Could a possible reunion with Tim Tebow, as a tight end, put a smile on Jaguars coach Urban Meyer?
Harry Fodder: OK, I'll bite on Tebow comeback click bait
Friday, April 30, 2021 | Football, Chris Harry
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By: Chris Harry, Senior Writer
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — By virtually all accounts, Urban Meyer's first NFL Draft started off splendidly. A big reason for that, of course, was not his doing. The Jacksonville Jaguars won one game last season and thus put their new coach in position to make the first overall selection and thus land a generational quarterback in Clemson's Trevor Lawrence. With a second first-rounder, the Jags plucked Lawrence's teammate in running back Travis Etienne, the two Atlantic Conference Player of the Year.
All the lame Twitter jokes about Meyer building another ACC championship team aside, clearly the Jags upgraded the offense and gave Meyer some shiny new toys to play with in his first foray into the NFL.
Some red flags might have raised had Meyer taken two (even one) of his former Ohio State players, and convinced the organization to go that direction of the basis of familiarity. That didn't happen and good for them. Maybe Meyer used the "Steve Spurrier NFL Story" as a cautionary tale. Loading up on former Gators (Shane Matthews, Danny Wuerffel, Reidel Anthony, Jacquez Green, Chris Doering, Taylor Jacobs, not to mention a couple coaches) was a bad idea from the start and also sent a bad message within the Washington organization.
[Note: Spurrier's first first-round pick also was a quarterback, but his was the last pick in the 2002 first round, as opposed to the first overall. Tulane's Patrick Ramsey didn't carry the same juice (or resume) as Lawrence, and didn't stick around in the league very long, either.]
But what of the other draft-day development that made headlines in Jacksonville (as well as across the entire NFL)? The one about a certain former Florida quarterback and Meyer alum considering a comeback.
Tim Tebow recently reached out to the Jaguars and requested a tryout at the tight end position, per sources, a move many believe would have extended his NFL career had he made the transition earlier. He recently worked out with the Jaguars' TE coach. No decision has been made.
As far as Gator Nation is concerned a Tim Tebow revival, even as a tight end, would be one of the most-watched off-campus stories in years. Imagine just seeing the 6-foot-4, 250-pounder lining up as a second tight end and helping clear a hole for Etienne on third-and-1; Or the sight of Tebow blocking down and sneaking out for a 7-yard reception on third-and-3; Or, God save us, a touchdown catch, followed by taking a knee and "The Pose." In Jacksonville, no less.
Tebow always has been click bait, but c'mon. Such a moment would break the Internet and shut down Twitter.
The physical nature of playing tight end in the NFL certainly would be an adjustment for Tim Tebow, (No. 15 as a Denver Bronco), but probably not as much as it would be for a lot of other former quarterbacks.
Yes, it's probably a long shot, but who cares? Speculation is what we do. Remember, Tebow hardly embarrassed himself when, at the age of 28, he stepped out of the SEC Network studios and signed a minor-league baseball contract with the New York Mets. He hit .222 with 18 homers in parts of four seasons, including .273 in 84 Double-A games in 2018. He's now 33 years old. And while he's done some hitting (with a bat), he hasn't taken any hits in a while.
But just for kicks, I'll give you a semi-comp.
Logan Thomas was an All-ACC quarterback and three-year starter at Virginia Tech. He was taken by Arizona in the fourth round of the 2014 draft (the sixth quarterback selected), sat on the practice squad for a year and then was basically out of football for two seasons. The 6-6, 250-pound Thomas resurfaced in 2017 as a tight end with Buffalo, where he played two seasons before going to Detroit in 2019. In three seasons, he caught 35 passes and started eight of 40 games for those two teams.
Logan Thomas came into the NFL as a quarterback and last season caught 72 passes as a tight end for the Washington Football team.
Thomas signed with Washington in the 2020 offseason and became an instant go-to receiver, finishing with 72 catches for 670 yards and six touchdowns for a team that won the NFC East Division last fall, then signed a two-year, $6.2 million extension this spring. Thomas is longer, rangier and a better all-around athlete than Tebow, but the point is he re-made himself and jump-started his career.
Maybe Tebow can remake himself and re-start his career.
Here's betting the head coach in Jacksonville would show the project a little patience.
