Not everyone is a fan of Tim Tebow signing with the Jacksonville Jaguars as a tight end.
Among those is former New England Patriots defensive end Rob Ninkovich.
Ninkovich, who retired following the 2016 season, voiced his concerns about the Tebow signing while appearing on ESPN’s “Get Up!” on Wednesday.
“If you threw a helmet and shoulder pads on me — and I haven’t played in four years — I would be able to throw around Tim Tebow as a tight end,” he said, per 247Sports. “Listen, you can’t just go from quarterback to a tight end. You can’t do it.”
Tebow, 33, was last on an NFL roster in 2015 with the Philadelphia Eagles and has not appeared in an NFL game since 2012 while with the Jets. He spent the last five years playing minor-league baseball within the Mets organization.
But Jaguars head coach Urban Meyer, who has a close relationship with Tebow from coaching him at Florida, has spoken highly of the former quarterback, stating he is in the “best shape of his life.”
Ninkovich, who played with Tebow when he was at Patriots training camp in 2013, added that Tebow is also taking away an opportunity from someone fresh out of college looking to make a team.
“There’s guys on rosters, and this is one of the issues that I have with the whole thing: There’s some kid that’s coming out of college that wants an opportunity and wants just to have that roster spot to go out and have the opportunity to possibly make a team,” Ninkovich said. “Tim Tebow has had that opportunity in the NFL. He’s had his opportunity in the NFL. He was a quarterback — it didn’t last very long. Then he wanted to go play baseball — OK. Go play baseball. It didn’t work out in baseball.”
Ninkovich added that it will not take long for Tebow to be exposed adjusting to a new position.
“So, now his relationship with Urban Meyer gives him another chance to go play football,” he continued. “But it’s not like that in football, and this is one reason I love football and I fell in love with the game: You can’t hide. … You can’t go out in left field and just go somewhere. When you’re ont hat field and you put pads on, you’re exposed.”
Ninkovich is not the only one who has taken exception to the Tebow signing.
Former Cowboys and Ravens wide receiver Dez Bryant was perplexed by it while others pointed out how Colin Kaepernick has never gotten a second chance but Tebow, who hasn’t played a down in the NFL since 2012, is afforded the opportunity come back at a different position.
There was even a report from ESPN’s Jeff Darlington that there was disagreement within the Jaguars about signing Tebow.
Come this summer, we should learn whether or not Tebow can indeed hang as a tight end in the NFL.
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