Kirk (groin) said Monday at OTAs that he feels back to full health and looks forward to leading Jacksonville's revamped wide receiver room, Shaaz Peerani of ABC News reports. Kirk missed the final five games of the 2023 season due to a groin issue, but he said that he's now healthy and "ready to wake some people back up and remind them of the type of player I am." The 27-year-old is now the most experienced starter in the Jaguars' wideout corps, with Calvin Ridley and Zay Jones having been replaced by Gabe Davis and rookie first-rounder Brian Thomas. Kirk praised Thomas and second-year pro Parker Washington, but the 27-year-old is the favorite to re-emerge as Trevor Lawrence's most trusted target, with tight end Evan Engram also primed to occupy a key role in the passing game.
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Kirk (groin) said Monday at OTAs that he feels back to full health and looks forward to leading Jacksonville's revamped wide receiver room, Shaaz Peerani of ABC News reports. Kirk missed the final five games of the 2023 season due to a groin issue, but he said that he's now healthy and "ready to wake some people back up and remind them of the type of player I am." The 27-year-old is now the most experienced starter in the Jaguars' wideout corps, with Calvin Ridley and Zay Jones having been replaced by Gabe Davis and rookie first-rounder Brian Thomas. Kirk praised Thomas and second-year pro Parker Washington, but the 27-year-old is the favorite to re-emerge as Trevor Lawrence's most trusted target, with tight end Evan Engram also primed to occupy a key role in the passing game.
Kirk stepped out of bounds on the 1-yard line at the end of a 57-yard catch with one second left in the first half. That play helped him ultimately tie for the team lead in receiving yards with Calvin Ridley, though Ridley scored his third touchdown in the past two games while Kirk has been stuck on three touchdowns since Week 7. Despite Ridley's recent uptick in production, Kirk still leads the team with 761 receiving yards heading into a Week 13 Monday Night Football home game against the Bengals.
Kirk was the only member of Jacksonville's offense that found a modicum of success against San Francisco's stout defense, as no teammate produced more than 44 scrimmage yards. His fumble was a costly one, though, as it came on San Francisco's 6-yard line. Kirk entered Week 10 one target shy of tight end Evan Engram's team lead, but Kirk surpassed Engram in that category and now leads the Jaguars in targets (71) and receiving yards (624), as well as receiving touchdowns (three). The wide receiver will have a nice opportunity to add to those totals in Week 11 against Tennessee's underwhelming secondary, one day after his 27th birthday.
Kirk came into the game leading Jacksonville in targets and receiving yards, but he finished fourth on the team in both categories in this one behind Evan Engram, Calvin Ridley and Travis Etienne. Those four players account for the majority of the Jaguars' scrimmage yards, but one or two usually take a back seat on any given week. Kirk drew the short straw this time but will look to build on his season totals of 43 catches for 520 yards and three touchdowns on 60 targets when the Jaguars face the 49ers in Week 10 after a Week 9 bye.