Improved Depth, Shifts in Philosophy and More: 7 Observations on Jaguars OTAs
School is out for the summer for the Jacksonville Jaguars. Other than a group of fewer than 30 players that consists of rookies, selected veterans and injured players, the Jaguars are done with spring practices and are turning the page toward training camp.
What did we learn about the Jaguars during OTAs this spring, though? What did Doug Pederson show in his first weeks leading the Jaguars on the field? Who did we see improve, and what trends have we noticed over the last few weeks? We break all of this and more down below.
Doug Pederson has already put his own stamp on the Jaguars' culture; can he make it pay off?
It is hard to say Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson hasn't already shown the locker room what kind of coach he is and what kind of culture he is wanting to instill. Pederson has high expectations and is demanding of his players while still being a players coach who knows how to connect to his locker room. It is safe to say he has already won over players and forged bonds that Urban Meyer never created, and he is a better culture builder and personality for players to be drawn to than Doug Marrone was.
"I mean we’re close. I mean the next phase obviously is the pads and the physicality and how I handle the transition to training camp," Pederson said last Monday.
"But I think this offseason was a success for us and a success for me from the standpoint of just having the number of guys here and attendance and the excitement and the enthusiasm that’s in the building. The team’s in a good place. We’re throwing a lot at them in all three phases. Mentally, they’re being able to handle that right now and we’re getting a lot of great looks from our defense. So, there’s a lot of good film we can study as we transition into training camp, but that’s really the next phase now as we get into camp.”
Pederson further entrenched his culture this week; not only did he reveal to the team that next week's minicamp will now be helped for rookies, injured players and selected veterans (fewer than 30 of the Jaguars' 90 players), Pederson also arranged for a team-building event at Top Golf in Jacksonville.
Not holding minicamp after a 3-14 season is on the surface a bold call, but it is a call Pederson can only gain to benefit from. Minicamp isn't training camp after all and is still more or less glorified 7-on-7, just like OTAs are. So, if Pederson feels the Jaguars got enough work in during OTAs, then not holding similar minicamp practices is logical when you consider the gains it could help Pederson make in the locker room.
Will Pederson's style and culture lead to wins in 2022 and beyond? Who knows. At this time last year people thought Meyer was changing the Jaguars' culture, too. He wasn't, but Pederson isn't Meyer. He will need to show that when the regular-season begins, just as he is showing it now.
Which spots the Jaguars still need to settle along the offensive line
Listening to offensive line coach Phil Rauscher this week, it is clear the Jaguars are approaching training camp with open minds when it comes to the offensive line. Rauscher stressed that there are very few spots on the line are more or less locked up before camp, and we can assume those two spots are left tackle with Cam Robinson and right guard with Brandon Scherff. Each are among the highest-paid players on the roster, so it is obvious they will start.
This leaves left guard, center and right tackle. All reps we saw this offseason had Ben Bartch and Tyler Shatley taking starting reps at left guard and center, but the Jaguars have other options for each spot. Rookie center Luke Fortner has also seen reps at both center and guard and could compete in training camp for a starting spot at either role. With this in mind, Bartch is the popular answer in TIAA Bank Field when you ask who is the most improved player this offseason.
Then there is right tackle. Jawaan Taylor has been an unquestioned started before each of his first three seasons but the Jaguars made it clear this week and throughout the entirety of OTAs that he will be pushed by Walker Little for the starting job. The Jaguars confirmed this week that the loser of the battle will be the team's swing tackle.
Two rookies already find starting roles, but what about the others?
Teams take players in the first round of the NFL Draft with the expectation they will make immediate impacts, and that is exactly what the Jaguars are hoping for with No. 1 overall pick Travon Walker and No. 27 overall pick Devin Lloyd. Each were mainstays with first-unit defense throughout OTAs and the Jaguars' coaching staff has expressed positivity about their ability to learn the scheme and their work ethic to this point. When it comes to Walker and Lloyd, the Jaguars clearly have two Week 1 starters at outside and inside linebacker.
“Those guys bring great energy. I think just overall working against our defense every single day, we’re installing plays, they’re installing plays. We’re not scheming each other. We’re not trying to get after each other," Jaguars offensive coordinator Press Taylor said.
