According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Gardner Minshew could be benched as soon as Week 7’s game against the Los Angeles Chargers if his struggles continue. The team has now lost five in a row, with Minshew looking average at best in most of those defeats.
Unless the second-year quarterback shows some type of improvement, it might not be his team for much longer.
Rapoport added that the Jaguars are actively looking at backup Mike Glennon as an option if they move on from Minshew. Rapoport also explained the significance of the timing as the Jags could use their bye week (Week 8) to re-evaluate the situation.
Aside from Glennon, another option could be rookie Jake Luton who the Jags selection in the sixth-round of April’s draft. While he hasn’t been on the active roster, he does offer the prototypical size coaches like and has a strong arm, making him different from Minshew similar to Glennon.
Since winning their season opener against Indianapolis, the Jaguars have gone on a run of five straight defeats. In their last four games, in particular, they’ve managed to score 16 points or less three times, which is an indication the offense could use a spark. Whilst this can be an indictment of the team’s defensive struggles and questionable game-planning, it is important to note that Minshew has contributed eight turnovers to their five-game skid.
Last week the frustration on offense became very noticeable in DJ Chark’s pregame presser where the wide receiver stated that the receivers were open in Week 6’s loss to the Detroit Lions.
"I mean I felt like we was open"#Jaguars WR DJ Chark after the game pic.twitter.com/OwW9VHZeoL
— Ben Murphy (@BenMurphyTV) October 18, 2020
With coach Doug Marrone’s seat getting warmer by the week, this could be seen as a last-ditch attempt to save his job. If he sticks with Minshew despite his underwhelming performances week after week, owner Shad Khan may be more inclined to make a change of his own. All signs point toward wholesale changes for the future of the Jaguars’ franchise, but the bigger question is when could those changes come if the team continues to perform as it has.
