The Jaguars got one joint practice with the Buccaneers under their belts on Tuesday, and the first day offered a pretty clear snapshot of where a few key battles stand.
Start with Travis Hunter, because the Jaguars made their intentions obvious. He stayed at cornerback for the full practice, and that has been the trend for roughly the last 10 days.
Hunter has taken only a few offensive reps at wide receiver lately after dividing his time between both spots earlier in camp. Even with injuries at receiver to Brian Thomas Jr., Jakobi Meyers, and Parker Washington at different times, Jacksonville kept him on defense.
That does not mean Hunter’s offensive work is gone for good. If the Jaguars get hit by receiver injuries during the season, Hunter would likely see a bigger role on offense rather than Jacksonville leaning on Josh Cameron, CJ Williams, and Austin Trammell.
But the message from the practice field is plain: the Jaguars view him as CB1. They want his work focused on defense after a limited rookie sample there, and that is where he is headed for Week 1.
“The chemistry between that group back there is so important, and so yes, I do think we have absolutely made progress. Are we there yet? No, just hasn't played a lot of football in the last nine months or whatever it's been,” Coen said Tuesday.
“So, I've been pleased with his intentionality. I've been pleased with the group as a whole in terms of really working together.
I think they're a close-knit group as a whole, and with him not being in the fold as much, especially towards the back half of the year, he just missed out on a lot of things, a lot of communication, a lot of continuity, and so that's something that we've been working to continue to build on. And I have been pleased with the development, but we need more.
We need as much work as we can get.”
Up front, the Jaguars also seem to be settling in. At this point in camp, there is not much value in cycling through line combinations just to keep collecting reps.
Outside of the status of Cole Van Lanen at right tackle, Jacksonville appears to have tipped its hand on the starting five. The biggest development is rookie Emmanuel Pregnon at left guard.
The Jaguars are treating Pregnon like a starter, not a camp experiment. He has been getting extensive first-team work over the last week, and the team’s decision to move Ezra Cleveland from left guard to right guard instead of sliding Wyatt Milum into that spot says plenty. Pregnon is lining up with Trevor Lawrence, Anton Harrison, Robert Hainsey and the rest of the starters, and that setup is starting to look permanent.
The backfield picture had its own clue. Chris Rodriguez Jr. and Bhayshul Tuten split work for much of the day, but when the Jaguars shifted into their end-of-game drill in the final period, Rodriguez was the back on the field. That series was mostly about pass protection for Lawrence and the passing game, though Jacksonville did also throw a screen to Rodriguez early in the drive.
That usage matters because LeQuint Allen is still out. The second-year back is expected to miss the rest of camp with a soft tissue injury, and there is no firm timeline for his return. That leaves a real opening in the passing-down rotation, the spot Allen owned for Jacksonville.
Rodriguez has already looked like the Jaguars’ best pass-protecting back with Allen sidelined, and putting him on the field for a two-minute drive over Tuten only strengthened that read.
In Other News...
Jaguars May Have Found An Unexpected Piece Up Front
The Jaguars interior defensive line has quietly gained a familiar name in Matt Dickerson, who is now positioned as a primary backup to Arik Armstead on the teams unofficial depth chart. It is a notable rise for a player who arrived in Jacksonville last offseason after a long journey through the league, one that began when he went undrafted in 2018 and took him through several stops before he settled into a regular role up front.
Liam Coen has taken notice of the way Dickerson has carved out that spot, pointing to his consistency, his style of play and the strength of his hands. For a defense that will need dependable rotation help inside, Dickersons path from practice squad depth to a more trusted presence gives the Jaguars a useful layer behind Armstead, even if the full scope of his role is still taking shape. [Read more 🡒]
Brian Thomas Jr. Sends A Clear Message About Jaguars Weapons
The Jaguars receiver room has become one of the more interesting parts of camp, and Brian Thomas Jr. helped explain why. With Thomas, Jakobi Meyers, Parker Washington and Travis Hunter all in the mix, Jacksonville has the kind of wideout group that can stress defenses in different ways, and Thomas said the way production gets spread around actually fits what the offense wants to be. It is less about forcing touches and more about letting the matchup decide who gets fed.
Under Liam Coen, that approach has been tied to a broader players over plays philosophy, and it has given the Jaguars a more unselfish feel on offense. For a team trying to maximize one of the strongest receiver rooms in the league, the challenge is not finding enough weapons. It is keeping everyone involved in a way that preserves balance, and Thomas comments made it clear that is very much the plan. [Read more 🡒]
Jaguars Just Unveiled A New Look Fans Will Definitely Debate
The Jaguars added a fresh wrinkle to their look this week, unveiling an alternate uniform that is built around a cream-toned base as part of the Nike/NFL Rivalries campaign. The design leans into a different feel than the teams usual home look, with gold accents, a new script wordmark and a black jaguar print pattern across the numbers and pants.
What will get the most attention, though, is the first teal helmet in franchise history, a detail that instantly makes this more than just another uniform rollout. Jacksonville plans to wear the set in Week 8 at EverBank Stadium against the Colts, and as with any bold rebrand, the real conversation will start once fans see it under the lights. [Read more 🡒]