Through 13 weeks of ball, the Jacksonville Jaguars are one of the NFL’s great paradoxes. When they’re right — when Trevor Lawrence is operating in rhythm, when the offense is on schedule, when matchups are manipulated, and the field is stretched horizontally and vertically — they look like a top-tier contender capable of beating anyone.

But when they’re not, when Lawrence’s mechanics get scattered, or his reads get rushed, the offense can fall into maddening lulls that make Jacksonville look disconnected and inconsistent. And looking forward, for the Jaguars to make a real run in January, that rollercoaster has to flatten. Consistency has to become the identity, not the exception.

And that starts with giving their quarterback early answers — throws on first down, leverage beaters on third-and-four, high-percentage targets inside the red zone that allow Lawrence to control games, instead of feeling like he has to rescue them.

That’s where Brenton Strange becomes indispensable.

Brenton Strange is a playmakers for the Jaguars

A second-round pick out of Penn State a few years back, Brenton Strange has quietly emerged as one of Jacksonville’s most efficient weapons. He’s caught 28 of his 33 targets — a ridiculous 84.8 percent catch rate — showing both reliability and chemistry with Lawrence.

On those catches, Strange has amassed 342 receiving yards and, finally, found the end zone in Week 13 against Tennessee, a sign that his role could be expanding at the right time.

With arms wiiiide open!

RT to #ProBowlVote for Brenton Strange & Trevor Lawrence#JAXvsTEN on CBSpic.twitter.com/UrZbJ4hDwY

— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) November 30, 2025

At 6-foot-4, Strange brings a prototype frame with rare dual-purpose utility. He can anchor as an inline blocker, giving Jacksonville multiplicity in the run game with Travis Etienne. He can widen defensive fronts, create edges, and force linebackers to play more honest in their fits, but he’s just as valuable flexed out in the slot, detached as an H-back, or even isolated against smaller defenders — where he becomes a math-changer.

The bottom line — he’s the mismatch piece this offense has long lacked.

Related: Bill Cowher confirms what the Jaguars are noticing about Trevor Lawrence

Brenton Strange gives the Jaguars a chess piece on offense

With Brian Thomas Jr. commanding attention outside and Etienne stressing defenses from the backfield, Strange occupies the soft tissue of defenses: the seams, sit routes against zone, the red-zone leverage points where Lawrence needs quick, decisive answers.

In playoff football, quarterbacks don’t win alone. They need outlets. They need matchups. They need someone who expands the playbook without telegraphing intention.

Strange is becoming exactly that for Jacksonville.

If the Jaguars can find consistency — if Lawrence stays in rhythm, if the offense remains diverse, if matchups are dictated instead of reacted to — don’t be surprised if the turning point is the third-year tight end who can do everything, and is just now being fully unlocked.