During the first day of training camp practice for the Jacksonville Jaguars, rookie tight ends Nate Boerkircher and Tanner Koziol each saw their share of opportunities with the first-team offense.
Certainly, those opportunities speak to what they've put on film throughout the offseason and the work they've put in away from the practice field. But as head coach Liam Coen described after practice, he also wants to put the rookies in some new situations to see how they respond.
"It's also trying to put them in some positions that maybe are a little uncomfortable early on, like putting them in some positions that we got to go see what they can do in terms of that," Coen said. "And not that we know what Hunter and know what Quinton can do -- I think
both those guys had good days as well, Hunter and Q -- we got to see what these guys can do against NFL competition, against a good defensive line, whether it's with the first group or the second group."
Boerkircher was a terrific blocking tight end at the college level and the Jaguars believe he can impact the passing game as well. That well-rounded skill set, especially when paired with Brenton Strange and all he can do, can help add a new layer to the offense and open up the playbook for Coen.
Koziol, meanwhile, was more of a pass-catching threat during his college career.
While Coen recently dismissed the notion that the Jaguars' investment in the tight end position this offseason automatically means that they will utilize heavier personnel packages at a much higher rate, we could see an uptick in 12 and 13 personnel usage from Jacksonville as a way to exploit defenses.
That said, ultimately the matchups will dictate what that usage looks like on a weekly basis, and the Jaguars need to know that they can depend on their young tight ends in order for those personnel packages to be effective.
"It's something that I know the whole league is going to big personnel and all that," added Coen. "We're just kind of experimenting and seeing where can we -- you got two personnels, 11 and 12, right? Well, you're always hunting up that third personnel. And so, what is that next personnel going to be that we can use as a change up as something that man, if we're seeing a defensive structure, whether it's 13 or whatever it is, can we take advantage of it and use it more within that game plan? That's more along the lines of what we're trying to get accomplished."
Strange will lead the way at this position, and it's assumed that Boerkircher will have a role from the jump. It remains to be seen how consistently Koziol will see the field, while Quintin Morris and Hunter Long may end up competing for the final roster spot.
This article originally appeared on Jaguars Wire: 2 Jaguars rookies earn immediate reps with starters in training camp
