Nothing Strange About TE’s Potential to Contribute in Jaguars Offense

Brenton Strange figures to go one of two directions this season. He’ll either explode onto the scene as one of the Jaguars’ top storylines, escaping the shadow of Evan Engram, or he’ll wind up right back where he started, in tight end anonymity. But he’s not anonymous to new offensive coordinator Grant Udinski.

“I think his work ethic, first and foremost, is hopefully a leadership attribute that the guys can model and see what he does on a day-to-day basis,” Udinski said during the team’s mandatory minicamp last week. “I think from a leadership standpoint and just from a player standpoint, you see a guy with a lot of potential to continue to grow, whether it’s in the pass game or the run game.”

Growing in the run game could be huge for Jacksonville. Releasing Engram left a major void in the passing attack – he accounted for 2,094 yards and nine touchdowns on 234 catches over his three years – but he wasn’t considered a good blocker for Travis Etienne and Tank Bigsby.  

Strange could help in that category. And with all eyes on Travis Hunter and Brian Thomas in the passing game, Strange figures to find some holes in defensive coverages this year.

“A guy with a lot of physical traits that can be that balanced tight end and do a lot of different things that this offense will ask him to do,” Udinski added. “You see the potential and the opportunities for growth, not just throughout this spring but hopefully into training camp and beyond.”

Beyond training camp, if Strange can produce solid numbers, he’ll set himself up for a nice contract extension. Jacksonville’s second-round selection (61st overall) in the 2023 draft, Strange enters his third NFL season and will be eligible for an extension following this year.

“The only way for the tight-end market to continue to grow,” San Francisco All-Pro George Kittle said on the Dan Patrick Show last week, “is if everybody’s getting paid. “That’s the only way to do it. You can’t just have one guy do it and then it just sits for four years because then you’re stuck and it’s stagnant and no one’s getting paid.”

For Strange to get paid, he’ll obviously need a breakout season. Kittle has had plenty of those, and that’s why he recently became the highest paid at his position, signing a four-year, $76.4-million extension. New Jacksonville head coach Liam Coen might ask Strange to block more than catch, however.

Last year in Coen’s Tampa Bay offense, the top tight end was Cade Otton. He registered just 600 yards and four touchdowns on 59 catches. But blocking from the position helped rookie Bucky Irving rush for 1,122 yards and Baker Mayfield enjoyed the best year of his career.

If the Jaguars can follow a similar blueprint, Strange might need to trade big numbers for big wins.

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