tough conversation for me, because I appreciate what he’s done," Marrone said about Minshew on Monday.
"And specifically pointing out a couple things that we need to keep progressing with him and working on. And I’m sure he’s a competitor. I’m sure there’s some level of disappointment personally, but the great part about Gardner [Minshew II] is that he’s going to do whatever he can to help this team win, and he knows that there are things that he’s going to work on and he’s going to improve upon, which is going to make him even better the next time he has an opportunity.”
Nobody knew Minshew would start eight of the first nine games of Jacksonville's season once Week 1 finally rolled around, so there is not much point in theorizing when he will see the field again. The life of an NFL quarterback is unpredictable and he will have to simply remain prepared for the next time he sees the field.
But until that time comes, it is clear from Marrone's comments that he and the rest of the organization are high on the rookie and the player he can become in the future.
