Few positions on the Jacksonville Jaguars roster needed a facelift in head coach Urban Meyer's first year on the job as badly as the tight end position. For months, the assumption held by many was the Jaguars would make a major investment in the position in March's free agency cycle.
The Jaguars ended up not making the big move at the tight end position, instead opting to sign veteran blocking tight end Chris Manhertz to a two-year deal. Manhertz is the Jaguars' current answer at tight end, but it is still a spot they likely are not done at.
But what does Manhertz provide to the Jaguars and how well does he fit into their team needs despite 12 career catches in 70 games? We take a look and grade the signing below.
How does he fit?
Urban Meyer already did a good job of outlining how he sees Chris Manhertz fitting into the offense, taking any guesswork out of the equation.
“That was a high priority. We have two different style of tight ends, one is a ‘Y,’ which is—on the line, basically an extension of your offensive line, a very good blocker, but also very functional in the pass game," Meyer said following the first few days of free agency. "We identified the guy, had him at the top of the list and that’s Manhertz and we got him.
While the entire football world knew the Jaguars needed a pass-catching tight end entering the offseason, the Jaguars also badly needed to add a blocking tight end. They haven't had a consistent blocker at the position since Marcedes Lewis was released following the 2017 season. Since the tight end room needed an entire overhaul and not just one addition, Manhertz fits into the equation as Jacksonville's primary blocking tight end.
According to Pro Football Focus, Manhertz was used as a blocker on 366 snaps he was on the field for, which meant he was blocking more than he was running routes. Ultimately, he played 49% of the Panthers' offensive snaps, the second-most among tight ends on the team. He saw just eight targets all year with the Panthers last season.
The Jaguars needed to add some sort of blocking presence at tight end this offseason, and they accomplished that with Manhertz. If he plays the most snaps among the team's tight ends in 2021, something likely went horribly wrong along the way.
In an ideal scenario for the Jaguars, Manhertz is the team's No. 2 tight end and is more of an extra blocker than he is a receiving threat. If the Jaguars have to ask him to function as a part of their passing game outside of giving them six men in pass protection, then the Jaguars have either miscast Manhertz or the tight end room has taken zero steps forward from today.
Impact on depth chart
If the season started today, Manhertz would be the Jaguars' top tight end on the depth chart. James O'Shaughnessy would be the team's primary pass-catcher, but Manhertz's contract (two years, $6.65 million for $4.25 million) reflects the role the Jaguars envision for the veteran tight end.
With this said, tight end is one position the Jaguars are essentially guaranteed to address before training camp -- whether through the draft or a trade. An early draft pick at the position is more probable, which would certainly adjust Mnahertz's place on the totem pole in terms of snaps at the tight end position.
With this all in mind, any additions to the tight end room would likely make Manhertz at worst the team's No. 2 tight end and primary blocker at the position. The Jaguars have already traded Josh Oliver to the Baltimore Ravens and declined Tyler Eifert's team option, so the only potential threats to Manhertz's snaps
Overall grade: C+.
The timing of the Jaguars' addition of Manhertz was a bit of a shock to the system since it came on the heels of the New England Patriots agreeing to terms with Hunter Henry -- just a day after the Patriots also nabbed Jonnu Smith off the market. But that shouldn't be a reflection on the addition of Manhertz.
Manhertz won't make an impact as a pass-catcher, but he is one of the league's better blocking tight ends. The Jaguars may have overpaid a bit for his services, but there is reason to believe his value as a blocker alone made him one of the more valuable second-tier tight ends on the market following Henry's signing. He can help the Jaguars' offense a considerable bit both as a run and pass blocker, giving them something from the position they have lacked for the last three seasons.
With this in mind, the Jaguars can't afford to have Manhertz be their top addition to the tight end room this offseason. When Urban Meyer said the tight end position had to be rebuilt, he was right. Adding Manhertz can be a part of that rebuild, but signing him alone doesn't move the needle enough for a team that badly needs an impact player.
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