Jaguars Don’t Believe ‘Ship Has Sailed’ on Shenault’s Development

2021 didn't go how anyone in Jacksonville expected. Not from an ownership perspective, not from the lens of the front office or a since-fired coaching staff, and certainly not how any players thought the year would unfold.

Among the members of the organization whose 2021 was most disappointing? Second-year wide receiver Laviska Shenault, who looked prime for a breakout season throughout the summer and training camp before injuries at other receiver spots and a struggling offense led to a let-down season.

But even after an unproductive 2021 from the former second-round pick out of Colorado, the Jaguars aren't giving up on Shenault. In fact, general manager Trent Baalke thinks any presumption that the franchise has thrown in the towel on the talented weapon is misguided.

“Not at all – I don’t know where that would come from," Baalke said Tuesday at the NFL Scouting Combine when asked if the team was looking to move on from Shenault.

"We are very high on Laviska. He does a lot of good things."

It isn't surprising to see this assessment from Baalke, who served as the team's director of player personnel the year Shenault was drafted by former general manager Dave Caldwell.

In fact, it is more surprising to see the question even arise considering the encouraging rookie year Shenault had in 2020, catching 58 passes for 600 yards and five touchdowns on the NFL's worst team. On a one-win team badly in need of playmakers, Shenault stood out time and time again as a rookie.

But then 2021 happened. Nearly every offensive player on the roster had a down year or one of the least productive years of their entire career, and Shenault was no different.

In 16 games, Shenault caught 63 passes for 619 yards and zero touchdowns, bringing his yards per catch mark down from 10.3 to 9.8 and his yards per target figure down from 7.6 to 6.2. Shenault's catch percentage also took a big hit; after catching 73.4% of his targets in 2020, he caught just 63% in 2021 as Pro Football Reference credited him with eight drops.

The hope for the Jaguars is that 2021's down year was just that for Shenault. With the Jaguars moving into a new direction under head coach Doug Pederson, the Jaguars will now look to finally get the most out of Shenault and prove why he was one of their most coveted players in the 2020 NFL Draft.

"He is an interesting … Obviously at his size and his speed and the things that he can do, we have to find ways to get him the ball," Baalke said.

"That is not my job – that is Coach [Pederson’s] job. That would be a great question for [Coach Pederson], but by no means has the ship sailed on Laviska.”

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