JACKSONVILLE, Fla. ā Tim Tebow is one of the first to arrive at Jacksonville Jaguars practice. He jogs onto the field, stretches a little, catches footballs from a Jugs machine, then finds his usual spot in the teamās warmup lines. Heās waaaay in the back, just in front of a rookie.
Tebowās far from the spotlight, right where coach Urban Meyer wants the 2007 Heisman Trophy winner for now.
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āItās one of 90 trying to make the team,ā Meyer says.
Tebow will open training camp Wednesday as Jacksonvilleās fourth- or fifth-string tight end, not all that surprising given heās closing in on his 34th birthday; started playing the position five months ago; and is trying to return to the NFL after spending the previous five years in the New York Metsā organization. He hit .223 with 18 home runs and 107 RBIs while never making it to the big leagues.
He asked Meyer, his college coach at nearby Florida, for a tryout after retiring from baseball in January. Meyer obliged and ended up giving him a one-year contract worth $920,000, the minimum for a player with three accrued NFL seasons. The low-risk deal includes no guaranteed money, so Tebow would have to make the team to earn a dime.
And thatās the uncertain part. Jacksonville already has three tight ends essentially locked into roster spots: run-blocking specialist Chris Manhertz who was a top target in free agency; fellow veteran James OāShaughnessy, whose one-year, $1.59 million contract is mostly guaranteed; and fifth-round draft pick Luke Farrell, who played for Meyer at Ohio State.
Jacksonville also has Tyler Davis, a sixth-round selection in 2020, and second-year pro Ben Ellefson, whom Meyer calls one of the most improved at the position.
The Jaguars have offered little information about Tebowās transition, partly because they donāt want the former star quarterback becoming a daily distraction.
The rebuilding team didnāt make Tebow or any other tight end available for media interviews during organized team activities and canceled position coach Tyler Bowenās scheduled session at the last minute in June.
Offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell, meanwhile, mentioned four tight ends ā just about everyone but Tebow ā when asked about competition at the spot.
āSome of the things that the tight end position is asked to do is really not going to show up in a camp like this,ā he said following a three-day minicamp last month. āItās a physical position. Itās part offensive line and itās part wide receiver. So some of the stuff is not going to be able to show up, but itās a much-improved room from top to bottom.ā
No doubt Tebow will have a better chance of standing out when players start practicing in full pads next week. The 6-foot-3, 245-pounder has always been one of the more imposing guys on the field ā big, strong and eager to run over anyone in his path.
Itās one of the reasons Meyer believes his best position could be tight end. But to make the Jaguars, Tebow might need to be more versatile than ever: a dependable backup tight end, a core special teams player, a wildcat option in short-yardage and goal-line situations. Maybe even an emergency QB.
No matter what he does, heās sure to still have doubters.
āAs a player that went through training camp with Tim, thereās going to be players rolling their eyes at how much attention the fourth- or fifth-string tight end gets,ā former New York Jets quarterback and current ESPN college football analyst Greg McElroy said. āItās going to (tick) people off. As a result, itās going to affect locker room chemistry, like it did with us with the Jets. Not because thereās animosity toward Tim, but thereās animosity toward the coverage Tim receives. I think itās a stupid move.
āYouāre starting your tenure at Jacksonville, youāre setting the tone and people say he can help with leadership. Let me tell you what helps with leadership in the NFL: money. You want guys to be incentivized? Pay them. ... I think it really undercuts what Urban Meyer is trying to build.ā
Although some question how such a polarizing figure, one who already failed to stick as a quarterback and as an outfielder, fits in an NFL locker room, teammates have publicly welcomed Tebow.
āHeās attacking special-teams drills. Heās attacking every drill. Heās running drill to drill. Everything is high energy with him,ā Jaguars quarterback Gardner Minshew said on former NFL defensive end Chris Longās podcast last week. āIf he messes something up ā¦ it affects him. He doesnāt like it. He wants to get it right. Heās going to go to the side, get a couple reps, get it right and come back in. And heās just a guy that genuinely wants it, man. Itās awesome to see.ā
How Tebow's comeback story ends will be determined over the next five weeks ā or maybe longer. He has practice squad eligibility, so he could land there to start the 2021 season and work to better hone his new position. In the meantime, Minshew, for one, will enjoy the opportunity to play alongside a guy whose No. 15 jersey (Tebow is wearing 85 now) he wore growing up.
āHeās a pretty bad dude,ā Minshew said. "It's so cool, man. And you meet him and heās everything youād want him to be and more. Like, itās so cool.ā
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