The Jaguars moved quickly in free agency to add a pair of wide receivers to their roster, but the hope for improvement in the passing game doesn’t hinge entirely on what Christian Kirk and Zay Jones will be able to do in their offense.
2020 second-round pick Laviska Shenault is back for a third season with the team after catching 121 passes for 1,219 yards and 10 touchdowns in his first two seasons with the team. While the new additions at receiver as well as the arrival of tight end Evan Engram and return of running back Travis Etienne cloud the exact role Shenault will play this year, his offseason efforts have drawn notice.
Head coach Doug Pederson said Shenault “wants to win and do what he can for the team” and added “the better off we’re going to be” with more players who approach the game that way. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence said that he’s seen significant differences in the wideout’s game.
“He looks a lot faster,” Lawrence said, via John Reid of the Florida Times-Union. “He’s just going to be that guy when you get the ball in his hands, he’s going to make the play. I think he’s made as big improvement since last season and he’s really been attacking it. I think it’s showing on the practice field.”
If Shenault continues to show signs of growth, the Jaguars could wind up with the good problem of trying to fit a number of productive players into a lineup that didn’t have enough of them at this time last year.
