JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA – MAY 09: Nate Boerkircher #87 of the Jacksonville Jaguars practices throughout rookie minicamp at Miller Electrical Middle on Could 09, 2026 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photograph by Logan Bowles/Getty Photographs) | Getty Photographs
On Saturday, the Jacksonville Jaguars kicked off rookie minicamp with 36 on-field members on the Miller Electrical Middle, and it was an encouraging first day.
Rookie Minicamp Tryout Gamers: (2)
QB Derek Robertson (Monmouth, #6)
P Tyler Perkins (Iowa State, #4)
Non-Rookie Contributors: (6)
RB Ja’Quinden Jackson (#38)
WR Chandler Brayboy (#15)
TE Patrick Herbert (#88)
DT Keivie Rose (#97)
CB Keni-H Pretty (#31)
S Trevian Thomas (#34)
Quarterbacks and cross catchers ran a noticeably clear operation of their first take a look at a brand new offense led by undrafted free agent QB Joey Aguilar out of Tennessee, sporting No. 17. A fairly clear operation, with minimal alignment points or dropped passes within the staff’s second apply, feels notable following the 2025 offseason struggles in each areas early on.
Regardless of the environment friendly passing sport, the rookie showcase remained a murmured, ongoing media cloud surrounding Jacksonville’s second-round choice, tight finish Nate Boerkircher. Across the NFL, the choice of the previous Aggie at choose No. 56 has continued to attract appreciable backlash from the consensus board crowd, however head coach Liam Coen addressed the criticism head-on when explaining the staff’s offseason plan on the place.
“It’s about our consensus and what we consider on this constructing about every participant and the way they slot in and character issues, private and soccer character issues. The psychological, the educational, how a lot they will soak up a brief time frame to go be capable to get on the grass and go play. I wouldn’t say both of our offensive or defensive programs are quote-unquoteeasy, so we do worth gamers that may do various things and be capable to go mentally play the sport quick.”
"We don't really care"There's been loads of criticism surrounding the #jaguars draft class as an entire however particularly on how excessive they drafted TE Nate Boerkircher (No. 56).Right here's each Liam Coen and Boerkircher speaking about it#duuuval pic.twitter.com/vVOIowv6hd
— Rachel Phillips (@rachphillipstv) Could 9, 2026
Coen reconfirmed that the tight finish place was excessive on his precedence record on this draft class, pointing particularly to how ceaselessly Jacksonville deployed six offensive lineman units in 2025. His reasoning was easy: changing a kind of linemen with a good finish provides the offense a secondary stage of versatility {that a} conventional sixth offensive lineman merely can not present.
“It was up there. It was definitely up there. We kind of went into it looking back at – not necessarily our group as a whole as why we need more – it’s more, I mean, we had two active for three, four games, whatever it was. And that’s just not a world I want to live in and what it limits you. I really appreciate Chuma [Edoga] and Cole [Van Lanen] for doing that stuff, but you limit what you can do.”
Whereas the multi-tight finish pattern has seemingly grow to be one thing of a leaguewide obsession, Coen was cautious to not overstate the intention behind Jacksonville’s funding on the place. The first profit, as he framed it, wasn’t merely about getting larger or heavier. It’s about choices. A deeper, extra versatile tight finish group provides a play caller the flexibility to current a number of seems, stress defenses in several methods, and preserve opposing coordinators guessing with out tipping the offensive hand earlier than the snap.
For Coen, the tight ends aren’t overtaking his base offense. They’re merely a key to unlocking extra of it.
“I think the interesting thing about the tight end position or getting bigger is if you can get a bigger grouping on defense, but your tight ends have the ability to spread out and do different things in the pass game, well, you can present 13-personnel pictures or even 12. I like 12 a lot personally, but you can also present 11-personnel pictures, 10-personnel pictures, spread open, empty formations. Now you’re just challenging the defense in base defense to have a lot more calls. You have to have a lot more checks, a lot more adjustments. And look, I believe that there is going to be an uptick probably in the NFL next year in heavier personnel groupings. I’m not sure we’re going to over rotate to a point where we want to get slower or less explosive. We still have some pretty damn good wideouts that I like to use, so I just think it’ll be interesting to see the trends.”
The noise hasn’t gone away, however Saturday gave Boerkircher his first actual alternative to reply it on the sector, and he delivered his opening strains effectively. The Texas A&M product seemed extra snug as a cross catcher than his repute advised, shifting easily out and in of routes with out a drop on the day.
#Jaguars rookie TE Nate Boerkircher pic.twitter.com/cztcBV9qC5
— Demetrius Harvey (@Demetrius82) Could 9, 2026
Jags prime choose, TE Nate Boerkircher pic.twitter.com/6DLudRj1Vn
— Rick Ballou (@Ballou1010xl) Could 9, 2026
It most likely shouldn’t require a headline that an NFL tight finish caught the soccer cleanly in a minicamp setting, with out an opponent trying to knock it down. But, given the narrative that adopted his choice, it does. It’s one apply. Nevertheless it’s a begin, and proper now, that’s precisely what Boerkircher and the Jaguars wanted. On to the following one.
