Nothing suggests the 2022 NFL season is right around the corner like the Hall of Fame game - and last night, the Jacksonville Jaguars contested the maiden pre-season clash against the Las Vegas Raiders on the hallowed grounds of Canton, Ohio.
With both teams without their starting players, the Raiders romped to a 27-11 victory to start Josh McDaniels’ tenure in Las Vegas on the right foot, but the match symbolised something different for Jacksonville. This was the dawn of an era; a new head coach, a new number one overall draft selection and a new array of players brought in via free agency.
One of those new faces signed to propel the Jaguars from the cellar of the NFL is Evan Engram. The tight end was selected in the first round of the 2017 draft by the New York Giants and after an electric start, he struggled to find his groove and a spout of drops followed.
Engram is reportedly a shy person and his relatively closed off body language attests to such sentiment, but he was welcoming when we met during a London tour of a number of Jaguars players this off-season. He spoke warmly about the Giants and how he is settling in in Florida after five years in the Big Apple - but why did he pick to sign with a Jacksonville franchise coming off a 3-14 season?
“Man, I just had a good gut feeling for the opportunity with Doug Pederson coming in,” Engram exclusively told Mirror Sport . “He has a great history, with a lot of successful tight ends. Trevor [Lawrence] is a young quarterback with so much talent - he just needs the right pieces around him. Free agency was a crazy process but I definitely believe I ended up in the right spot.”
His answer quickly revealed the sway of a new, proven head coach and a generational talent at quarterback entering his second season. Let’s start with Doug Pederson.
Last season, the Jaguars were hopelessly riddled by perhaps the all-time worst coaching tenure in league history. Urban Meyer’s rap sheet includes violating practice rules, kicking his kicker, and not flying back with his team after a road loss so he could inappropriately touch a young woman who was not his wife en route to a 2-11 record before the 58-year-old was fired before the end of the season.
The hiring of Pederson - or rather, the firing of Meyer - means many now believe the Jaguars will better thanks to addition by subtraction. Engram could feel the refreshed and reinvigorated atmosphere as soon as he stepped foot in the door.
“I felt that everybody’s energy was just different on the first day I was there,” Engram said. “All the new players were excited to hear about what the team went through last year, and it was pretty rough on them. There’s a fresh energy for a new start and that’s the same situation I’m in, so it was a perfect match. The guys who were already there welcomed us newcomers in and are helping with anything we need - even the guys on defence!”
There will also be an element of addition by addition when it comes to the new head coach. Pederson is certainly no slouch; he led the Philadelphia Eagles to the franchise’s first championship when they defeated the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII, making him one of just four to win the title as a player and head coach.
Pederson has a penchant for running a tight-end friendly scheme, which undoubtedly attracted Engram to Florida. Eagles tight ends led the NFL with 8.2 receptions per game from 2016 to 2020 under Pederson, while he also played a key role in the rise of Travis Kelce with the Kansas City Chiefs when he worked under Andy Reid as the offensive coordinator.
Engram is ready to get to work with Pederson after facing him for years as rivals in the NFC East. He added: “I’m excited to build the chemistry with him and get comfortable in his world as I buy into his culture and execute his scheme. We’re becoming a Doug Peterson team. He’s a Super Bowl champion and we want to reach that level.”
Tight ends are often a complex part of the offence with multiple roles and responsibilities that make the learning curve steep when swapping playbooks. Engram - who chose the Jaguars over the New York Jets in free agency so he could experience a change of scenery - was often deployed as blocker rather than a modern receiving tight end towards the end of the 2021 season.
The 27-year-old makes no effort to hide his preference, but he doubled down and insisted he will do whatever it takes to help the team. Engram declared: “I’m going to do anything coach asks of me. I love running routes, getting down field and getting open and I know I’ll have plenty of opportunities to do that - but when I’m asked to block, it’s time to get dirty. I’m going to do that, of course.
“I feel I’m best when I’m downfield, opening up my stride to run and there’s a lot of opportunities for that in this offence where we can move plenty of guys around. I can make plays outside or inside - there’s no limitation in a creative offence. There’s still work to perfect and master my role, but we’ll have plenty of time for that this season. Jacksonville is a good environment for me so I hope I can stay healthy and add some more sweet plays to the resume.”
How do you think the Jacksonville Jaguars will fare in 2022? Let us know in the comments section.
The man who will help Engram add to his resume of high-flying plays is Trevor Lawrence. The quarterback is heading into his sophomore season and many expect him to find form after enduring Meyer in 2021 - and Engram has already spent time ensuring the two have a productive relationship.
“We’ve put a lot of work in. We’re working every single day, making plays in practice, watching film together - and we spent time off the field together to get to know each other while hanging out,” her continued. “We did a Vegas trip for the draft because it’s important to know your teammates on and off the field. Trevor is a good dude, really laid back and chilled but loves the work.”
It appears Engram has found a home in the Sunshine State, where he is enjoying his time with Pederson, Lawrence and the rest of the Jaguars starving for wins after a horrible experience last time out. If the tight end strikes a telekinetic relationship with his rejuvenated quarterback, make no qualms about it - Engram will shine himself.
