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How Jaguars' Christian Kirk's leadership, experience drive Jacksonville's 2024 offense
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- How Jaguars' Christian Kirk's leadership, experience drive Jacksonville's 2024 offense
Christian Kirk finds himself in an interesting position as the Jacksonville Jaguars head toward the start of the regular season.
Not only because he's the eldest receiver on the roster for the first time in his career, but Kirk found out just how valuable he is to the team last season.
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After suffering what turned out to be a season-ending core injury while the team was 8-3, the Jaguars began to slide without Kirk on the field. The team lost five of their last six games and missed the playoffs as Kirk watched from the sideline.
Now, after a full offseason of recovery, Kirk finds himself as the lone returning starter among Jacksonville's receiving corps. And as the incumbent leader of the group, he's responsible for taking care of all his guys.
Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Gabe Davis (0) greets wide receiver Christian Kirk (13) on the field during the fifth day of the NFL football training camp practice session Monday, July 29, 2024 at EverBank Stadium's Miller Electric Center in Jacksonville, Fla..
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That's why when cornerback Buster Brown levied an aggressive hit onto Gabe Davis during the second week of training camp, Kirk was the first player to come to the defense of Davis.
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"Especially [in] our room, no matter what, we ride for one another. And I want that to be the culture in our room," Kirk told the Times-Union earlier this week. "I just want that mentality that we're going to be the aggressors and we're not going to back down to anybody."
The scuffle was just that, a scuffle. Punches weren't thrown and it didn't carry over into more instances across training camp. Credit Kirk for that too, according to offensive coordinator Press Taylor.
"I stayed in there after practice, kind of watching guys finish practice. I watched Christian go grab Buster, talk to [him], man-to-man, have a conversation," Taylor said. "'That's not the expectations.' Nothing spilled into the locker room. I think from that standpoint, that part of the leadership is what makes it even better … I think that was just a great move of leadership by Christian."
Kirk was held out of the final two weeks of training camp for a calf injury that he described as minor. While on the sidelines he was able to get mental reps he typically can't get in-season.
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He also had a chance to watch second-year receiver Parker Washington and other receivers and learn from them, something that's usually reversed.
"My ego isn't that big. I put my ego to the side and I want to learn from everybody," Kirk said. "Just being able to learn from guys, see how they do it, and really just challenge my mind when I'm in the film room. Really staying engaged and locked in as if I was on the field, taking those notes."
Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) smiles at Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Christian Kirk (13) and wide receiver Gabe Davis (0) during a combined NFL football training camp session between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Jacksonville Jaguars Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2024 at EverBank Stadium’s Miller Electric Center in Jacksonville, Fla. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]
The season opener against the Dolphins will be the first time Kirk plays in a regular season game since last December.
And with the time missed in joint practices with the Buccaneers and the final preseason game against the Falcons, Kirk finished the preseason logging only one quarter of play against opponents.
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Still, as the season draws nearer, there's a prevalent feeling for the veteran pass catcher.
Excitement.
"The work will come to light. I'm really confident [about] where we're at," Kirk said as a smile grew across his face. "We have a long way to go. I just think, with the core guys that we have here, with the group that we have. I just know that if we just stay consistent week-in and week-out, we'll be able to accomplish all that we want to."
Juston Lewis is a Jacksonville Jaguars beat reporter for the Florida Times-Union. You can follow him on the website formerly known as Twitter at @JustonLewis_ .
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jaguars' Christian Kirk on his mentality: 'We ride for one another'
