THE JAGUARS YOUNG OFFENSIVE STARS ARE SAYING AND DOING ALL THE RIGHT THINGS THIS OFFSEASON

DJ Chark (Dannie Walls/Icon Sportswire)

DJ Chark and Gardner Minshew, among others, have been working diligently to make up lost time this offseason.

BY JORDAN DE LUGO

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We are barreling ahead towards the 2020 NFL season. The Jaguars are expected to report to training camp in less than two weeks. And while the outside world might be mocking the Jaguars, within the building, expectations are high. These Jaguars appear ready to block out the noise ... whether or not that will lead to positive results is another story, but publicly, the Jaguars' young offensive stars, appear to be on the right track.

Gardner Minshew and his skill position players have participated in several player-only workouts this offseason, working on routes, timing, and chemistry. Coming together for voluntary workouts is crucial for this young group in an offseason that has been cut short due to COVID-19. 

In the Jaguars.com mini-series, The Hunt, Gardner Minshew and DJ Chark talked about setting expectations for themselves instead of letting outsiders dictate what these young Jags can or can't do. The duo worked closely during their workouts together, fine-tuning the minor details. 

At an offensive skill position work out, Minshew told Jaguars.com, "I believe that we're not going to listen to any of the noise, good or bad. We're going to set really high expectations for ourselves and try to live up to them every day."

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DJ Chark echoed the same sentiment, "In the teams that I've been on that we've been really, really close, we've been able to work even harder, and we've been able to achieve more. So I think having a young team this year with everybody gelling early, we're just willing to fight for each other. We're coming into it knowing that people are doubting us, so we don't have any pressure. The only people that we have something to prove to is ourselves. It's kind of how bad do you want it? And I think as you see today, these guys want it pretty bad."

The Jaguars' young Pro Bowl wideout spoke highly of his QB and the work he and his teammates are putting in this offseason, "Gardner knows this year going into it that he's the starter, so being able to have that connection right now, going forward as a team and getting better as a unit — it helps him be comfortable. This is his team; this is his offense. And you have your players coming out to voluntarily run routes with you. The coaches aren't here, so that's even better. You're building your relationship with your brothers instead of trying to do it for the coaches, so I think that makes it even more significant."

Whether or not the 2020 Jacksonville Jaguars have enough talent and experience to excel on Sundays remains to be seen, but the young offensive skill players are saying and doing all the right things in preparation for a pivotal season. 

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