Jaguars 2019 Position Review: Quarterbacks Create an Intriguing Situation

With the Jacksonville Jaguars fully geared up to move forward in 2020 and try to put a dissapointing 2019 behind them, it is time to review last season and what it could mean moving forward.

2019 was a noteworthy year for Jaguars quarterbacks. For the first time since 2013, Blake Bortles did not start a game and the Jaguars had embraced a new starter entering training camp, this time in coveted free agent quarterback Nick Foles.

Foles signed a four-year, $88 million contract with over $45 million in guaranteed money with Jacksonville in March, the largest guaranteed contract the Jaguars had signed a player to in franchise history. The former Philadelphia Eagle hero and Super Bowl LLI MVP was highly sought after by the Jaguars from the jump, and his arrival came shortly after the team had hired John DeFilippo, his position coach in 2017, as offensive coordinator.

After entrenching Foles as the starting quarterback, the Jaguars selected Gardner Minshew II in the sixth-round (178th overall) of the 2019 NFL Draft to serve as his backup.

Foles was the unquestioned starter throughout all of training camp and the preseason but his first year in Jacksonville went wayward in Week 1. After only 11 snaps, he sustained a clavicle injury while hit on a touchdown pass to DJ Chark in the first quarter vs. the Kansas City Chiefs. Foles would go on the mend for the next eight games, and Minshew was given the task to guide the Jaguars' offense.

Ultimately, Minshew would go on to start 12 games while Foles started four as the Jaguars finished with a 6-10 record. How the play of the two ebbed and flowed throughout the season led to a big question the Jaguars have to answer by the time Week 1 rolls around next year.

Nick Foles

Final stats: 65.8% completion rate. 736 yards passing for three touchdowns and two interceptions. 6.3 yards per attempt. Two fumbles lost.

Foles, 31, completed 5/8 passes for 75 yards and one touchdown in the two drives he played vs. the Chiefs before his injury, and it will never be known just how he would've played throughout the rest of the year if he hadn't gotten hurt early on. He stayed on injured reserve for the next eight games before returning after to the starting lineup in Week 11.

Foles started the next three games, but the Jaguars to score points in each. He completed 33/47 passes for 296 yards and two touchdowns with one interception in a 33-13 loss vs. the Indianapolis Colts in his first game back, and then recorded 32/48 passing for 272 yards in a 42-20 loss to the Tennessee Titans the next week.

Things came to a halt with Foles and his inability to get the Jaguars into the end zone in Week 13 at home vs. the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Foles committed three turnovers (one interception, two fumbles) in the first half as the Jaguars entered halftime with a 25-point deficit.

Foles was benched for Minshew at halftime and didn't play another snap in 2019. The injury clearly forced Foles into a bad situation, and the Jaguars' other issues on offense did him no favors, but his lack of mobility and big-play ability hampered his ability to make an impact on the offense in 2019.

How the Jaguars approach Foles' contract moving forward is one of the burning questions of the Jaguars' offseason. But for 2019 at least, the Jaguars didn't get the return on investment they were hoping for.

Gardner Minshew II

Final stats: 60.6% completion rate. 3,271 yards passing for 21 touchdowns and six interceptions. 7.0 yards per attempt. 13 fumbles, seven fumbles lost.

An afterthought in the preseason, Gardner Minshew II proved the Jaguars' faith in him after a few rough exhibition games would ultimately pay off. Minshew stepped in for Foles in the first quarter of the Chiefs game and impressed with 22/25 for 275 yards and two touchdowns along with one interception. The Jaguars fell 40-26, but Minshew provided some optimism for his future starts.

Minshew would start the next eight games for the Jaguars, leading the team to a 4-5 record once his stint was over and Foles was ready to get back onto the field. Minshew flashed in some games, such as a comeback victory over the Denver Broncos in Week 4 and a three-touchdown performance vs. the Jets in Week 8, but he also had typical rookie warts.

He was careless with the ball at times, losing three fumbles vs. the Carolina Panthers in Week 5 and in his final start of the first half of the season, a four-turnover performance vs. the Houston Texans in London in Week 9. Minshew's turnover meltdown in the 26-3 loss overseas opened the door for Foles to start, but Minshew's time away didn't last long.

Minshew took his place back in the lineup after Foles was benched in Week 13, and threw eight touchdowns and two interceptions in the final 18 quarters of the season. He improved from his fumble woes, not losing a single fumble in his second stint, and helped Jacksonville win two more games down the stretch.

The mustached gunslinger might not have done enough to convince the Jaguars he is yet the full-blown franchise passer, but he did enough to at least earn consideration to start in 2020. He has to work on issues such as ball security, pocket prescence, and throwing to the intermediate area of the field,

Josh Dobbs

No final stats.

Once Foles went down with an injury, the Jaguars badly needed another quarterback to play an important role in the quarterback room. To find a backup for Minshew, the Jaguars opted to trade a 2020 fifth-round selection to the Pittsburgh Steelers for veteran quarterback Josh Dobbs.

Dobbs didn't have to appear in a game for Jacksonville since Minshew missed no time with injury, and once Foles was back Dobbs was relegated to healthy scratch status on Sundays.

Jacksonville's decision-makers have talked up Dobbs, a 2017 fourth-round draft pick, a decent bit since the trade, and it could be presumed the Jaguars would be comfortable with him as a potential primary backup if the quarterback room changes any in the future.

Overview

Jacksonville entered the 2019 season with only Foles on the mind. Now, the Jaguars will be entering the season with two quarterbacks with starting experience and no sure guarantee for either to start. Minshew outplayed Foles in 2019 and looks to have been a steal as a sixth-round selection, but he still has to prove he is worth a long-term look for the franchise.

New offensive coordinator Jay Gruden will be the next man tasked with squeezing some production out of Jacksonville's quarterbacks group, and it is anyone's guess which of the two passers the new play-caller may prefer.

If the Jaguars use 2019 to help find their answer, though, there is a good chance they could lean Minshew. His playmaking ability and ability to rally teammates was enough to win six games in 2019, and they would need for him to take another step and win even more if given the chance in 2020.

Regardless of how the Jaguars address the position this offseason, the play of the 2019 quarterbacks has created one of the more interesting quarterback situations the team has had in some time.