Doug Marrone Wants Josh Oliver to Be Bigger Part of Pass Game

The rookie tight end made his NFL debut on Sunday but did not record a reception.

The Jacksonville Jaguars (3-4) finally saw tight end Josh Oliver, their 2019 third-round selection, in action during Sunday's 27-17 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. Next, they want to see him start making plays for quarterback Gardner Minshew. 

“I was a little concerned, I was kind of going back and forth, because I haven’t really seen him play in a game because he got injured so early. But I really liked the things that he did," Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone said Monday. "He was able to go through the game and come out healthy."

Oliver, who missed the first six games of the regular season with a hamstring injury, had a long-awaited debut for Jacksonville but he played the least amount of snaps among the Jaguars three tight ends. He played 25 while Ben Koyack played 43 snaps and Seth DeValve played 49. 

Oliver was a run blocker for 13 of those snaps and ran routes on the other 12 snaps. In those 12 passing plays reps, he did not see a single target. This is something Marrone said he wants to see change moving forward, and it is clear why when you see the Jaguars' offense struggle in the red zone like it did Sunday. 

"I see him playing those snaps, I’d like to get him targeted more, obviously we didn’t target him (Sunday)," Marrone said. "I think he’s someone that can help us in the passing game."

The Jaguars were getting solid pass catching production out of the tight end position in the early portion of the season before James O'Shaughnessy suffered a season-ending ACL injury in Week 5. Before he was injured, O'Shaughnessy had 14 catches for 153 yards and two touchdowns. 

Behind O'Shaughnessy, the Jaguars have not gotten much production at all from the position. Geoff Swaim, who missed Sunday's game with a concussion and ankle injury, has caught 13 passes for a meager 65 yards, while Seth DeValve and Ben Koyack have combined for 1 catch for 16 yards this season. DeValve also had two drops on Sunday. 

So while Oliver is still adjusting to the speed of the NFL and may not see his snaps increase anytime soon, it is clear they need him to produce as a pass catching threat simply because they have no other viable option at the position. 

"So, I can’t guarantee the increase in snaps, 30 percent, 40 percent, somewhere around there, maybe a little bit more of an increase," Marrone said.

"But I think trying to get him more involved is something that can definitely help us moving forward and I think we’ve got to look for ways to get him involved in the passing game.”