"Sometimes we just have their number on a play because they’re putting in XYZ blitz and we’re running this play and it just happen to work out for us. But you definitely feel the speed of Devin Lloyd and then Travon Walker, just the versatility of all the different things he can do."
But what about the other rookies on Jacksonville's roster to this point?
No. 65: Luke Fortner: Fortner will have a chance to fight for a starting role in training camp, but he is still behind two experienced players in Bartch and Shatley. He has however drawn praise from the Jaguars' staff and fellow offensive linemen for his versatility and ability to absorb information. The Jaguars seem more than happy with Fortner so far.
"Luke’s done a great job. Again, Luke’s like those other guys, we put him in a couple of different roles to see how he thrives," Taylor said. "Like we mentioned earlier, like [Head Coach] Coach [Doug Pederson] mentioned, it’s about finding the best five [offensive linemen] and whatever combination that is, whether that’s either guard spot, center spot.
"But he’s shown a good mental ability to handle a lot of things that we’ve thrown at him early as a rookie. We’ll ask a lot of those guys on the interior whether it is center, whether it is guard, but he’s done a great job handling all that. He’s, as far as I can tell from that room and the environment that they’ve created in the offensive line room, he fits the culture, what they want. You want a lot of rookies to kind of come in, keep their mouth shut, learn a lot, prove themselves, and then you let their personality come out a little bit and I think all those guys have done a good job doing that.”
No. 70: Chad Muma: A player who Jaguars senior defensive assistant Bob Sutton said is naturally instinctive, it wouldn't be hard for Chad Muma to find the field early in his career in most stops. He was however still the second-team linebacker and a core special teamer during OTAs, with the Jaguars having Lloyd and free-agent signee Foyesade Oluokun as their starting linebackers.
“That is a part of the competition right there. We have a good inside linebacker group and they are going to push each other. We will let the roles take place in training camp," Jaguars defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell said.
"You will earn your time here and he will have an opportunity to go out there and compete with everyone else. We are excited about him. He is someone that when you look at it – you do not call it a luxury – but it was a pick where he was the top one on our board. I know we have a couple other guys that can play that position and guys on the roster that can play that position, but he was a guy that you looked at … You like what he does and we like what we can do, so [we said] let’s go grab them.”
No. 154: Snoop Conner: It is hard to evaluate running backs at this point in the offseason for a few reasons. Since nothing is in pads, teams lean toward passing the ball more in practice at this time of the year, leaving running backs and the running game in general on the backburner. With that said, Conner got a lot of valuable reps this summer since the Jaguars were looking for running backs to step up with James Robinson injured.
No. 197: Gregory Junior/No. 222: Montaric Brown: Neither of the team's late Day 3 cornerbacks is going to be asked to be thrust in a starting role on defense, but each has flashed with the backups at different times this spring. With each expected to provide depth on defense and special teams right away, it is important to note each Gregory Junior and Montaric Brown have made an impression on special teams coordinator Heath Farwell.
"Across the board, Greg Junior, Montaric [Brown) has done a really good job of just embracing, he’s improved tremendously. We have a good group of young players that are excited to be here and want to learn special teams," Farwell said. "Some of them played them [special teams], some haven’t, but there’s still all in. There’s still ready to roll. We’re just trying to train them, so come training camp, see what they can do with it."
Sleepers who have impressed on offense and defense
Every year there is one surprise depth player who starts the offseason as an afterthought and eventually grows into a playmaker. Laquon Treadwell did it last year after sticking on the roster throughout the early portions of the season and then playing well when given a chance in the regular-season.
Who are the potential players this year who could try to be the next Treadwell? My guess for offense is Marvin Hall, another tryout player. He isn't a lock to make the roster or anything like that, but the former Detroit Lion has elite speed and could be insurance for Jamal Agnew both on offense and special teams.
On defense, I think it will be tougher for sleepers to stand out considering how many high draft picks and free agents the Jaguars added to that side of the ball. With that said, veteran cornerback Xaiver Crawford made plays at multiple points in his first practices with the Jaguars. Considering how wide open cornerback is after Tyson Campbell, Shaquill Griffin and Darious Williams, Crawford has a chance to stick on the 53-man roster if he has a good camp.
