The Jaguars have plenty to like on offense right now. Trevor Lawrence is rolling, Bhayshul Tuten looks like he’s moving toward stardom, and a handful of rookies are already making their presence felt.
And yet, there’s a nagging problem sitting right in the middle of all that good news: the ball keeps hitting the turf.
Jacksonville was charged with five drops in Week 6 against the Texans, including two each from Parker Washington and Brian Thomas Jr., plus one from Jakobi Meyers. That followed a Week 5 matchup with Philadelphia in which Washington had an uncharacteristic drop and Thomas had two passes hit his hands in the end zone without coming down with either one.
Could the Jaguars have beaten the Texans if those plays were made? Maybe.
Maybe not. But the bigger point is harder to ignore: the offense is leaving production on the field through mistakes it can control.
The numbers backed that up in Week 6, too. Jacksonville finished with 68 drop yards lost, according to @FantasyPtsData, behind only New England’s 74 and ahead of Seattle’s 67, Green Bay’s 60 and New Orleans’ 40.
After the 34-31 loss, head coach Liam Coen wasn’t sounding alarms over every miscue. He pointed to the weather and the feel of some of the throws when asked about the issue on Sunday.
"I couldn't tell on a few; if it was, like, the one across the middle, Jakobi [WR Jakobi Meyers] I thought it was a little lower. It was wet for sure out there early on I felt the drops.
I couldn't really tell if we just didn't connect on that deep corner ball to Parker [WR Parker Washington] there towards the end. I couldn't tell if we could have made the play or not.
From where I was standing, I couldn't tell. But, yeah, we got to find a way in those moments to be able to make some of those plays," Coen said Sunday.
Even if Coen isn’t overly worried, the Jaguars have to treat it as a real issue before Week 8 against the Indianapolis Colts. This is the kind of self-inflicted damage that can pile up fast, and it’s not foreign to Jacksonville. Drops were a problem at points last season, then seemed to fade away in the second half before resurfacing again over the past two weeks.
Washington and Meyers are usually dependable. Tight end Brenton Strange has been in that same category, though he has also had a few drops over the first six weeks. Thomas, meanwhile, has had drop issues going back to last season, and the Jaguars have seemingly run out of patience with that part of his game.
When your most trusted pass-catchers start putting the ball on the ground in critical spots, drives get shorter, scoring chances shrink and one-score games start feeling unavoidable. That’s where Jacksonville is right now.
The offense is good. It can be better. After the bye, the next step depends on whether the Jaguars finally clean up the drops.
In Other News...
Jaguars Fans Wont Agree On This Brian Thomas Jr Trade Idea
Brian Thomas Jr. has already given Jaguars fans plenty to talk about, and now an offseason trade idea has stirred up a different kind of debate. ESPN analyst Bill Barnwell floated a proposal that would send the Jacksonville wideout to the Las Vegas Raiders in exchange for a 2027 second-round pick, a kind of move that would instantly alter the conversation around one of the NFLs most intriguing young receivers.
From Jacksonvilles side, the pushback is easy to understand. Thomas is the sort of player teams usually try to build around, not move for a future pick, even if the pitch makes some sense for a Raiders offense trying to give rookie quarterback Fernando Mendoza a clear top target. For now, it remains exactly what it is, a speculative idea, but it is the sort of deal that can split a fan base fast because it forces a choice between present value and long-term planning. [Read more 🡒]
Jaguars Mock Draft Revives A Familiar Secondary Concern
A fresh CBS Sports mock draft has Jacksonville looking back to the secondary, with analyst Josh Edwards projecting Cal safety Kingston Lopa to the Jaguars at No. 27 overall in the 2027 NFL draft. Edwards pointed to Lopas strong ball production this season, and the pick immediately taps into a familiar theme for a team that has spent recent drafts paying close attention to the safety spot.
Antonio Johnson and Eric Murray are part of the current safety picture in Jacksonville, and their contract situations add another layer to the discussion as the Jaguars map out the future. Even this far out, the projection underscores how often the secondary has come into focus for Jacksonville, and how another safety conversation could keep resurfacing as the roster evolves. [Read more 🡒]
Brian Thomas Jr. Has Become A Real Jaguars Trade Question
Brian Thomas Jr. has gone from a promising young piece to a surprising conversation starter in Jacksonville, and it has not taken long for the chatter to turn into actual trade speculation. ESPNs Bill Barnwell floated a hypothetical deal that would send the receiver to the Raiders for a 2027 second-round pick, a reminder of how quickly perceptions can change when a players role starts shrinking instead of growing.
The Jaguars have not exactly advertised any interest in moving Thomas, but his playing time has dropped enough to make the idea feel less far-fetched than it would have a few weeks ago. Liam Coen has already talked about the need for players to step up, and the recent usage pattern has only added to the sense that Jacksonville may be at least willing to listen if the right offer comes along. [Read more 🡒]