JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Thursday’s shorter session at the Miller Electric Center still gave the Jaguars plenty to chew on, and the biggest takeaway was easy to spot: the offense looked sharper, faster and far more connected than it did in Tuesday’s rougher outing.
Trevor Lawrence was the engine behind that bounce-back. After the passing game got bottled up earlier in the week, Lawrence put together one of his cleanest practices of camp, hitting on a string of throws over 20 yards to Brian Thomas Jr., Jakobi Meyers, Parker Washington, Brenton Strange and Tim Jones.
He avoided turnover-worthy plays and stayed away from the kind of big misses that had crept in over the past few days. For a unit that needed a cleaner day, this was exactly the response it wanted.
That leaves Friday’s scrimmage with a pretty simple question: which version of the passing game shows up, the uneven one from earlier in the week or the efficient, explosive group that flashed on Thursday? The answer is still coming, but Thursday was a real step in the right direction.
The offensive line also got a workout in flexibility. Jacksonville has spent the last two training camps cross-training linemen at multiple spots so it can handle injuries and other regular-season curveballs, and Thursday pushed that even further. The Jaguars mixed and matched Wyatt Milum, Walker Little and Chuma Edoga on the right side in several combinations, with Little showing up at right guard and right tackle, Milum working at both tackle and guard, and Emmanuel Pregnon getting a look at right guard as well.
The experimentation on the right side stood out, and so did Little’s work at guard. Based on how he has looked in recent days, it’s fair to say he may be the best option there.
Chris Rodriguez Jr. also had his most active day of camp. He handled multiple carries in team drills, caught a short pass from Trevor Lawrence in the flats, and made his presence felt most when the Jaguars backed up the offense at their own one-yard line. Those are the kinds of snaps where Rodriguez is supposed to matter, and he did exactly that by piling up positive yards and helping the Jaguars escape their own end zone.
That fits the picture the Jaguars have been painting with him. Rodriguez showed the same kind of yards-after-contact ability on Monday, the first padded practice, and Thursday only reinforced that he looks like a power back built for those short-yardage situations. It would not be a surprise if he emerges as the top goal-line option, a role Bhayshul Tuten filled last season.
On the other side of the ball, weakside linebacker Ventrell Miller delivered one of the day’s cleanest defensive highlights. He attacked a short throw to Ameer Abdullah, knocked the ball loose for a fumble and recovered it himself. Miller has been strong since the pads came on, and this one may have been his best play of camp.
He is locked in a real fight with second-year linebacker Branson Combs for the starting spot next to Foyesade Oluokun, and a play like that only strengthens Miller’s case. He has shown the kind of physical edge that can change a defense in the middle.
Josh Cameron kept his hot streak rolling too. The rookie receiver has been stacking standout moments almost daily, and Thursday’s grab might have been his best yet: a deep contested catch down the left sideline against Buster Brown. Brown had the coverage right where he wanted it, but Cameron still hauled in the throw from Nick Mullens and gave the backup offense one of the top plays of the entire camp.
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