Jaguars Have Emerging Star on Offense

With Evan Engram sidelined, Jacksonville Jaguars second-year tight end Brenton Strange has shown early success.

Sep 15, 2024; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars tight end Brenton Strange (85) makes a catch over Cleveland Browns cornerback Denzel Ward (21) during the third quarter at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images / Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images

The Jacksonville Jaguars took a major hit just moments before their Week 2 matchup with the Cleveland Browns when tight end Evan Engram was ruled out with an injury in pregame.

Filling the starting role on short notice was second-year man out of Penn State University, Brenton Strange.

Strange had a career-high day against the Browns as he had three catches for a total of 65 yards. Nearly doubling his total yards (70) through 14 games last season.

"I think it was big for Brenton, that’s the type of player we know that he is capable of being and he did some really good things," Head coach Doug Pederson said in Thursday's press conference. "[He] played well, played physical in the run game which is good to see and he’s done that since he’s been here. So, it just adds more to his confidence and [he] continues to grow with the offense and get more opportunities."

Pederson sees the potential in what Strange brings to the table and is confident in why they chose him as the 61st overall pick in 2023.

"That’s why we drafted him and that's why he's here," Pederson said. "He's got that capability of run blocking and running routes and he's physical, so its good to see."

Jaguars franchise quarterback Trevor Lawrence was very pleased with how Strange was able to contribute and help spread the ball across the field.

"We're missing a big piece of our offense but great teams figure out a way to step up and make the plays which Brenton did a great job of that," Lawrence said on Thursday. "I was proud of the way he responded, I'm not surprised. He’s been working the in the dark for a while and he finally had an opportunity. Obviously, its unfortunate the way it comes about with Evan [Engram] getting dinged before the game but either way, [Strange] stepped up and made the plays when his number was called and I had a lot of trust in him."

Even without one of Lawrence's favorite targets, he emphasized the trust that he has in Strange and appreciated his preparation for stepping into a starting role just minutes before kickoff.

"Nothing really dropped off as far as my trust in that position and if he's the guy that's open, I'm gonna get it to him." Lawrence said. "I'm gonna trust him to go win his one-on-one's and you saw him do that in the game. So that was really encouraging, not surprising, but definitely cool to see a guy step up especially on such late notice.”

Going forward, Strange will be an integral part of the offense with or without Evan Engram being healthy. We have seen several two tight end looks so far this season across the league, don't be surprised if the Jaguars inherit that same idea.

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