The Jacksonville Jaguars’ season got off to a rough start in which most felt would be hard to recover from as they lost their starting quarterback, Nick Foles, for several months and lost their first two games. However, several players have stepped to the plate and turned what could’ve been a disaster into a situation where the Jags are at .500 and are also within striking range for first place in their division in the middle of their season.
Now, the focus shifts to finishing the second half of the season with several division opponents coming up. Before we start looking that far ahead though, lets take a look at six players whose stock is up after watching the team play a full eight games:
QB, Gardner Minshew II
Of course, we had to start with him, right? The rookie was forced into action when Foles went down with a collarbone injury in the Jags’ second series against the Kansas City Chiefs. The rookie then completed his first 13 passes and hasn’t looked back since.
Since entering the lineup Week 1, Minshew is 4-3 as a starter and the Jags have found themselves with a 4-4 record under the five-time Rookie of the Week. He’ll enter Week 9 161-of-260 (61.9 percent) for 1,976 yards, 13 touchdowns, two interceptions, and a 98.8 passer rating. I’d say that’s not too bad for a sixth-round rookie who people weren’t sure would be the No. 2 in the preseason.
RB, Leonard Fournette
Simply put, he’s been the player fans were hoping for out of a top-5 selection this year. He’s also been the role model and locker room leader the Jags have needed through all of the chaos that has gone on this year.
Coming into the season many wondered if John DeFilippo would utilize the running back properly after basically being fired from Minnesota for passing the ball too much. However, after telling the media that Fournette is the engine of the offense this summer, he’s proven it with his actions.
Now, Fournette is the AFC’s leading rusher and the league’s No. 2 rusher with 791 yards to his name. At this point, the only thing he can do better is getting in the end zone more with just one touchdown to his name.
WR, DJ Chark Jr.
What a difference a year has made for Chark, right? Here at Jags Wire, we hyped him up heading into the season and fans now understand why, as he’s atop the AFC in receiving yards with 39 catches for 660 yards and six touchdowns.
The Jags have long been looking for a No. 1 receiver and losing Allen Robinson in free-agency in 2018 was a tough pill to swallow. While Robinson is missed, Chark has made that an easier pill to swallow. He’s proving to be a solid deep threat, a great receiver after the catch and Minshew’s favorite target in 2019 and is just scratching the surface. At the rate he’s playing, he’ll be the first Jags receiver to exceed 1,000 yards since 2015.
EDGE, Yannick Ngakoue
Yannick Ngakoue came into the preseason looking for a contract and didn’t get the deal he wanted after passing on a short-term offer (or offers) that would’ve averaged $19 million a year, however, the guarantees behind that aren’t known. Many questioned his choice but he’s proven why he’s worth a long-term deal and deserves to get paid this instant.
Doug Marrone admitted that Ngakoue is playing through an injury a few weeks ago, while Calais Campbell did the same by saying the young pass rusher was playing on one leg. One would assume that they are referring to the hamstring injury that held him out Week 2 against the Houston Texans.
Ngakoue enter Week 9 with 18 tackles, four sacks, one forced fumble, and an interception. And while he’s been injured, he’s looked much improved against the run which is where people have knocked him. All that said, one can only hope the Jags realize the talent that is before them because it would be a huge let down if they let his situation get to the point Jalen Ramsey’s did.
EDGE, Josh Allen
Josh Allen has played so well he deserves to be mentioned in the Defensive Rookie of the Year conversation. That’s crazy when considering the Jags have arguably the Rookie of the Year on offense, too, when looking at how Minshew has played.
But back to Allen. He’s been a stud under the wings of Campbell, Ngakoue, and company and has proven he shouldn’t have been available for the Jags’ No. 7 overall selection. He currently leads the team in sacks with seven, which is also a league-high (alongside Nick Bosa) amongst rookies. At the rate he’s playing, he’ll be able to achieve a rare feat in the league — and that’s getting double-digit sacks as a rookie.
DL, Taven Bryan
Yes, you read it right.
Much like Chark who was in the same draft class, Taven Bryan is making the 2018 draft class look significantly better than it did last year. He’s been an absolute problem behind the line of scrimmage, utilizing his first step to penetrate the pocket and disrupt things in the backfield.
Most will look at his stat line (nine tackles and one sack) and say it isn’t all that impressive, but that couldn’t be further from the truth because what those stats don’t account for are the quarterback hits he’s had (six) and the plays he’s disrupted behind the line. With more time on the field coming his way due to Marcell Dareus being placed on injured reserve, the fans who haven’t noticed him soon will as he’ll add a few starts to his name in the second half of the season.
