AFC Notes: Colts, Jaguars, Titans

Colts

Colts DL coach Brian Baker said he expects there to be a “very competitive camp” for his position group.

“Yeah, it’s going to be a very competitive camp,” Baker said, via Colts.com. “Of the guys right now that I’d probably say, ‘OK, their spot is, as much as you can think, pretty much in stone, it would be Justin and DeForest. And, really, everybody else it’s gonna be a pretty competitive thing.”

“We’ve got a lot of good football players who are going to be competing,” Baker continued. “Like I said: this a group I’m really excited about — really excited about. I can’t wait for camp to start, for our feet to hit the grass, see those guys run around competing. The one thing I’ll guarantee you is that we’re going to have the best defensive line out there; you know, the guys who are out there playing for the blue are going to be the guys who earn that opportunity because of their play and nothing else.”

Jaguars

Jaguars’ second-year QB Gardner Minshew said he’s accustomed to working out on his own from his time at Washington State. Minshew did say that he’s been in constant contact with QBs coach Ben McAdoo and OC Jay Gruden. 

“When I was at Washington State, this was kind of the similar thing because I wasn’t there for the spring, so I had to a lot of it on my own, as well, but we’ve been fortunate,” Minshew said, via Michael DiRocco of ESPN. “We’re meeting everyday with [quarterbacks] coach [Ben] McAdoo, coach Gruden and the other guys in the QB room, and we’re all just helping each other and getting as good of work as we can, and I think you have to take ownership on our own as well.”

Washington State HC Mike Leach praised Minshew’s ability to adjust, adapt, and learn from many different coaches during college, including East Carolina, North West Mississippi Community College, and Washington State. 

“His path [to this point] was a rough path and it was one where he had to adjust,” Leach said. “There’s not many people in the NFL that have been a part of more offenses than Gardner Minshew. He’s an adapter, and he’s skilled at it, and he’s trained at it. All that is going to play into his favor to put his best foot forward.”

Leach said he came away “impressed” with how quickly Minshew was able to learn his offense at Washington State. 

“Amazed might be a little strong, but I was impressed,” Leach said. “The only thing that holds it back from the word amazed is he worked incredibly, incredibly, incredibly hard. He was crazy-focused.”

Jaguars HC Doug Marrone also called Minshew a fast learner after earning a starting role last year. 

“Very few can take it from the classroom to the field [and] that’s why there is a lot of anxiety during this time,” Marrone said. “When I was an assistant coach, I probably had less than 1% of those players that could do that. The rest of them relied on the film work, the walk-through, the making an error and then correcting it to get better. So fortunate for us, Gardner is a guy that can get out there and really learn and try to do what you want when he gets on the field.”

Titans

• Jim Wyatt of the Titans’ official site believes third-round RB Darrynton Evans is an “upgrade” over veteran RB Dion Lewis, but admits that this will depend on how much the rookie “can handle” going forward.
• Wyatt writes that Titans WR Corey Davis‘ future with the organization will come down to his performance this season. 
• Wyatt adds that the Titans’ staff “really likes” Davis, who has proven to be a “willing blocker” in a successful running offense.
• As for the Titans possibly being interested in veteran DT Timmy Jernigan, Wyatt said he hasn’t heard anything so far. 
• Ben Volin of the Boston Globe thinks the Titans are positioned well to weather the unique challenges of the 2020 season given how much continuity they’re bringing back.