Jaguars TE is in the spotlight this year; Gerrit Prince could be dark horse of unit

Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson has a reputation as a tight end whisperer, originating during his days with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Pederson furthered that reputation during his first season as the Jaguars' head coach thanks to the production of Evan Engram, who set tight end franchise records for receptions (73) and yards (766) in 2022.

For his career year, Engram was recently rewarded with a three-year, $41.25 million contract extension. He greatly desired to remain in Jacksonville under Pederson's system.

"From Day One, this is exactly what I've wanted," Engram said via the team's website Monday.

More Jaguars coverage:

Electric atmosphere: Getting a first look at the Jaguars completed Miller Electric Center

'Eazy' decision: Jaguars, TE Evan Engram agree to three-year deal prior to Monday deadline

Big people movers: Jaguars remain confident in team's offensive line; Walker Little's role appears fluid

As training camp approaches, the Jaguars' tight end unit will be fully displayed with Engram at the forefront. This offseason, Jacksonville parted ways with veteran tight ends Chris Manhertz (Denver Broncos) and Dan Arnold (Eagles) but selected former Penn State TE Brenton Strange in the second round.

The team will rely on a mix of old and new for this year's unit.

Jaguars tight end depth chart features variety of talent

The Jaguars drafted Strange in hopes of pairing him with Engram and utilizing his skillset in various ways.

The unit also includes third-year TE Luke Farrell, who is in line for more playing time as one of the team's best blocking tight ends.

In his two years with the team, Farrell has been targeted just 15 times, catching 11 passes for 96 yards through 32 games.

"It's been great for Luke [Farrell]. He didn't get a ton — he played — but he didn't get a ton of balls thrown his way last year, or a lot of routes, he was more of a blocker for us. This has been a really good offseason for him," Pederson said in June.

The group is rounded out by first- and second-year players including Gerrit Prince, Sammis Reyes and Pederson's son, Josh Pederson.

"It's been a great offseason for Gerrit [Prince], coming off the practice squad and being around the system and then the other guys were all kind of new, kind of new to the team. But, I think Gerrit and Luke both have really taken a step forward."

Could Prince be a dark horse for the tight-end unit?

Prince originally signed with the Jaguars as an undrafted free agent out of UAB in 2022, spending the entire season on the practice squad.

Due to his time on the practice squad, the majority of his film for evaluation came in the form of scout-team looks, but he feels the experience last year and heading into his second season in the pros will boost his chances of making the team.

"I'm trying to make a name for myself, trying to stick around for the long run. I'm excited about it. I feel like I have a lot to prove this year. Excited to show what I can do," Prince told the Times-Union in June.

The majority of Prince's rookie season was spent trying to learn the league and get a sense of belonging as he continued his career. Through the process, he gave himself a bit of confidence because of the time he spent on the practice field.

"Just getting reps and practice," Prince said of the reason for his confidence boost.

"Getting a lot stronger in the weight room, getting more in shape. At this level, with these types of guys, just learning how we do things, getting coached up and taking advice from people like Evan, Chris Manhertz and [Dan] Arnold, it's really invaluable. Can't express how much you can learn in a year. I've probably learned more this year than I have in the past four or five years playing football."

Pederson said Prince's willingness to learn is what stands out about the young tight end. He showed his athleticism and run-after-catch ability last year, and now he will get an opportunity to show it again during camp.

"Those are all things that we wanted to see in a second-year player, but really he's also young enough to know that he's a rookie in our offense, really. He only had one preseason — last year — and then he was [on the] practice squad. So, he's had a whole offseason now to really dive into the offense and take another step and he's headed in the right direction."

Prince already had a standout moment while getting in some reps at practice without the presence of Engram during the offseason.

Prince went out on a pump route toward the sideline, catching the ball over a Jaguars defender's head for a touchdown.

"It's something that I've been doing for a while, I've been doing it for my whole football career," he said. "It's just nice to get out here and be able to show it."

Moving forward, Prince looks forward to catching passes from quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who he called the "elite of the elite," at the position.

"He's up there with anybody. I would take him against anybody," Prince said. "I mean, the dude's incredible. It's like every day he'll throw you a ball and it's just kind of like '[dang], I'm catching balls from Trevor Lawrence. [I've] known about him forever. It's a cool experience, I'm living my dream."

Demetrius Harvey is the Jacksonville Jaguars reporter for the Florida Times-Union. You can follow him on Twitter at @Demetrius82.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jaguars boast young TE unit; Gerrit Prince has a chance to stand out