The Jacksonville Jaguars may not have a long list of true surprises waiting for Sunday’s cut-down day, but one name keeps pushing his way into the conversation: undrafted rookie defensive end Bryan Thomas Jr.
The roster math is working against him. Jacksonville brought back most of last season’s group and then layered in a double-digit draft class, with nine of those picks eligible for the active roster.
That leaves very little breathing room for a sleeper to sneak through. Still, Thomas has kept making the kind of plays that force a second look.
The rookie, nicknamed “the other BTJ” around the Jaguars, has flashed since the team signed him after the 2026 NFL Draft. Defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile said Monday that Thomas has done enough to stand out.
“He definitely has shown me some things," Jaguars defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile said Monday. "He's played explosively in the games, and I think he's jumped out.
His play style, his effort, that's jumped out. And that's what we saw in him watching his tape at South Carolina."
Thomas is one of several young defensive ends trying to carve out a place in the room. He’s in the mix with Day 3 picks Wesley Williams and Zach Durfee, plus fellow undrafted rookie Quindarius Dunnigan.
Jacksonville had plenty to like in Thomas’ college résumé, too. Over four seasons at South Carolina from 2022-25, he appeared in 46 games and started 19 of them, finishing with 92 tackles, 18.5 tackles for loss, 12.5 sacks and five forced fumbles.
He also earned All-SEC Third-Team honors in 2025.
That production matched the style the Jaguars believed they were getting. Campanile said Thomas fit the profile from the start.
"He was a guy that was going to run and hit. He was going to play his ass off every play," Campanile said.
"That's what, honestly, we really liked about him and we were fired up to get him in here for that reason. He's proven to do that here in the summer and since the spring, since he's been here.”
Through the first two weeks of the preseason, Thomas has reportedly been stacking pressures at a steady clip, flashing in a way that brings back memories of the preseason runs B.J. Green and Danny Striggow had at the same position a year ago. The difference this time is that the competition is even tighter, and the final decision could realistically come down to Thomas or Durfee for the last spot.
Josh Hines-Allen made the stakes plain on Sunday.
“I mean, they can come in and play and make plays immediately. Obviously, you can tell just by putting on the tape, man, we have a lot of young guys that are proving themselves. There’s not a lot of spots to fill," Jaguars defensive end Josh Hines-Allen said Sunday.
"And so, when you have a lot of great guys that are playing good football, especially young guys, who is going to be those one or two guys that are going to make the cut? And all those guys are battling for those one or two spots.
It’s like that in a lot of different rooms as well. So, they're coming in with the right approach.
And basically whoever plays better, whoever's the better football player is going to make this team, basically. But they all can make it.
I'm just excited to see what that final cut's going to be. I'm going to be upset to see what that final cut's going to be, and just got to take it the way it is.”
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