Brian Thomas Jr. may not have locked down the Jaguars’ top receiver job yet, but the case for him keeps getting louder.
A recent ESPN poll of NFL coaches, scouts and executives ranked Thomas No. 24 among the league’s best receivers, putting him in a group that also drew votes for Alec Pierce, Tee Higgins, DK Metcalf, Terry McLaurin, Garrett Wilson, DeVonta Smith, Ladd McConkey, Jaylen Waddle and Chris Olave. That number is a step down from where Thomas landed a year ago, when he checked in at No. 13 on the same list, but it still matters for one simple reason: he was the only Jaguars receiver to make the cut.
That’s notable in a room that now includes Parker Washington, Jakobi Meyers and Travis Hunter. Washington led Jacksonville in receiving last season.
Meyers became an X-Factor down the stretch and outproduced Thomas when the offense found its rhythm. Hunter, the No. 2 pick, was drafted with the expectation that he would begin his career mostly at wide receiver.
Even so, Thomas was the lone Jacksonville target to earn a vote from the NFL’s inner circle.
That doesn’t mean Washington and Meyers lack value. Both have been overlooked at different points in their careers, and both bring different strengths to the offense.
Washington can win at the catch point, separate as a route-runner and create after the catch. Meyers, meanwhile, fits in areas where Thomas struggled last season and made an immediate impact after arriving with the Jaguars.
But when teams lined up against Jacksonville, it was Thomas who drew the top cornerbacks, including Patrick Surtain II and Sauce Gardner.
Thomas enters 2026 in a different role and within a different offense than the one he had as a rookie, when he was piling up franchise and NFL rookie records. He didn’t match that level in 2025, but the flashes were real, and for nearly an entire season he looked like one of the league’s elite receivers. There were other factors at work, too.
The Jaguars’ offense has leaned into spreading the ball around, especially during the hot finish to the 2025 season, and Liam Coen has said that preference is part of what they want to do. Still, when the game gets tight and the down matters most, there has to be someone the Jaguars can scheme for. Thomas has been that player before, and the possibility remains that he can be it again.
Jacksonville and Coen opened 2025 hoping to run the passing game through Thomas. That plan didn’t fully take hold, but it doesn’t erase the upside he brings.
He has the first-round pedigree, the earlier top-10 buzz and, right now, the strongest argument to be the Jaguars’ No. 1 receiver. If his offseason progress carries over, he could be the most dangerous weapon on the roster in short order.
In Other News...
Bhayshul Tuten Suddenly Feels Like The Jaguars Answer At Running Back
Bhayshul Tuten has gone from a fourth-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft to a player the Jaguars are suddenly treating like a real answer at running back. The former North Carolina A&T and Virginia Tech back arrived with a reputation for finding the end zone, and he has already climbed the Jacksonville depth chart enough to sit as the lead option heading into 2026, a notable turn for a player who entered the league without the kind of fanfare that usually comes with that label.
The interesting part now is less about how he got here than whether he can hold the spot. Chris Rodriguez Jr. and LeQuint Allen are in the mix, and the backfield picture is still crowded enough to keep the Jaguars from settling too quickly. For a team that has spent time sorting through options at the position, Tutens rise gives them a possible long-term fit, but the competition around him suggests this is still a job that has to be won again. [Read more 🡒]
Jaguars Fans Are All Saying The Same Thing About Travis Hunters Look
Travis Hunters first NFL season in Jacksonville was short, but it still gave fans a clear glimpse of why the Jaguars spent a first-round pick on him in 2025. He got on the field at both cornerback and wide receiver before a knee injury cut things off early, and even with the year ending sooner than anyone wanted, the expectation remains that he will keep working in both roles as the Jaguars lean more heavily on him on defense.
Recently posted photos from Hunters rookie year and offseason quickly became a talking point because his look has changed enough to get peoples attention. The images show a bulked-up frame and a new hairstyle, and for Jaguars fans already eager to see how he fits into the next stage of his development, it is another reminder that Hunter is still evolving before he has even settled into a full pro season. [Read more 🡒]
Jaguars Believe This New Coaching System Can Finally Fix A Longtime Problem
The Jaguars have spent years looking for a cleaner way to develop players, and this offseason they settled on a system built around clarity. Their new Three Better/Three Best approach asks coaches to identify three strengths and three weaknesses for each player, then use video and one-on-one meetings to lay out a simple path for improvement. It is the kind of structure that can sound almost too straightforward, but inside the building it has been welcomed as a more direct way to connect teaching with actual growth.
The idea traces back to Liam Coen, who brought it with him as part of the program he sold to Jacksonville, and it has quickly become a central part of how the staff talks about development. Coaches have embraced the process because it gives every player a defined focus instead of a vague list of fixes, and the early response has been encouraging enough to make the approach feel less like a slogan and more like a real attempt to solve one of the franchises longstanding issues. The bigger question is how far that clarity can carry once the season starts and the work gets harder. [Read more 🡒]