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With Nick Foles once again taking the helm of the Jacksonville Jaguars' offense, we looked at what Jacksonville's scoring unit will have to be better at with Foles at quarterback, but it is also worth considering what specific position group has to make more of an impact. 

When looking at the Jaguars' 2019 offense, there have been breakout players and storylines at nearly every position group. Rookie quarterback Gardner Minshew set the NFL on fire while filling in for Foles for eight starts, running back Leonard Fournette is on his way to a career season, wide receiver DJ Chark has emerged as premier talent and rookie right tackle Jawaan Taylor has started each game and has impressed. 

But what about tight end? Well, there have been issues there. Jacksonville was getting OK production out of the group early on in the season but a season-ending ACL injury to James O'Shaughnessy in Week 5 has torpedoed the position group's effectiveness. 

For reference, here is what Jacksonville's production from the tight end position has looked like through nine games. 

James O'Shaughnessy: 14 receptions, 20 targets, 153 yards, 2 TDs

Geoff Swaim: 13 receptions, 17 targets, 64 yards, 0 TD

Seth DeVavle: Six receptions, nine targets, 68 yards.

Josh Oliver: two receptions, four targets, 10 yards.

Ben Koyack: zero receptions, one target.

Overall: 35 catches on 51 targets, 295 yards, and two touchdowns.

Keep in mind, O'Shaughnessy has not played since Week 5 and Swaim has not played since Week 6. Despite these two missing several games this season, they are still mostly lapping Seth DeValve and rookie Josh Oliver in production. 

For whatever reasons, the position simply was not utilized much with Minshew at the help, despite offensive coordinator John DeFilippo having an offensive background that indicates his scheme should be relatively tight end friendly. 

But it has been frequently noted over the years, and especially since signing with Jacksonville this offseason, how much Foles loves throwing to the tight end position. He has played with great players such as Travis Kelce, Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert, and has never been shy about his affinity for the position.

For example, Foles told local media early on in Jacksonville's offseason program how important he thinks tight ends are to an offense, per Jaguars.com. And this was before the Jaguars even selected Oliver in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft.

“It’s really important,” Foles said. “You have to be able to run the ball with the tight end in the game, but they also have to be able to go out and catch the ball. It’s very hard to find guys that are good at both, but a key to a great offense is you really do need a good tight end.”

Through nine games, Jacksonville has yet to answer their tight end question. A big reason for this is due to injuries to O'Shaughnessy, Swaim and Oliver, who missed the first six games of the season with a hamstring injury. 

But make no mistake about it: Jacksonville has fallen behind the rest of the NFL when it comes to tight end production. 

Per Sharp Football Stats, Jacksonville has only targetted tight ends on 17% of the team's pass attempts, below the league average of 20%. Jacksonville has also faltered in terms of making those targets actually mean anything, according to Sharp Football Stats. 

According to Sharp Football Stats, Jacksonville ranks 30th in pass success rate when targetting tight ends, as only 42% of the targets end up becoming what they define as a successful play. 

Successful play definition per Sharp Football Stats: A play is successful when it gains at least 40% of yards-to-go on first down, 60% of yards-to-go on second down and 100% of yards-to-go on third or fourth down. 

The NFL average for pass success rates when targeting tight ends is 54%, putting Jacksonville at a staggering deficit. 

When it comes to yards per attempt when targeting tight ends, Jacksonville is once again in the bottom tier of teams per Sharp Football Stats. The Jaguars rank 31st in this stat, averaging only 5.7 yards per attempt when throwing at tight ends. The NFL average? 7.6, almost two whole yards more per attempt. 

Jacksonville has limited options at the position due to injuries, but for the offense to be more successful over the next seven games than it was over the past nine, the tight ends will need to produce more. The theory is this will improve with Foles, as the offensive playbook will open up more and he should be more willing to target the position than Minshew was. 

But regardless, the Jaguars have question marks at the position. For the second half of 2019 to be successful, those questions have to be addressed in some form or fashion. 

How do you feel about the Jaguars' tight ends? Sound off in the comments below and let us know!