Oregon football is fast. Oregon football is quick. Oregon football is explosive. Speed kills and Oregon football has lived by it.
Fans and the media like to focus on Oregon’s quarterbacks, wide receivers and running backs — and for good reason; Oregon has always been stocked in those high-profile positions since the arrival of Chip Kelly in 2007.
But this year Oregon’s offense will have added spice: tight ends.
Unlike previous years, when the Ducks’ tight ends were overshadowed by offensive stars such as LaMichael James, De’Anthony Thomas, Bralon Addison and Marcus Mariota, the tight end group might be the team’s strongest offensive asset. This season, the Ducks boast one of the most skilled and deepest tight end units they’ve had in years, and it may be the best in the Pac-12.
The much publicized return of Pharaoh Brown is one highlight of a group that is returning two other seniors this season in Evan Baylis and Johnny Mundt. Despite the up-tempo style of the Ducks’ offense, there may not be enough snaps for all three of them to get reps every game.
That’s a problem, but a good one to have.
Brown and Mundt are listed as one and two on the depth chart for the UC Davis game on Sept. 3, but all three players expect to see action in the game. Throughout the season, Brown will get the majority of snaps as the starting tight end. Brown, a 2014 first team All-Pac-12 honoree, was named to the 2016 John Mackey preseason watch list — an award given to the most outstanding collegiate tight end.
Questions remain about whether Brown can match his 2014 performance. After suffering a gruesome non-contact leg injury against Utah in 2014, Brown was sidelined for the entire year. Many have questioned whether it’s possible to return to 100 percent, but Brown felt good heading into fall camp.
“I’m able to do everything. I’m 100 percent,” Brown told reporters at media day.
Pharoah Brown celebrates after making a catch in a home game versus Washington last year (Taylor Wilder/ Daily Emerald).
The role of Mundt and Baylis will be as options 2A and 2B as neither of them seem to have separated themselves from the other.
“I want to get [the snap count] as high as I can. I want to play quality minutes and quality game time,” Mundt said. “Any time on the field is a blessing, so I just want to get out there as much as I can.”
The silver lining of Brown’s injury and absence last season was that it allowed Baylis and Mundt to gain starting experience and a high volume of reps. Baylis stepped into the starting role, and with Mundt coming off the bench, they proved to be very respectable in filling Brown’s missing production.
The benefits of working with three qualified seniors manifest in better practice strategy and execution.
“You spend more time with their technique, their fundamentals, [and] how to execute a certain play,” tight ends coach Tom Osborne said. “They know what ‘the play is’. Now how can they execute that at absolute optimum?”
Having three seniors also gives younger players, specifically redshirt freshman Jacob Breeland and true freshman Cam McCormick, leaders to study under.
“Whenever I have a question, I usually ask the older guys, instead of even coach [Osborne], because I know they’re there and they’ll tell me what to do,” Breeland said. “They’re great mentors to me.”
Depth provides coaches a sense of security throughout the season; not only can they throw different players on the field to exploit match-ups, but backups can be used in case of emergency.
“[It] gives you more flexibility offensively through a long, 12-game season,” Osborne said. “If we’ve got X amount of receivers out, and we can throw a tight end out there to be that inside receiver spot, that really helps our team.”
These three seniors give the Ducks the best combination of skill and depth since 2009, when Ed Dickson and David Paulson manned the position. Dickson ended the 2009 season with 42 receptions, 551 yards and six touchdowns while earning first team All-Pac-10 honors. He is currently a member of the Carolina Panthers.
Paulson, during his freshman season in 2009, appeared in 13 games, catching 12 passes for 185 yards and no touchdowns. Over the next two seasons he recorded 55 receptions, 856 yards and 10 touchdowns. Paulson was named to the All-Pac-12 second team in 2011. From 2012 to 2015, he spent time with the Pittsburgh Steelers and the San Diego Chargers. Paulson is currently a free agent.
The next strong year for Oregon’s tight end position was in 2011 with Colt Lyerla. Lyerla, a versatile player who relied on his athleticism, was an All-Pac-12 honorable mention in his sophomore year.
Lyerla’s career came to an abrupt halt when he quit the team in 2013 after multiple suspensions, and he was just arrested on Aug. 28 for heroin possession.
The 2009 and 2011 units may match or exceed 2016’s top end skill, but they don’t feature three seasoned seniors.
Oregon Ducks tight end Evan Baylis (81) tries to break the tackle of an Oregon State player. The No. 18 Oregon Ducks face the Oregon State Beavers in the Civil War at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore. on Nov. 27, 2015. (Adam Eberhardt/Emerald)
Carried over from the 2015 season, Baylis brings back 16 receptions from last year with Mundt returning five from his performance last season. The 21 tight end receptions from 2015 ranks fifth in the Pac-12. The wild card is Brown, who recorded 25 receptions in only 10 games in 2014, but returns nothing because of his absence in 2015. Had Brown not been injured last year, Oregon might have returned with the most tight end receptions in the Pac-12.
Other Pac-12 Mackey watch list members include Stanford sophomore Dalton Schultz and Washington senior Darrell Daniels.
Although Arizona State, Stanford, Utah and USC will have strong tight end groups, none can match Oregon’s depth. Traditionally, Duck tight ends are overshadowed by players who line up next to them, or other tight end groups within the conference. But this season, Brown, Mundt and Baylis combine to create a big shadow of their own.
Follow Jack Butler on Twitter @butler917