JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- One of the things that Tom Coughlin values most in his players is toughness. He once raved about receivers coach Keenan McCardell practicing despite a separated shoulder during his first tenure with the Jacksonville Jaguars, and he hoped McCardell would make an impact in that area on the team's receivers.
You'd better believe that played a part in why the Jaguars are bringing back Marqise Lee.
It wasn't long ago that lauding Lee's toughness would have generated a lot of laughter.
Lee seemed to be hurt from the moment he stepped onto the practice field for organized team activities in 2014. He fought a hamstring injury during the first half of his rookie season and missed three games before finishing with 37 catches for 422 yards and one touchdown. After missing most of training camp, all of the preseason and six of the first eight games because of a hamstring injury, Lee finally got healthy and stayed on the field for the Jaguars’ final eight games in 2015 -- but he caught just 15 passes.
However, Lee played in every game in 2016 and all but two games in 2017, even though he fought through rib and ankle injuries for much of the second half of the season. He has 119 catches for 1,553 yards and six TDs the past two seasons while Allen Hurns was missing 11 games and Allen Robinson was missing 15.
Lee isn't the dynamic playmaker the Jaguars envisioned when they drafted him 39th overall in 2014, but he has become the team's most dependable receiver over the past two seasons despite 12 drops (tied for the third most in that span). That certainly carried weight with Coughlin and general manager Dave Caldwell, which is why they brought him back at $9.5 million per season if Lee was to hit the max value on his four-year, $38 million deal ($18 guaranteed).
The wide receiver free-agent market has changed drastically over the past 24 hours, beginning with Robinson's decision to sign with Chicago for a reported $42 million over three years. Sammy Watkins (Kansas City), Albert Wilson (Miami), Danny Amendola (Miami), and Paul Richardson (Washington) also reportedly agreed to terms with new teams, and once it was clear that the price tag for Robinson was more than they were willing to pay, the Jaguars regarded Lee as the team's best option over guys like Jordan Matthews, Eric Decker, Terrelle Pryor and Mike Wallace.
It's funny how quickly things can change. Two years ago, Lee was the guy who couldn't stay healthy. Now he's the receiver on whom the Jags are relying in 2018.