'I am Ready for Him to Go': Anticipation Builds for Pivotal Season for Jaguars' Josh Oliver

After a lost rookie season, the Jacksonville Jaguars are now hoping to see a renewed and productive Josh Oliver.

For Jacksonville Jaguars tight end Josh Oliver, 2019 was a season worth forgetting. Despite the Jaguars needing any tight end possible to produce in the passing game, the uber-athletic Oliver was watching from off the field more often than not as a rookie due to injuries.

The second-highest drafted tight end in team history, the Jaguars selected Oliver out of San Jose State in the third round with the No. 69 overall pick. But while the Jaguars had incredibly high hopes for Oliver as a rookie, he played in just four games and caught only three passes for 15 yards in his first NFL season.

Now in 2020, Oliver is finally healthy and all systems go. And with him entering a key year for his Jacksonville tenure, expectations have risen Oliver within the Jaguars' coaching staff, in part because of the condition he entered training camp in.

"I’m ready for him to go. I’m not saying that in a bad way," head coach Doug Marrone said in a video press conference on Monday. 

"There’s not much to evaluate now so you evaluate the things that you can, and you guys haven’t even seen these guys yet up close and personal. I think Josh is one of those guys when he walks in, you’re going to go ‘Whoa.’ He looks put together; he looks bigger."

Oliver entered the 2019 NFL Draft as one of the most athletic tight end prospects in the entire class, and that is more or less what the Jaguars are seeing on the field during the early portions of training camp so far. The Jaguars haven't had a true field-stretch or mismatch at tight end in many, many years, so if Oliver can provide that with his athleticism this season it would be a massive win for the Jaguars. 

"He’s stronger on the sled, stronger in the weight room. He looks explosive," Marrone said. "He’s obviously healthy. So, you’re looking at a guy whose got a lot of the characteristics that you want."

One reason for the Jaguars to be optimistic that they will actually get something out of Oliver this year is the addition of veteran tight end Tyler Eifert. Eifert, a former Pro Bowler, is entering his eighth season and has played in 61 games -- if there is any tight end on the roster who can be a veteran presence and help develop a young talent like Oliver unlock his potential, it is Eifert.

"Then you got a guy like Tyler Eifert who’s out there and he’s looking like this guy could be good. He’s a guy who has played and is going to be able to help him and that’s the one thing about Josh," Marrone said. "He’s like a sponge, he’ll take all the information in and he’s been productive and looks good out there running around."

While the book on Oliver as a prospect was that he was a pass-catching tight end who struggled when asked to mix it up in the trenches, the opinion within TIAA Bank Field is that Oliver is actually encouraging in that regard. If he can stay healthy, make an impact in the passing game and give the Jaguars serviceable blocking at the tight end position, then he will have completely shifted the narrative on his career, while also giving the Jaguars a badly-needed addition to their offensive arsenal.

"The main thing for me is he looks stronger and a lot of the time when you’re a young player, especially in that position where sometimes your matchups are going to be against bigger, stronger players, like defensive linemen with the added strength, the added technique and leverage develops a little bit of confidence and for some reason he looks like a more confident type of player and being able to go out there and compete," Marrone said. 

The Jaguars still do not know what they have in Oliver exactly. They saw him on the practice field, sure, but they rarely saw him perform on Sundays last season. Now, they are hoping to see the talent shine through that made him such a high pick last season.