Jacksonville Jaguars go back to rookie quarterback Gardner Minshew

The Jacksonville Jaguars turn back to rookie quarterback Gardner Minshew against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Just a couple of weeks ago, the Jacksonville Jaguars went back to Nick Foles at the quarterback position. If they were a legitimately competitive team, I would have understood the move. However, in the Jags’ actual reality, rookie Gardner Minshew should have remained the starter.

Regardless of what I think, the Jaguars turned back to Foles, sending the rookie back to the bench. That being said, after Foles’ terrible first half against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, Minshew Mania is back.

In that first half against Tampa Bay, Foles completed 7-of-14 passes for 93 yards and an interception. He also fumbled the ball twice, both times the ball was recovered by the defense. With Foles consistently turning the ball over, the Jags figured it would not hurt to turn back to their rookie quarterback.

The move back to Foles never made any sense to me. The Jacksonville Jaguars were operating as a team that felt like they could go to the Super Bowl. The Jags are not a terrible team, but if they are being honest with themselves, they are playing for 2020 and beyond. Minshew showed enough earlier this season that we can at least dream on him becoming a legitimate franchise quarterback in the NFL. Foles is nothing more than a stop-gap guy.

Hopefully, this halftime move to Minshew is not just a short-term idea. The Jaguars need to stick with Minshew throughout the rest of the season. If he plays well down the stretch, the Jacksonville knows that they have their franchise quarterback of the future. They can start to build their roster and scheme around Minshew as their franchise guy.

If they stick with Foles at quarterback, the Jaguars will not be able to learn what they have in Minshew. They are a 4-7 team that is about to go to 4-8. Give your rookie quarterback a chance to prove himself.