While Trevor Lawrence’s first appearance in a game for the Jacksonville Jaguars was a struggle, perhaps no one had a worse time than his tight end in his first ever game at the position. Former quarterback and minor league baseball player Tim Tebow is trying his hand at the position this year, and his first game with the Jags saw one play in particular go viral on Saturday night.
According to the Associated Press recap of Jacksonville’s 23-13 preseason loss to the Cleveland Browns, Tebow was “cheered every time he stepped onto the field.” And he almost had a catch! But despite years of talk about how Tebow’s body type would make for a great tight end, at 34 years old he struggled to find his way in an entirely new position.
One clip in particular made the rounds on Saturday, as Tebow showed pretty brutal technique on a blocking attempt and then somehow ended up blocking his own player.
Tim Tebow: TE1pic.twitter.com/1mih6jFhUk
— PFF (@PFF) August 15, 2021
That got a lot of reaction from people who were skeptical of Tebow playing tight end in the first place.
there’s no telling whether tim tebow will make the cut. on one hand, he moves like the marble maze they have in the waiting room at the dentist’s office. on the other hand, he is the best football player in the entire world https://t.co/HefJ75zFu4
— Jon Bois (@jon_bois) August 15, 2021
it really is difficult to enumerate the ways in which it’s fucked up that tim tebow is getting preseason playing time and kaepernick’s just … gone
— Bill Hanstock (@sundownmotel) August 15, 2021
When Tebow check his Twitter after the Jaguars game pic.twitter.com/lNMXbjYW2x
— Josiah Johnson (@KingJosiah54) August 15, 2021
Tim Tebow blocks like a former QB, turned baseball player, turned TE pic.twitter.com/5ct5ibj0d7
— NFL Memes (@NFL_Memes) August 15, 2021
Tebow should not be getting this opportunity. He’s getting it because Urban believes in hiring his friends and family above all others, and the reason it matters is that a more deserving candidate won’t get a chance https://t.co/kBWv5qfXpM https://t.co/WbHBZC1nBh
— Alex Kirshner (@alex_kirshner) August 15, 2021
cmon dog lol https://t.co/zQOYJA2akP
— charles (crying online) mcdonald (@FourVerts) August 15, 2021
Even Shannon Sharpe got into the mix.
No position is easy in the NFL especially IF* you’ve never played it b4. Blocking is all about angles and leverage, IF* I can do it weighing btw 215- 228. He definitely should be able to at 250, gotta get his mind right tho. Watch the tape and get better https://t.co/KDS9bV62cG
— shannon sharpe (@ShannonSharpe) August 15, 2021
A single grainy highlight of Tebow weakly attempting to throw a block and then planting his helmet into his guard’s chest may be an oversimplification of his abilities and potential at the position. But so, too, is it an oversimplification to assume an out-of-work quarterback and struggling minor league baseball player can become a professional tight end in the National Football League.
How long this experiment lasts is entirely up to Jaguars head coach Urban Meyer, which means that it may last longer than it should based on his aptitude on the field. But no matter how many cheers Tebow gets, the results to justify a roster spot may be tough to come by over the next few weeks.
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