Jaguars Training Camp, Day 14: 5 Observations on Bartch, Robinson, Lloyd and More
The final day of training camp practice in Jacksonville sent the Jaguars onto a path that is set straight for Saturday night's clash against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
For one last time, the Jaguars lined up their full offseason roster on local practice fields that aren't their own, commencing a 14th and final camp practice in Jacksonville in 2022. With the Jaguars set to travel to Atlanta for two days of joint practices next week, Thursday was the capper on what has been camp in Jacksonville.
"It’s good for us to get out of here and go somewhere hotter and practice at one o’clock in the afternoon. It does give you a chance to evaluate. It’s game-like scenarios, but under a controlled environment," Pederson said on Thursday.
"Coach Arthur Smith and I have talked and discussed and kind of put a plan together for the days that we’re going to work. That’s the thing about it. We’ve got to go up there and get work done. They’re going to do the same thing. The starters get quite a bit of time in those two days. It’s good, and really, too, there’s camaraderie there. Our players know their players and vice-versa. We’ve got friends on staff just like they do, so it’ll be good to get up there.”
So, what all did we see at Thursday's practice at Episcopal School of Jacksonville Knight Campus? We break it down below.
Final day in Jacksonville is a toned-down day after weeks of physical practices
The final local camp practice was a ho-hum one. One day after the Jaguars had one of the longest and most grueling practices of the summer -- and one day after the dog days of camp officially began to impact practice -- the Jaguars' intensity and pace were significantly toned down. This was likely in large part because today's practice looked like what a Friday practice during the season will look like, giving each side a chance to prepare for the upcoming game without going all-out.
"I just think it was warm yesterday. I think it was in the 67 percentile as far as humidity goes," Doug Pederson said before practice. "It was warm yesterday, and also coming off a day off. We’ve seen that this year. When you get a day off and come back and work. The guys do a good job of taking care of their bodies. They understand. We’re playing in the heat and humidity, and at one o’clock on Sunday afternoons at the bank, so we’ve got to prepare for that.”
There was still some execution that needed to be found; the Jaguars ran two-minute and three-down scenarios with both the first- and second-team units, so it is clear there was something to gleam from the practice, even if it wasn't as intense of a day as other practices.
Trevor Lawrence had an efficient day throwing the ball in large part because of the practice set-up, though it is worth noting he made several impressive throws to Zay Jones on the perimeter, along with some good completions to Marvin Jones and Evan Engram. On the other hand, he was 1-of-3 in the red-zone on third/fourth-down, including a touchdown pass to Christian Kirk and an interception by Andre Cisco.
Still, today's practice wasn't exactly the intense, high-stakes day we have seen previously in camp. There were still some interesting moments and high points from both units, but all plays from today require important context.
"Hope" and "expectation" are for James Robinson to be ready for Week 1 -- so how does he look?
The Jaguars saw James Robinson take part in team drills with the first-team offense yet again on Thursday, which featured Robinson both running routes and taking carries out of the backfield from Trevor Lawrence, albeit wearing a non-contact jersey. Robinson isn't taking the lion's share of reps by any means, but he still got a notable number of chances on the field with the first team. For now, Robinson is practicing like a player
Robinson showed off impressive movement skills during Wednesday's practice and took 7-on-7 reps this week starting on Monday. It has been a big week for Robinson, who has been on the field for key moments such as red-zone drills on both Wednesday and Thursday.
“It’s exciting for us as a staff. Other than him running on the side, we haven’t really seen him play football other than watching tape from last year. So we’re excited to get him back," Pederson said before practice. "Our defense though, didn’t really realize that he had that orange jersey, and they were supposed to not hit him. It was good to see him make some of those moves and cuts, again, trying to progress him slowly back into work.”
“I don’t think you go full steam ahead. I think you gradually increase his reps. You don’t want to stress his body, but at the same time, he needs to get enough work where he’s possibly ready to go for Washington if that’s the case," Pederson said on Thursday. "It’s kind of the expectation, the hope, that he can be there at that point, and if not, listen, it’s okay. We’re comfortable with the guys behind him, and we’ll go with what we have.”
So, how does Robinson look in the event he is getting close to being 100%? We have paid close attention to his performance this week. He has consistently drawn praise from running backs coach Bernie Parmalee in individual drills, including some impressive reps in pass-protection drills on Thursday. His cuts have looked smooth and he hasn't shied away from contact, even when he isn't necessarily expected to be seeking it.
Devin Lloyd expands his practice production
The Jaguars won't see rookie Devin Lloyd practice this week or play against the Steelers on Saturday, making it three missed games for the first-round prospect after a pre-training camp hamstring injury has kept him sidelined for all of camp. Lloyd is a player the Jaguars have obviously expressed excitement about since taking him at No. 27, but so far he has been restricted to agility drills to the side or non-contact individual drills with the linebackers.
