As the Jaguars sift through the film from their Week 6 loss to the Houston Texans, the snap counts tell a pretty clear story: Travis Hunter’s offensive role is starting to open up, Brian Thomas Jr.’s is shrinking, and the edge rushers carried a heavy load.
Hunter’s usage on offense was still modest, but it did hit a new high for the season. He was on the field for nine offensive snaps and made them count, catching four passes for 59 yards and a touchdown. At the same time, he continued to play every defensive snap, logging all 62.
Brian Thomas Jr. saw a much smaller slice of the game plan. Per ESPN, he played just 15 snaps, all in the first half, and did not get back on the field after halftime.
His day ended with two targets, no catches, and a dropped pass. That reduced role lines up with Hunter getting more opportunities, rookie Josh Cameron earning additional reps, and Jacksonville leaning more heavily into two-tight-end looks.
Jakobi Meyers and Parker Washington remained the leading wide receivers.
Up front, Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker took on nearly the entire burden at defensive end. While the Jaguars did rotate Dennis Gardeck, Bryan Thomas Jr., and Danny Striggow into the mix, Hines-Allen and Walker were both out there for 56 of the 62 defensive snaps. The question now is whether that kind of workload can hold up, or whether more help has to surface as the season goes on.
In Other News...
Jaguars Have One Trade Deadline Need They Cant Ignore
The Jaguars hit their Week 7 bye at 4-2, but the break comes with a clear reminder of where the roster still needs help. Even in a strong start to the season, the defense has shown cracks in pass coverage, and those issues have been most obvious at cornerback, where opposing quarterbacks have found too much room to work.
Jacksonvilles front appears steadier, and other areas of the roster look more settled, but cornerback depth remains a concern that is hard to ignore with the trade deadline approaching. If the Jaguars want to protect what has been a promising start, adding at least one more capable cover man looks like a priority rather than a luxury. [Read more 🡒]
Jaguars Could Face An Unwanted Buccaneers Coaching Problem Soon
The Buccaneers rough start has put Todd Bowles under real pressure, and when a division rival starts drifting into coaching uncertainty, it tends to create ripple effects elsewhere in the NFC South. For Jacksonville, the name worth watching is Grant Udinski, who has drawn notice in conversations about possible replacements along with more established figures such as Mike Tomlin and Zac Taylor, plus other rising assistants like Nate Scheelhaase, Klay Kubiak and Anthony Campanile.
For the Jaguars, the issue is less about Tampa Bays record than about how quickly a coaching search can turn from speculation into a league-wide scramble. Nothing has been decided yet, but if the Buccaneers do move on from Bowles, Jacksonville would suddenly be dealing with a familiar rival facing a major reset and the possibility of a staff change that could reshape the balance in the division. [Read more 🡒]
Jaguars Loss To Jalen Hurts Looks Different After Disturbing Update
Jalen Hurts performance against the Jaguars in London already stood out as one of the more impressive showings of the season, and the latest medical update has only sharpened the context around it. Before the diagnosis was fully understood, Hurts was dealing with a blood clot in his calf and had to stay awake for roughly 36 hours as a medical precaution, yet he still took the field and guided the game through all four quarters.
The Eagles quarterback was later diagnosed with the clot and placed on injured reserve, ending his season and making that trip overseas look even more extraordinary in hindsight. Against Jacksonville, he still finished with 220 passing yards, a touchdown and no interceptions, a line that now reads very differently given what was going on behind the scenes. [Read more 🡒]