The Jacksonville Jaguars have needed more out of their wide receiver room for much of the 2021 season but especially during a recent rough stretch, a point head coach Urban Meyer conceded on Wednesday when asked about the production of the unit following DJ Chark's Week 4 injury.
“We need more production out of our receiver crew," Meyer said Wednesday. "DJ Chark [Jr.] was a guy that’s tall and can run fast and was a great guy that worked his tail off in the offseason. All of a sudden, boom, you look out there and he’s down. I’ve had times where [I’ve thought], ‘Okay, number two’s as good as number one. Get in there. We’re fine.’ We struggle a little bit there with the size and speed. We certainly have some production with guys doing okay, but that was a hit.”
Jacksonville's wide receiver room entered the 2021 season with unquestionable hype, with many pointing to the unit as arguably the strength of the team. The Jaguars have had to mix up the depth chart of the room since training camp, however, with several players going in and out of the lineup on game days, and with Marvin Jones and Laviska Shenault serving as the few constants on the field.
Since Chark's ankle injury in Week 4, the Jaguars' receivers rank No. 26 in yards, No. 29 in air yards, No. 25 in drops (with No. 32 being the worst), and 26 in first downs, per Sports Info Solutions. And since that injury, the Jaguars have seen a receiver top 60 yards just twice, with both Marvin Jones (100) and Jamal Agnew (78) eclipsing the figure in Week 6 against the Dolphins.
In short, the Jaguars have not gotten the type of production from receiver in the wake of Chark's injury that they need to consistently win or support the passing game. They have still had a few players such as Jones, Agnew and Shenault make plays, but not enough for the Jaguars to find the end zone or create explosive plays.
As a result, the Jaguars and Meyer have done more experimenting with the receiver room as of late. One part of that experiment was an increase in snaps for Laquon Treadwell in Week 10, while another could be fine-tuning Shenault's role.
"Treadwell got an opportunity, played really well. So, we’re just kind of trying to find the right mix out there. I think DJ Chark [Jr.] obviously was something we counted on with his speed and size, and we continue to search," Meyer said.
"Marvin Jones [Jr.] has been pretty consistent. Laviska [Shenault Jr.] we’ve been moving inside and outside, and I think we’re going to settle him down at one position. [WR Jamal] Agnew was a guy that we really didn’t count on, and he turned out to provide a spark for us. He’s fast, he’s tough, takes care of the ball. But that’s one of the areas that we’re trying to figure out.”
Among the primary issues that have hurt the group has been drops. Per SIS, the Jaguars wide receivers have dropped 11 passes this year, tied for No. 9 in the NFL. But the timing of the drops has been the critical issue, with SIS crediting the Jaguars' receivers with an NFL-leading eight drops on third-down, a theme that crept up before the bye week and hasn't adjusted over the last three weeks.
"That’s an issue. That’s something that we’ve addressed. Do we put them in those situations where they’re able to compete and make catches?" Meyer said. "We’re trying not to get him touched and we’re trying to make plays. That’s how you have success, so that’s why we’re kind of rotating guys around and trying to get that right mix together.”
"That’s something that slows down the development of a quarterback and that’s not right.”
The Jaguars will likely look to receiver in a big way this offseason but for now, the team is left looking for ways to get their current unit on the same page as their No. 1 overall pick quarterback. It has proven to be a struggle in recent weeks as the offense has floundered and Lawrence has struggled, but not a struggle the Jaguars are shying away from.
"We coach a lot, eyes to the tuck. You know there is a lot of guys including myself, not finishing the whole play," Agnew said on Wednesday.
"We work on that everyday in practice. It just comes down to concentration and focus. You know it is something that can be easily fixed by locking in more through the catch. That is not something we are super concerned about because it is an easy fix.
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