The Jacksonville Jaguars took the field for Day 1 of organized team activities Tuesday and things went about as fluid as you would expect for an opening day. Of course, much of the time on the field is used for teaching and installations, so it’s a bit hard to put a lot into those who are and aren’t standing out. Still, we managed to come away with a few takeaways on the session and here are three things that stood out:
Nick Foles’ presence as a leader seems to be the strongest the Jags have had at the QB position in a long time
One thing that has been unavoidable is the discussions about Foles’ leadership skills, which have been obvious in his short time in Jacksonville. That continued to be the case for Day 1 of OTAs and the local media has taken note of it. The crew over at ESPN 690 AM even went as far as saying that the Jags now feel like a “quarterback’s team,” which is something the Jags have lacked for almost a decade due to Blaine Gabbert and Blake Bortles being very young starters.
Although nobody would expect his teammates to badmouth him, it’s obvious the Jags’ young offensive group understand Foles has seen it all and look up to him because of experience. Only time will tell if the Jags’ newfound experience at the quarterback position will pay off on game days, but in the locker room, it would seem they couldn’t have spent their money on a better quarterback. That alone could elevate the play of the offense and aid the Jags to become what they were in 2017.
Meanwhile, Yannick Ngakoue is maturing into the Jags’ next defensive leader
Some personally didn’t expect Ngakoue to show up for OTAs (especially being that it’s voluntary), and one couldn’t blame him if he didn’t with a $100 million contract potentially on the line. But because of his love for football, he was there — and saying all the right things.
Tuesday afternoon, the young edge rusher told the media he’s leaving the contract talks to his agent and will focus on being the leader that the Jags need. He also told them he’d play in 2019 even if a new deal isn’t struck because he simply loves the game of football. Most would agree that it’s a gutsy move on his part, but at least it shows that he is maturing into one of the team’s leaders of the future. For those reasons, it would be a crime for the Jags not to re-sign Ngakoue before training camp because his leadership, in addition to his skills, have basically made him another franchise player.
Several key players are rehabbing towards a return in the preseason, but patience is key
Of course, one of the most important things to watch during Day 1 of OTAs is the progress of those who previously went on injured reserve. Two names in particular fans have been wondering about were receiver Marqise Lee and offensive tackle Cam Robinson, neither of whom are ready to go yet.
Per Daniel Popper of The Athletic, Robinson wasn’t spotted due to being in rehab for his ACL tear, while Lee was seen doing work on the side field. That would indicate that fans probably won’t see either player participate with the rest of the team until training camp, which is pretty much what was expected, especially for Lee.
Another player who is going through a similar process as Robinson is free-agent signing Jake Ryan, who is rehabbing from an ACL injury he sustained in August of 2018. Ryan told Gene Frenette of the Florida Times-Union that he was simply taking things slow after having the same injury in college, and one couldn’t blame the Jags for that approach.
Defensive lineman Lyndon Johnson was another player absent from the field Tuesday after having offseason football surgery. However, he’ll be returning to the field for training camp, according to Phillip Heilman of the Florida Times-Union.
