Skip to content

Report: 'Non-existent' blocking among reasons Jaguars moving on from Thomas

Don Juan Moore / Getty Images Sport / Getty

A trade sending Julius Thomas to the Miami Dolphins will conclude the tight end's time in Jacksonville just two seasons after he landed a lucrative five-year deal in free agency.

His disappointing production over that stretch, managing just 736 yards and nine touchdowns, will be considered the main reason that the Jaguars looked to cut ties this winter.

As a source told Ryan O'Halloran of The Florida Times-Union, though, Thomas' lack of blocking had posed another significant issue for the Jaguars' offense overall.

"His blocking was non-existent," the source explained. "If he was on the field, he was the second tight end and that meant a receiver came off the field and the team speed went down. And if he was on the field with Robinson, Hurns, and Lee, it was a clear giveaway to defenses that it was a pass or a run away from him because he couldn't be at the point of attack."

Criticizing that area of his game is entirely fair, as Thomas has never made much of a difference as an in-line blocker.

But at the same time, it's reasonable to wonder exactly what it was that the Jaguars were expecting when they signed him to a five-year, $46-million contract. Knowing that he was used exclusively to create mismatches in the passing game with the Broncos, surely Jacksonville couldn't have had sights set on a more traditional tight end role.

Either way, the two sides are now just over a week away from having the split become official.

Jacksonville did well to get late-round draft compensation in exchange for Thomas' services, and the Dolphins will hope that reuniting him with Adam Gase can help him to get back on track as a gamebreaking receiver.

Thomas racked up 109 receptions for 1,282 yards and an impressive 24 touchdowns with Gase as offensive coordinator during his final two seasons in Denver.

Daily Newsletter

Get the latest trending sports news daily in your inbox