By HCR Staff | September 25, 2020
The Dolphins largely dominated the Jaguars last night in a 31-13 victory in Jacksonville, and it played out as we thought.
As we were evaluating the game prior to kickoff, we saw a Dolphins team that was highly competitive in 2 losses against quality competition (Patriots and Bills), with an experienced QB in Ryan Fitzpatrick, going against a very green Jaguars defense on a short week.
And while it was a road game for the Dolphins, it was intrastate and in the same time zone obviously. All of these variables added up positively for Dolphins head coach Brian Flores – at least that’s what we thought.
While the Jaguars didn’t play well, they don’t have to despair. They displayed a lot of athleticism and talent, and they’re going to generally be a harder out for teams than what’s indicated on paper.
As the Jaguars plan ahead for the future, all eyes are on QB Gardner Minshew and his ceiling. We see him as a younger version of the Dolphins’ Fitzpatrick. Good enough to be a spot starter for a long time, but we don’t see him as the kind of talent that can elevate a franchise to consistent high level contention. This is a league with burgeoning young talents such as Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, Deshaun Watson, Kyler Murray and Josh Allen. Is Minshew in this class? We don’t think so.
Minshew is fairly accurate, passionate, competitive and has a good feel for the game. But overall, he’s limited. We see a quality backup, spot starter in the mold of Matt Schaub (who had an excellent career) and Fitzpatrick (he’s made over $70 million starting for 8 teams). That’s good for Minshew and his finances, but should the Jaguars tie their future to him?
This is a franchise that may be in position to draft Clemson QB Trevor Lawrence, who possesses elite skills that Minshew doesn’t have.
If the Jaguars are 2-6 at the season’s halfway point (provided we get there in 2020), it’ll be interesting to see how Jaguars brass approaches the second half of the season.