Gerrit Prince spent his rookie year on the Jacksonville Jaguars’ practice squad, but the second-year tight end is making a strong push for a spot on the active roster.
After standing out in the first two weeks of training camp, Prince is making himself difficult to ignore. All that’s left is a few preseason games where Prince can seal his spot.
“From what we’ve seen from Gerrit, you just want to see that carry over,” Jaguars offensive coordinator Press Taylor said earlier this week. “Last year I think he had a good preseason. That kind of raised some eyebrows from us of just, ‘Alright, this guy can continue to do it.’ He had a good year for us on the practice squad, making plays.
“Our expectation of him is that he can perform at this level. Now, you want to go see it against a new defense like I said, and just see it carry over and continue to grow as you move closer to the season.”
Prince, 25, was a two-time All-Conference USA selection during his time with the UAB Blazers, but joined the Jaguars as an undrafted free agent last year. While he didn’t play at all in 2022, he still managed to impress coaches and teammates.
“He was the young guy last year that was kind of all over the place, adjusting and learning how to be a pro,” Jaguars tight end Evan Engram said in July. “He’s a really talented player, he’s a really fluid athlete and he’s a tight end that is made for Doug [Pederson]’s offense. Just the growth I’ve seen in him, and even him now, he’s coaching guys in the meeting room better than I think I could.
“Really proud of the steps he’s taken, and he’s still got a lot of work to do, but the opportunity is at his fingertips. I’m very excited about his future, his potential, playing with him, him being able to learn from me, and honestly, I could probably learn some things from him too.”
Last year, the Jaguars carried four tight ends (Engram, Chris Manhertz, Dan Arnold, Luke Farrell) through the regular season. After allowing both Manhertz and Arnold to walk in free agency, there’s more room for Prince even after the Jaguars added Brenton Strange in the second round of the 2023 NFL draft.
It may only take one strong performance from Prince this August to make him too valuable to waive after preseason.
