The $72 million investment in Christian Kirk looked well worth it for the Jacksonville Jaguars when the wide receiver started his tenure with the team with 267 receiving yards and three touchdowns through his first three games. Then he disappeared in the next two weeks.
In a Week 4 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, Kirk struggled with drops on a windy, rainy day and caught only two passes. In the Jaguars’ 13-6 loss to the Houston Texans a week later, Kirk was targeted just twice and finished with one reception for 11 yards.
“That was completely on us as a coaching staff,” Jaguars offensive coordinator Press Taylor told reporters Thursday. “We got to be able to target him, he’s one of our better guys, clearly. … There are ways to incorporate him that we certainly need to do. He’s a guy that needs to touch the football and have an impact on the game for us.”
On Wednesday, Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence also stressed the importance of getting Kirk back involved in the offense.
“We’ve got to get him the ball,” Lawrence said. “You’ve seen how productive he can be and how much he helps us when he gets a lot of touches, so obviously, that’s important. Any great player you have, you’ve got to find a way to get them the ball. That’s an every week thing. He’s no secret. People have seen what he can do. It’s not going to sneak up on anybody, but for us, it’s just put him in situations to succeed and be open to get touches and all that.”
In the Jaguars’ 24-0 win over the Indianapolis Colts in Week 2, Kirk finished with six receptions, 78 yards, and two touchdown grabs. The Jaguars are slight underdogs for the Week 6 rematch in Indianapolis.
