The Jaguars drafted receivers Marqise Lee and Allen Robinson to complement Cecil Shorts, but it was the unheralded Allen Hurns who made waves at minicamp, writes Mike Sando for ESPN Insider (subscription required). Hurns, who went undrafted out of Miami, saw quite a few snaps during practice sessions and made the most of them, even earning praise from quarterback Chad Henne. By signing with Jacksonville, Hurns reunites with offensive coordinator Jedd Fisch, who served in the same capacity with the Hurricanes from from 2011-2012.
- Speaking of Shorts, he is one of many Jaguars veterans who feels that the team will take a step forward in 2014, per John Oehser of Jaguars.com. “I believe we’ve gotten better from where we were last year. I believe we’re way ahead of where we were last year,” said Shorts. “…Last year, we were about learning the plays and trying to figure out what to do…Now, we have the same playbook. Now, we understand everything.”
- In a piece kicking off his Best and Worst Contracts series, Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap examines the Texans roster, labeling Andre Johnson as the player on the most team-friendly deal, and Arian Foster as having the least favorable contract from management’s perspective.
- New Texans defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel knows it will be a challenge to repair a unit that struggled last season, but he tells ESPN.com’s Tania Ganguli that he doesn’t think the 2013 team was lacking effort. “…[E]veryone thinks when you are 2-14 that you are no good,” said Crennel. “Your record is what it is, but from what I saw on tape, I saw guys hustling, I saw guys giving effort and guys being in the game in the fourth quarter. That indicated to me that maybe they weren’t that far away.” Houston ranked 18th in DVOA and forced a league-low 11 turnovers in 2013.
- Colts punter Pat McAfee wants to add another job title to his résumé — placekicker. He hit several attempts from over 60 yards during minicamp, writes Mike Chappell of the Indianapolis, but the 27-year-old doesn’t expect to get a chance at the kicking job any time soon, what with the presence of veteran Adam Vinatieri on the roster. Handing the two duties to a single player would be an interesting idea, though, as it would free up an active roster spot on gameday.