JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – On Thursday, quarterbacks around the NFL -- including the Jaguars’ own Gardner Minshew -- reported for training camp.
Anthony Tumbarello, who has been working with Minshew for the majority of the off-season, said the quarterback has made a lot of progress and that he’s bigger, stronger and faster than he was at the end of the 2019 season.
“He is probably one of the hardest workers in the room,” Tumbarello said.
With off-season workouts canceled because of COVID-19, Minshew has had to workout on his own with the help of his personal trainer. Tumbarello said Minshew is coming into the 2020 season focused and ready to prove his doubters wrong.
“It has put a chip on his shoulder, like, alright guys let get to work and prove people wrong by how we play on the football field,” Tumbarello said.
News4Jax sports analyst Mark Brunell is worried that not having off-season workouts or preseason games could hurt Minshew’s on-the-field development.
“I am hoping Gardner will be fine,” Brunell said. “I hope that he is a much better quarterback than he was, but maybe I’m talking from personal experience because I needed the practice. I needed the reps especially in the early part of my career. I needed the practice reps and game reps. If I hadn’t had that, my development would have taken a long time because there is no substitute for being able to get on the field.”
The rest of the Jaguars roster is scheduled to report on Tuesday. The NFL Players Association announced Thursday that all 32 teams have submitted their infectious disease emergency response plans.
The Jaguars plan is still being reviewed. Until that plan is approved the team cannot have more than 20 players inside the facility.