Football finally gets real for the Jacksonville Jaguars on Monday.
Day 5 of training camp is when the shoulder pads go on, the contact starts, and all the early work in helmets and shorts gives way to something much closer to the actual game. That makes this practice at the Miller Electric Center a natural checkpoint for a roster with several battles still taking shape.
Wide receiver Jakobi Meyers put the tone into plain language on Sunday: “I’m going to just tell the guys, be aggressive first. And then if you’ve got to pull it back, it's easier to go backwards than to try to go out there, feel it out, get hit in your mouth," wide receiver Jakobi Meyers said on Sunday.
"And now you think you’re about to go hit somebody. It's not going to work like that.
So, be aggressive first and let them pull you back.”
For the Jaguars, that mindset applies most directly to the players whose value is tied to physical football. Bhayshul Tuten is at the top of that list.
Liam Coen has pointed repeatedly this offseason to the running back room as a group that needs pads to truly show its stuff, and that’s especially true for the second-year back. Tuten has been popping explosive runs throughout spring and the early portion of camp, but now comes the harder part: doing it when the hits are live.
Chris Rodriguez Jr. getting his first team reps on Sunday only adds another layer to that backfield fight. If Tuten wants to separate himself in a healthy room, he’ll need Monday and the days after to look like more than just a hot stretch in non-contact work.
The same kind of prove-it moment is waiting for B.J. Green.
The second-year defensive end has been one of the most noticeable Jaguars defenders in camp, and that’s no small development for a player who arrived last year as a sleeper undrafted free agent and made the roster. He has looked difficult to block, and the next test is whether that keeps up once the pads are clashing.
“We all believe that there's something in there that is going to continue to show itself and reveal itself. And he's playing with a lot of confidence right now,” Liam Coen said after practice on Friday.
“He knows what he's doing more than he ever did. And I've just been so impressed with him specifically in the run game.
When we start throwing it more, and we get into more of those situations, and especially pre-season games when we can see him like we did against Miami last year, show up in a good way. But it's been setting edges in the run game and using his hands.
Like, he's a guy that uses the technique, I'm not saying to a T, but he does. Like he'll do exactly what you say.
You say, ‘Go run through that wall.’ He's going to go, ‘Which one?’
You know?"
If Green keeps flashing like that in pads, he could carve out a real role in the defensive line rotation this season. Against the run, in particular, is where he can make the strongest statement.
There’s also a clear opportunity opening up at right guard. With Patrick Mekari being handled carefully in terms of team reps, Wyatt Milum has been getting a heavy dose of work with the starting offense. For a second-year lineman who didn’t get nearly enough reps last season, that’s a big chance to grab attention.
Milum brings size and explosiveness that stand out on this line, and the padded work will help determine whether the Jaguars feel urgency to get Mekari back in there quickly or are comfortable letting the young guard keep holding down the spot.
On defense, Ventrell Miller may be the player most built for this stage of camp. The fourth-year linebacker has shown up in coverage early, but his best work comes when the game turns physical and the run game has to be met head-on. He’s in a tight battle with Branson Combs for the second starting linebacker job, and padded practices are where Miller can start to separate.
The final names on the watch list are the rookie tight ends, Nate Boerkircher and Tanner Koziol. Both have shown flashes early in camp, but the standard rises once the pads come on.
Boerkircher has a reputation as a bully at the line of scrimmage, and now he has to prove it against real NFL resistance. How he handles the run game against Josh Hines-Allen, Travon Walker, Danny Striggow, and B.J. Green will tell a lot about how quickly he can help Jacksonville on offense.
Koziol brings a different profile. He looks more like a receiver, and his blocking questions go back to his college tape.
That makes this a key stretch for him, because if he can be at least serviceable as a blocker, the Jaguars may have a hard time keeping him off the field. The pass-catching ability is there.
Now the pads will help reveal how much more of the complete package he can offer.
In Other News...
BJ Green Is Bringing The Edge Jaguars Fans Want To See
BJ Green has already shown he is not afraid to make his presence felt in Jaguars camp, and that starts with the kind of edge he brings every day. The defensive end recently asked offensive coordinator Liam Coen what it would take to get pulled from practice for being disruptive, a question that says plenty about how Green sees his role as he tries to carve out a place in Jacksonvilles defensive front. He is working behind starters Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker, but the early impression is that he is determined to force the issue.
Coen and teammates have pointed to Greens competitiveness and the strides he has made, especially against the run, as he pushes for rotational snaps. For a Jaguars defense looking to build depth and toughness up front, that kind of mindset matters. Green still has work to do before anything is settled, but he is giving the coaching staff a player who is not just participating in camp, he is trying to tilt it. [Read more 🡒]
Jaguars Camp Battles Are Heating Up Faster Than Expected
Three practices into training camp, the Jaguars already have a few spots that are worth watching closely. The early work has brought the focus onto several position battles, with running back, right guard, tight end, defensive end rotation and linebacker all drawing attention as coaches sort through performance and experience on the fly.
It is still early enough for these competitions to shift once the preseason games arrive, but the first few sessions have offered enough clues to start shaping the conversation. For a roster trying to settle into camp with clarity, these are the kinds of jobs that can change quickly, and Jacksonville figures to keep leaning on every rep before any of them are truly decided. [Read more 🡒]
Jarrian Jones Is Forcing His Way Into A Bigger Jaguars Role
Jarrian Jones has been one of the more interesting developments in Jaguars camp, and his July 31 practice only added to that buzz. The cornerback flashed the kind of versatility Jacksonville has been looking for in its secondary, handling different drills with the same steady edge that has helped him stick around after a rough early stretch in the 2025 season.
Jones was benched early in the season, but he kept himself ready and waited for another chance to show he belonged in a bigger defensive role. His work has fit neatly with a Jacksonville mindset built on not giving an inch, and the way he has shown up throughout preseason suggests the Jaguars may have a harder time keeping him in a smaller lane much longer. [Read more 🡒]