Is Gardner Minshew the future quarterback of the Jaguars?

Is Gardner Minshew the future quarterback of the Jacksonville Jaguars and if so what does that mean for Nick Foles going into next season.

Most of the news surrounding the Jaguars has been whether or not Jalen Ramsey will be traded after he requested a trade this week, but I’m here to tell you about what the Jaguars have in a guy named Gardner Minshew and what should have fans excited moving forward this season.

Minshew has only started two games since Nick Foles went down to season-ending injury in week one but he’s showed that he can play well enough for the Jaguars that their season isn’t totally lost. Minshew was a sixth-round draft pick in this year’s NFL draft and some are already comparing him to another quarterback that was also taken in the sixth round back in 2000 by the name of Tom Brady.

It’s way to early to compare him to the all-time great but he’s put up some solid numbers in three games and looks to keep improving each and every week. In three NFL games this season he has 692 passing yards with a 5-1 touchdown to interception ratio. Those aren’t the only stats worth noting either. He has a solid 73.9 completion percentage along with a passer rating of 110.6, according to ESPN.com

Minshew’s best game came in week three, Thursday night against the Tennessee Titans who didn’t look like the same team that beat Cleveland in week one. The Jaguars were led by their defense that looked like it was back to the days when they made it to the AFC championship game two years ago, but don’t let that overshadow Minshew’s performance.

In Thursday nights game he threw for 204 yards while completing 20 of 30 pass attempts. He did throw two touchdowns in this game and what I noticed different with Minshew in this game than in his first two was that he was able to not only get the ball down the field for longer completions but he was also able to put the ball into tight windows for his receivers to make plays.

Although it’s early in his career, he is in a good spot if the defense keeps playing the way they did against Tennessee, recording nine sacks on Marcus Mariota. He has 13 more games this year to showcase his talent and keep improving each and every week to open the door for a quarterback completion soon in Jacksonville once Nick Foles is healthy next season.

While Nick Foles has signed a four-year contract worth $88 million during the offseason you have to wonder if the former Super Bowl MVP won’t be put on the trade block in the offseason if Minshew keeps improving and wins some games for the Jaguars. The Jaguars and Minshew ultimately have to show they can keep winning games and show poise in the pocket or this will be Foles’ team next season.

Before Foles’ injury though, everyone thought the Jacksonville Jaguars would completely fall out of the playoff race. They have lost their first two games of the season, so starting 0-2 doesn’t put them in favorable territory for making the playoffs as only about nine percent of teams make it after dropping the first two.

Now they sit at 1-2 after winning against the Titans and are in a weaker division this year due to Andrew Luck’s retirement hurting the Colts chances as well as the Titans chances with the suspension of left tackle Taylor Lewan for the first four games of the season.

So the Jaguars still have a chance in this division that will be a close one to the end just like last year when Houston rallied from a 0-3 start to win nine straight games to make a postseason run. Houston wasn’t the only team to start poorly last year in that division to make the playoffs. The Indianapolis Colts were 1-5 heading into week seven last season before making a push for the playoffs and being only one of three teams to ever accomplish that mark.

I believe the Jaguars are in good hands with Minshew in the fold to be their next franchise quarterback joining the likes of other late-round draft picks that have had successful NFL careers like Matt Hasselbeck, Mark Bulger, Rich Gannon, and Brad Johnson. Even more recently with Dak Prescott for the Dallas Cowboys who was selected in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL draft.