Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen may seek a Mike Evans-esque role on the outside for Tim Patrick after the 31-year-old was acquired from the Detroit Lions. Coen's helped scheme Evans to the most consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons to start a career (11) and become the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' franchise leader in receiving yards and touchdowns as offensive coordinator.
While Bleacher Report's Kristopher Knox concedes Patrick is no Evans, he believes Coen could look to use the former across the field, in motion and screen sets, in the same fashion he did the latter.
"Patrick doesn't possess the exact skill set of Buccaneers receiver Mike Evans, but he can give Coen a similar size mismatch to utilize in short-yardage situations and in the red zone. He'll also give Jacksonville something it doesn't have in top receivers Brian Thomas Jr., Dyami Brown and Travis Hunter," Knox wrote.
"The compensation is a bit underwhelming for Detroit, but there's logic behind unloading Patrick. Doing so fully opens the door for rookie Isaac TeSlaa to become the team's third receiver and should provide earlier opportunities for rookie Dominic Lovett to see the field."
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Knox gave the Jaguars an "A" grade for the deal, while the Lions got a "B." As Knox noted, a single 2026 NFL draft pick is a minimal return for a player being asked to step up in a big way in Jacksonville.
Patrick being traded was a surprise to some, with Detroit not profiling as a rebuilding team in any conceivable way. Opening the door for a rookie to be WR3 is undeniably a risk. But Isaac TeSlaa's training camp performance made the former Arkansas Razorback undeniable.
The Jaguars did well to be the franchise to get the Lions to make that leap. Especially because they're the ones landing the proven veteran for pennies on the dollar.
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