The 10 Most Important Jaguars For 2020, No. 1: Gardner Minshew II
2020 is a make-or-break year for the current regime leading the Jacksonville Jaguars. While this may sound like a broken record after being overly repeated since the disappointing 2019 season drew to a close, it is the simple truth.
In the last two years, the Jaguars have finished in last place of the AFC South each season while compiling an 11-21 record. In fact, 2019's meager 6-10 record, as bad as it was, was actually one of the better records the Jaguars produced during the 2010s decade. The past has been ugly for the Jaguars and the team will assuredly put as much energy as possible into changing this in 2020.
As the Jaguars attempt to reverse their look and field a winning team in the fall, they will need all 53 members of the active roster and every coach on the staff to step their game up. But among those on the team, there are a select few players who will be especially pivotal to Jacksonville's success.
As we continue to move forward toward the start of the 2020 NFL season (pending one actually taking place), we will take a look at which players we think are especially important next season.
We have already hit the first half of our list, with the following players being ranked No. 5 through No. 10:
Now, we move to the final player on our list. The pick for the No. 1 most important player on Jacksonville's roster may seem like an obvious one, but it is for a reason.
No other player is more important to whether Jacksonville finds success in 2020 than quarterback Gardner Minshew II. This, as we mentioned, is an obvious selection, but it isn't one that will always go to a quarterback. For the Jaguars, though, Minshew holds the key.
Why Gardner Minshew is the Jaguars' most important player in 2020
Minshew did enough as a rookie in 2019 to earn not only this spot but the spot as Jacksonville's starting quarterback. A sixth-round pick who was originally meant to serve as the backup to Nick Foles for the entirety of the 2019 season (and beyond), Minshew was placed onto the field as a necessity after Foles sustained a clavicle injury in the first quarter of Week 1. Minshew would go on to start 12 of the final 15 games, going 6-6 in the process and having the best rookie season of any quarterback in franchise history.
Minshew's performance in 2019 was arguably the best of any rookie quarterback in the NFL. In 12 starts (14 appearances) Minshew compiled a 6-6 record completed over 60% of his passes for 3,271 passing yards, 21 passing touchdowns, and six interceptions to go along with 67 carries for 344 rushing yards.
He also won Rookie of the Week seven times in 2019, making him the only rookie to win it more than once last year. Minshew's pass completion percentage of 88% in Week 1 was also the highest of any player making his debut in NFL history (minimum 15 pass attempts, since at least 1950), and also the highest single-game pass completion percentage in Jaguars history.
So, why is Minshew so important in 2020? Aside from the fact that quarterback is the most important position in sports and plays the biggest part in whether a team wins or loses on most Sundays, Minshew is vital to the Jaguars this season because he is their best hope to find production from the passing game in several years.
Jacksonville has had an ugly recent history at quarterback. Blaine Gabbert, Chad Henne and Nick Foles all had less than desirable results as starting quarterbacks, while Blake Bortles was more inconsistent than he was productive.
In Minshew, the Jaguars are hoping they will have finally found a quarterback who can be trusted to carry the pass offense instead of the team's offensive coordinator having to work around the quarterback. Minshew flashed plenty of playmaking ability last season, particularly with his deep passing and his ability to extend plays out of the pocket. The Jaguars haven't gotten consistent playmaking from the quarterback position in several years, and whether Minshew can provide that in 2020 will heavily factor into Jacksonville's win-loss record.
Minshew will also be looked to as Jacksonville's defacto leader. The Jaguars are universally expected to struggle this season, with many projecting them to be among the league's worst teams. Minshew's ability to galvanize the locker room and help the Jaguars reach their internal goals will be vital in 2020, especially in a year in which the Jaguars' brass has been given win-now mandates.
“I think me and the rest of our team, we’re pretty internally motivated. We have our own goals," Minshew said on Aug. 4. "We don’t need anybody else to tell us what to do or what we’re not going to do. I believe that we believe in each other and we are going to bring it each day to be the best we can be.”
With Jacksonville's offense finishing 26th in overall scoring last year, and 31st in first half points scored, the Jaguars need Minshew to take a step forward and improve his consistency inside and outside of the pocket. The Jaguars and offensive coordinator Jay Gruden will of course lean on Leonard Fournette, but the NFL is a passing league. If the Jaguars want an improved offense, they will need an improved Minshew -- nothing else really matters.
“Yeah, I think you hear all those things and you hear what people are saying against you, but at the end of the day you know what you can do and you know what the guys around you can do. We are going to focus on the things we can do and not what we can’t do. I think if we do that, if we focus on ourselves, we’ll have a chance to be pretty damn good," Minshew said on Aug. 4.
Can Minshew be the guy beyond 2020? That is the question the Jaguars will need to have answered at some point. But whether he can be the guy this year is the question the Jaguars will need to be answered much sooner. If he can be an effective quarterback in 2020, the Jaguars have a chance to improve upon last year's 6-10 record. If not, then questions will remain at the quarterback position for years to come.