The Jacksonville Jaguars drafted quarterback Gardner Minshew in the sixth-round from Washington State in the 2019 NFL draft. Maybe they thought he could be a backup, net them a compensatory pick down the road. Maybe he could eventually replace free agent signee Nick Foles as the starter down the road.
When Foles broke his collarbone in the first quarter of the Jaguars’ 40-26 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 1, Minshew had to be the field general and lead Jacksonville to a win. The 23-year-old product of Cougars coach Mike Leach completed 22 of 25 for 275 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception, totaling a 122.5 passer rating.
The effort was enough to impress Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt.
“I thought he did a good job,” Watt told reporters Wednesday. “Obviously it’s a tough situation for him to have to come into there, but I thought he handled it well. I thought the situation didn’t look too big for him and he handled it well and the coaches did well to put him in positions to help him out.”
With very little tape on hand to study Minshew, Watt says the Texans are resigned to give it their best effort. However, another key may be in limiting running back Leonard Fournette, who rushed for 66 yards on 13 carries.
“You just have to do what you can do, and obviously their running back is always a big part of their game plan as it is, so you have to know that a good running back is probably a quarterback’s best friend,” Watt said. “You just do what you can. You study what you can from the last game and we go out there and play our game.”
It will be up to Texans defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel to design a game plan to stop Minshew. All Watt and his teammates have to do is execute it.
“As a defensive player that’s part of what you have to do anyway, you play your game and make sure you do your job and your assignments,” said Watt.
The Texans seek to rattle Minshew en route to a victory over the Jaguars, delivering the club a 1-1 record and winning their first home opener at NRG Stadium since 2016.
