Jay Gruden is now the offensive coordinator of the Jacksonville Jaguars, and he is already excited about the group of young talent he will be coaching in 2020.
While he acknowledged that the Jaguars have been going through some growing pains, he likes the potential of this group.
“Offensively, there have been some struggles here but they’re young,” Gruden said during an interview with Ashlyn Sullivan of Jacksonville's team website. “They have a young explosive receiver in D.J. [Chark] and a young offensive lineman [in Jawaan Taylor], so there is a lot of pieces to work with.”
Gruden also raved about young quarterback Gardner Minshew, who surprised everyone with an impressive rookie campaign this past season.
“Well, I did a lot of work on him coming out [of the NFL Draft],” Gruden said. “I think he’s a fun guy to watch. He’s got a lot of energy. He plays like it. He plays like his hair is on fire. It’s like sometimes you just want him to calm down. When you’re watching the film you’re trying to catch your breath just from watching him.”
The Jags won just six games in 2019, but the potential here is obvious.
Minshew looks like a possible stud under center, running back Leonard Fournette is coming off of a terrific bounceback year and young receivers Dede Westbrook, Chris Conley and the aforementioned Chark comprise one of the more impressive receiving trios in the NFL.
Of course, potential can only take you so far, but there is no doubt that Gruden has some fine talent to work with heading into his inaugural season in Jacksonville.