Tim Tebow caught touchdown passes from Trevor Lawrence and Gardner Minshew on Thursday, showing indications that reviving his NFL career as a tight end is far out of a marketing stunt or personal favor.
Tebow basically looked the role on a sunbaked day that capped his very first week of organized team activities with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
With team owner Shad Khan in attendance along with a press throng eager to determine how the 33-year-old Tebow was adjusting to his new position, the 2007 Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback didn’t drop a pass and even made a few plays that surely gained more attention than they deserved.
Tebow is barely a glistening route-runner and doesn’t appear to be a down-the-field threat. But anybody who believed he’d embarrass himself by changing positions nine years after final playing a meaningful snap in the league likely would have been amazed to see him to hold his own in a No. 85 jersey.
“It is 1 at 90 attempting to create the team,” Jaguars coach Urban Meyer said. “He’s improved. It’s all new for him. … That place’s trending upward; they’re doing a wonderful job.”
Meyer declined to offer much insight into how he plans to potentially utilize Tebow. There’s been speculation that Tebow could be a goal-line and short-yardage quarterback or even line up in the backfield alongside Lawrence.
“Before you start having those discussions, you have got to sense where he’s at on the depth chart, etc.. Evidently, it’s only been a day or two. We have not had that conversation as an offensive staff ”
Bowen urged Tebow to get”a little more speed the ball off” early at the two-hour workout.
Afterwards, Bowen jokingly asked an intern”that you want the coaches” following the equipment man was tasked with trying to obstruct Tebow using a dummy pad.
Tebow had his success in seven-on-seven drills near the target line, catching two brief passes for scores.
“He is just another guy,” Jaguars safety Rayshawn Jenkins stated. “I met him briefly in the locker room, so a excellent guy from what I can tell. But I don’t look at it as’Tebow’ or anybody who is just right there. I only look at it (as) what do I need to do this play? What exactly are my keys? What am I looking at? It does not matter what amount the jersey is or whoever’s right there in front of me.”
Tebow signed a one-year, $920,000 deal with Jacksonville a week, getting the veteran minimum for a player with his experience. He received no signing bonus or guaranteed money. He is returning to the NFL following five years (2016-20) in the New York Mets’ business and he’s reuniting with Meyer, his college coach, for the first time since his senior year in 2009.
His comeback is unprecedented because of his age, his new place and the fact that he last played in a regular-season match in 2012, together with the New York Jets.
“We don’t get caught up in any of that,” Jenkins explained. “You can not get star struck around here. It’s the Enterprise. I played numerous superstars. I can name a listing complete, but we’re all buddies at the end of the day, we are all co-workers in the end of the day.”
Tebow was the primary attraction Thursday, and that might have been a good thing for Lawrence. The No. 1 overall pick had four overthrows and two passes broken up in goal-line drills.
“That is obviously a quite difficult area of the field,” Meyer said. “The area varies, especially against NFL talent all over the area and protection had the upper hand now. It wasn’t just him. … All of us struggled, not only him, offensively.”
Tebow was on the receiving end of one of Lawrence’s few highlights, looking like, well, a 255-pound tight finish with great hands.
Several NFL teams suggested Tebow create the position alter years back, but he declined.
He finally switched after retiring from baseball February. He worked out to the Jaguars the subsequent week, the first of two exploratory sessions that came into light hours before the start of the NFL draft on April 29.
Meyer raved about Tebow’s work outs, saying assistants were surprised to see him in such excellent form. Ultimately, Tebow’s capacity to pick up a new place — a range of faculty QBs have made the transition look seamless — will ascertain whether he makes the team.
“I’m kind of mad because I was the oldest man on the team,” stated 31-year-old receiver Marvin Jones. “Now, he has me two years, so I have to speak to him about that. But it’s been fantastic. Clearly, everybody understands the type of employee he is and it is no different.
“He arrived here and fit right in, only learning and working and things like that. In the trunk, when he’s not in, he is looking at the plays and conducting extra and doing everything he needs to do to get this new position moving. So, it’s been good. It has been great to have him here most definitely.”