Tim Tebow is going to be back in the NFL because Urban Meyer still thinks it’s 2007 at the University of Florida. Hell, he’s only an hour and a half up the road from Gainesville now that he’s in Jacksonville. I’m sure the 33-year-old former Heisman Trophy winner that flamed out in the NFL and hasn’t been in a game in nine years and is switching positions is totally going to be a valuable asset.
Logic tells me that Tebow is a long shot to even make the team. After all, he’s never even played the position. However, the depth chart at the position is what I would kindly refer to as “less than inspiring.” The Jaguars used a fifth-round pick on Luke Farrell out of Ohio State, but after him is a smattering of unimpressive veterans. With the history that Tebow and Meyer have together, I get a really bad feeling that he might actually make the 53-man roster.
Maybe Meyer wants to use him like Sean Payton uses Taysom Hill in New Orleans. I can fully see Meyer concocting Tebow wildcat formations in his sleep and trying to use him as a power runner. Tebow would give him the ability to run some crazy formations and put him on the field in a swiss army knife type of role, but what about the other things tight ends are supposed to do — like block?
This reminds me of when Chip Kelly tried to turn Philadelphia into Eugene East, bringing in a whole host of former Oregon players to fill out his roster. He quickly learned that just bringing in guys you used to coach while attempting to run your college scheme at the professional level is not a recipe for success. Granted, Meyer ran a much more pro-style offense in his time at Ohio State, but giving this guy a shot after nine years away from football at a position he’s never played is desperate and obtuse.
Meyer is trending in the direction of upsetting his locker room. If he keeps up stunts such as this one, it’s entirely possible that veteran players will struggle to take him seriously. If Meyer thinks that his team would benefit from an additional tight end, allow me to suggest some actual tight ends: Darren Fells, Josh Hill, Virgil Green, Trey Burton, Jake Butt — all of whom are currently free agents, and all of whom actually know how to play the position.