Brenton Strange
Strange is the Jaguars' clear starting tight end and Trevor Lawrence's safety valve, with target volume that has risen over the last two games.
Role
RotoWire's TE snap distribution (undated, indexed after Week 4) has him first among Jaguars tight ends at 79% of team snaps. The next tight end on that table, apparently Nate Boerkircher, is at 46%. A TWSN piece dated Oct 7 puts his snap rate at 78.8% and 0.22 targets per route run through four games. He had eight targets in each of the last two games, 26 through five games. He has 21 catches for 235 yards and 1 TD (ESPN, CBS). Wide receivers take a large share of the targets. Yahoo noted six Jaguars had multiple catches against the Eagles. ESPN's depth list shows Boerkircher, Brenden Bates, Tanner Koziol and Quintin Morris behind him, but I did not read an official depth chart.
CBS and ESPN say he is re-establishing himself as Lawrence's preferred safety valve, which they say assures a solid floor for volume. He caught 7 of 8 targets in each of the last two games. Yahoo calls him a reliable TE2 with upside if he starts finding the end zone. He has one touchdown through five games.
ESPN's preseason outlook calls him a low-ceiling TE2 because the team is so well stocked at wide receiver. It also says he has rarely been used near the goal line. His targets were 2 and 5 in Weeks 2 and 3, so the eight-target games are a short run. FantasyData earlier said the receiver group makes consistent volume hard to come by.
Where analysts split
The disagreement is whether the Weeks 4 and 5 volume (8 targets each) is a new baseline or a blip in a receiver-heavy offense. Nobody I found disputes his role as the top tight end. The sources differ on whether his touchdown upside will ever match the volume.
Research confidence: reported. Outlooks are grounded in web search over current reporting and refreshed through the season.
Others at TE
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