Lloyd took a step on Thursday, taking part in some team drills for the first time in camp. He again took reps in every linebacker drill during individual periods, but he was also with the defense during a number of team periods, both with the first-team and second-team defense. Drills weren't full contact, but this was a noteworthy first for Lloyd ahead of the Steelers game.
It remains to be seen exactly when Lloyd will be on the field at a full capacity, but it is worth noting that Week 1 is still three weeks away. The Jaguars have stressed the importance of mental reps for Lloyd, and the rookie linebacker seems to at least be progressing.
“I’m definitely ready to see Devin. He’s my locker mate, so we talk about it every day. He just talks about how anxious he is to get back out here on the field and be with the guys," Travon Walker said after practice. "I’m ready to see it for him. In college he was a great player, and I’m ready to see what he’s learned while he’s been out and how it translates onto the field.”
Ben Bartch takes a full practice's worth of first-team reps
We saw signs of Ben Bartch getting a potential look as the starting left guard during Wednesday's practice. Bartch spent the first team period of practice at guard in place of veteran guard Tyler Shatley, who took reps as the second-team center. Bartch didn't practice another period for the day, though, leaving the field for heat-related issues.
Bartch picked up where he left off on Thursday though, indicating he could get the start at left guard against the Steelers this weekend after Shatley started against the Browns last Friday. Bartch took every single first-team rep of the practice, a first-time occurrence this camp. Shatley, meanwhile, went right back to second-team center.
Bartch is a player the Jaguars were excited about before training camp. He showed good strides in the offseason and Year 3 after being drafted as a small-school prospect is when the team is looking for a jump. He has been mostly a backup in camp though, with the Jaguars opting to put the veteran Shatley at guard next to rookie center Luke Fortner. This looks like a battle that could go either way, even after camp closes, but for now Bartch has a chance.
Play of the day
With the speed of the Jaguars' practice not quite being as intense as previous days, it is hard to judge a lot of plays in terms of sheer impressiveness. Pass-rushers aren't going at the same speed, defensive backs aren't closing to break up passes or make hard tackles, and the primary point is for execution and providing good scout looks to both the offense and defense.
With this in mind, there was one noteworthy play. Going against the second-team offense, defensive lineman Arden Key deflected a C.J. Beathard pass at the line of scrimmage. Outside linebacker Josh Allen made an athletic and heads-up play to snatch the ball out of the air before it hit the ground, creating the type of opportunistic turnover the Jaguars didn't get last year.
Other notes
- Zay Jones continues to look like the receiver who the offense is placing a focus on. Christian Kirk is back on the practice field, but Jones saw a vast majority of targets when the first-team offense went against the scout-team defense. He made several impressive catches, including an acrobatic adjustment near the sideline.
- Jawaan Taylor and Walker Little continue to split first-team reps at right tackle. Taylor got the first crack at the role during team drills, but he and Little split reps right down the middle. "It’s an interesting battle. I think this game will be important for both players," Pederson said.
- Rayshawn Jenkins was dressed for practice but didn't participate in team reps, indicating a veteran's day off situation. Andrew Wingard took his spot in the defense, which shows Wingard is the Jaguars' first-man up at safety behind Jenkins and Andre Cisco. Daniel Thomas is safety No. 4, and Rudy Ford is No. 5 after he joined Thomas at second-team safety.
- Ryan Santoso had another nice day kicking. He made each of his kicks during warm-ups and team periods, which consisted of two 45-yard kicks. He has had a solid week of camp as the team's lone kicker.
- E.J. Perry and Kevin Austin Jr. each stayed after practice to work one-on-one on one of the practice fields. Expect both to play a good bit in next week's game against the Falcons, with Austin having his best week of camp this week.
- Doug Pederson said the following players won't play against the Steelers: Robinson, Lloyd, Will Richardson, Badara Traore, and Darious Williams.
- Williams took part in team drills on Thursday, donning a red non-contact jersey and working with the backups as Tre Herndon and Xavier Crawford took the first- and second-team snaps in the slot. It is clear the Jaguars are not going to rush Williams back after offseason shoulder surgery. “Still cautious. You’re still not there from a timing standpoint from surgery, and it’s a shoulder, so you’ve got to be careful with that, especially with defensive backs making contact, all the different moving parts with shoulders and different things, so still going to be cautious," Doug Pederson said. "He’s doing extremely well. Same way with James, kind of in that same situation. We are right at that mark where they’re almost there, but we still need a few more days.”
- Gerritt Prince and Luke Farrell each caught touchdowns from C.J. Beathard during the red-zone period. Prince has stood out over the last week and is clearly the No. 5 tight end as things stand today.
- Why did the Jaguars release Malcom Brown? Doug Pederson said it largely had to do with two players and their development: undrafted rookie defensive tackle Israel Antwine and second-year tackle Jay Tufele. "We’ve got some ascending players, quite honestly, that have really caught our attention, caught our eye, some nice competition there with Izzy [Antwine] and Jay [Tufele], some of the other moves we can do, so it’s a tough decision obviously."
