The Jaguars’ tight end room is one of the most interesting position battles in camp, and it starts with a simple truth: Brenton Strange is the guy at the top.
That was already obvious before Jacksonville handed him a massive deal a few weeks ago, and it leaves the real fight behind him. With Liam Coen’s offense expected to lean more heavily on multiple-tight-end looks than it did a year ago, the Jaguars have built a room that suddenly carries real weight. The question now is who backs up Strange and how that role gets defined.
At the front of that race is Nate Boerkircher, the Jaguars’ first draft pick at No. 56 overall. His passing-game numbers - 38 catches in five seasons - have drawn plenty of criticism, but Jacksonville clearly sees more than that. The team believes he can matter as a blocker first and grow from there, giving Strange some relief from the dirty work and, in turn, creating better matchups for both tight ends.
Boerkircher’s best path to early playing time appears to be as the rugged complement to Strange. That’s the lane where he can matter right away, and it’s the one that could get him on the field fastest if he separates from the pack.
He’s not alone in the mix, though. Quintin Morris worked his way from the practice squad last year into a bigger role, first on special teams and then as a backup tight end on offense late in the season. The Jaguars brought him back this offseason, and it feels like he has a place locked in somewhere on the roster.
Hunter Long is another name to watch, even if he may be the odd man out once the numbers settle. The former Los Angeles Rams and Miami Dolphins tight end still has a shot to carve out a role in camp, and the Jaguars kept him over Johnny Mundt for a reason. That decision matters when weighing where Long fits in a room that has already seen significant investment.
One of those investments was fifth-round pick Tanner Koziol, who stood out more than any tight end not named Strange during the offseason program. There’s real receiving upside there, but the practices came without pads, and that matters. His blocking remains the big question, and that could push him into more of a No. 3 tight end role, similar to how Terrance Ferguson was used last year with the Los Angeles Rams.
That blocking piece is what makes Boerkircher so intriguing. He’s a different kind of pass-catcher than Koziol, but he can stay on the line of scrimmage in a way not every rookie tight end can. The Jaguars believe more can be added to his receiving game over time, but his ability to hold up as a blocker is what could get him on the field first.
“I’m excited to see what he can do in both phases, but really, you know, being able to handle the line of scrimmage and be a little bit of a bully on the line versus big defensive ends, I think he’s got the ability to do that,” Jaguars tight ends coach Richard Angulo said this offseason about Boerkircher. “So like I said, really excited once we get a chance to see him compete in pads, especially when we do the preseason games and crossover practices. So it will be a real big time for him.”
Morris is also a strong blocker, and Long showed some flashes in that area last season. Still, Boerkircher looks like the piece Jacksonville drafted to help make 12 personnel look different. He can stay attached to the line while Strange moves around and creates different pictures for defenses.
There wasn’t much Boerkircher on the field during the offseason program, but that was never likely to be the real test anyway. Training camp, once the pads come on, should tell the story.
And the story the Jaguars want to write is straightforward: run the ball better and get more from the tight end room without leaning almost entirely on Strange. If this younger, deeper group can deliver that, Jacksonville, Coen, and general manager James Gladstone will look smart for betting on the position.
If it can’t, the offense may start to resemble last year’s version again. That unit produced the best record in franchise history, but by season’s end it was clear there was room to improve.
That’s why the Jaguars spent roster spots, cap space, and draft picks on this room. Boerkircher should be the favorite to win the No. 2 job, but the larger point is bigger than one depth-chart battle: this position has to matter.
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