What has stood out about Doug Pederson's staff
If there is one thing that has been clear about Pederson's staff so far, it is that they have an emphasis on details. The Jaguars know they have a young roster that either needs to be shown the basics of what it takes to be successful in the NFL, along with other players who have been coached bad habits for most of their early careers.
In response, Pederson's staff has made teaching an emphasis, clearly putting a lot on the plate of each player but also offering a chance to grow in their roles due to experienced knowledge coming from the coaching staff. A lot of former players are on Pederson's staff, and it shows when it comes to how they relate and teach their players on the field.
"I’ll say this too, sometimes former players don’t make good coaches because the grind of the coaching lifestyle is a little different than the players’ grind. So, you really have to love the process and that’s what these coaches who have played [do]. They love the process, they love the game, they love being around the players, and they’re good teachers," Pederson said.
"I think it’s good for the players and having a young team that players can ask any question because they know their coaches have kind of been there, done that. I think that’s important, but it’s not a pre-requisite. It’s not anything that really needs to be added to what it is. Does it help? I think it can help, but it doesn’t have to be that way.”
Where Press Taylor sees Trevor Lawrence after OTAs
The most important player on any NFL roster is the quarterback. This is especially true for the Jaguars, who are hoping to see second-year quarterback Trevor Lawrence take a leap under Pederson after a rookie season that was marred by poor production, a nightmare year from the coaching staff and mistake-filled play from the supporting cast.
This spring was the first time Pederson and Taylor have really been able to work with Lawrence and see what kind of skill-set he offers in-person. The offense has a long way to go before every box is checked, but Taylor feels like Lawrence is in a good place after his first set of practices with the staff.
"It’s good to get our hands on him, get to work with him, get to sit in meetings, kind of hear how he sees things, what he likes, what he doesn’t like, all those conversations that you really don’t know until you get to get out there with him and see him do it live again," Taylor said. "He gets a rep; he comes over and talks about it. So, it was a great experience and there was a lot to build on as we go with what we got accomplished this spring.”
“My last impression of Trevor was on the field beating us when I was on the other sideline. I had a high opinion of him, and I would say that’s still the same. I’m just excited to continue to work with him moving forward.”
Sorting out the secondary
One of the biggest questions the Jaguars will have to answer in training camp is exactly how they see their starting secondary. The Jaguars have signed three big-name free agents and added two top-75 picks to the secondary in the last two offseasons, but it is how the Jaguars make those pieces fit together this fall that will determine the success of the unit.
“Really when I look at the entire defense, it’s going to be competitive. No jobs are had right now," Jaguars defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell said. "Everybody is out there competing, and with that room, that group, they are going to make each other better because everyone is pushing everyone to get better.
"The coaches are putting guys in different positions enabling them to learn the scheme. Competition breeds better teams. That’s what we want to do, let guys go out and compete and the best man stands up and he’ll play more than the guy behind him. The other guys will play.”
At cornerback, the Jaguars have three starting-caliber players in Campbell, Griffin and Williams. The question has been who will be the outside cornerbacks and who will play in the slot, a question the Jaguars have mostly dodged to this point and noted that it will sort itself out during camp. The expectation both internally and externally, though, is for Williams to play in the slot with Griffin and Campbell outside. That should be what the Week 1 lineup looks like, but who knows what camp could bring.
At safety, the Jaguars are likely set to start Rayshawn Jenkins and Andre Cisco. Cisco, the No. 65 overall pick last year, has drawn rave reviews from the coaching staff this offseason and has taken more key reps with the first defense than he did at any point last season. Andrew Wingard still looks to be the No. 3 safety, though, and he could still see plenty of snaps in certain packages, as well as still compete with Cisco for the starting job.
“Smart. Smart. One thing about it, coaching wise, you put stuff in and he gets it quickly, able to take it out on the field, make calls, he communicates well which is huge for us," Caldwell said about Cisco. "Just a smart, good, athletic player.”
