Jaguars Training Camp, Day 6: Observations on Josh Allen's Big Practice and More
The Jacksonville Jaguars finally put on the full set of pads and got to one-on-one battles on Sunday morning, giving Day 6 of training camp a new feel.
In the Jaguars' sixth practice of the last seven days, the intensity was clearly turned up as the Jaguars let the battles in the trenches really establish the tone for the practice.
So, what all did we see at Sunday's practice at Episcopal School of Jacksonville Knight Campus? We break it down below.
Josh Allen has a big day
The Jaguars have high expectations for what fourth-year outside linebacker Josh Allen could do in the 2022 season. If Allen can keep up what he did during Sunday's practice, he can exceed even those lofty goals. Simply put, Allen was one of the two best players on the field on Sunday as the Jaguars went full contact and sent the offensive and defensive line into battle at a full-speed for the first time in camp.
Allen had several impressive pass-rushing reps against Walker Little and Wes Martin, winning a particular pair of reps against Little that showed an elite burst at the top of the arc from Allen. Allen looked even more dominant and explosive in today's pass-rush reps than he did in last year's training camp, which set the stage to a 7.5-sack season.
Allen's big practice wasn't just in 1-on-1s, though. He was also disruptive in team drills, setting a hard edge against the run and getting a sack of Lawrence on a play where Lawrence rolled out of the pocket. Allen made an impact at every stage of Sunday's practice and genuinely looked as disruptive as he has ever been in a practice setting. He could be set for a big year, especially if he continues to have showings like today.
"When we first met, he asked me what I want out of him. I said you need to be the best in the league. That's the thing, that he has talent, that should be his expectation, nothing less," Jaguars defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell said this week. "And he's been working. He's committed to it, and we're just going to continue to push him and let him be the best he can be.”
Brandon Scherff is the star of the 1-on-1 show for good reason
If Allen was one of the two best players on the field on Sunday, then Brandon Scherff was the other one. The free-agent right guard addition has an elite resume already after an accomplished career in Washington, and he showed throughout Sunday's practice why the Jaguars made him a priority in free agency.
Going against Adam Gotsis, Malcom Brown, DeShaan Dixon and Jay Tufele in one-on-ones on Sunday, Scherff pitched a shutout. He dominated each rep, not giving up any ground after anchoring and constantly drawing praise from the coaches and other linemen. If you were a neutral observer who didn't know going into the drill that Scherff is a Pro Bowl and All-Pro tackle and former top draft pick, then you would have been able to easily tell after watching him practice on Sunday.
Scherff had a nice day in team drills too, opening up a few running lanes and getting to the second level quickly. He was a stalwart in passing reps during team drills, giving Lawrence a firm pocket to step into from the right side. Scherff is maybe the best player on the Jaguars' roster, and days like today show why.
"That is definitely a calming factor for us knowing we have a proven guy that, No. 1, I’m comfortable saying he’s a leader in that room. He does a great job of setting the tone for those guys," Jaguars offensive coordinator Press Taylor said this week.
"He’s a great communicator. He has a great presence about himself. You can feel that edge that he has, but he’s calm. He’s able to handle himself in those situations. I think it’s probably going to give the right tackle and the center some comfort knowing, ‘I’ve got this guy next to me working with me.’”
Other 1-on-1 notes
The inclusion of full pads meant we got to see the offensive line and defensive line go head-to-head in several drills. The most popular of these drills are always the 1-on-1 pass-rush drills, and for good reason. The Jaguars let their offensive and defensive lines match up for the first time of camp in this drill on Sunday, so here is who stood out.
- K'Lavon Chaisson had maybe the best win of the day. The 2020 first-round pick was able to quickly swipe away Walker Little's hands during a rush from the left outside linebacker spot, giving him a chance to shoot inside and have one of the more dominant reps of the day.
- Tyler Shatley and Roy Robertson-Harris traded a pair of reps. Robertson-Harris had one quick win, while Shatley was able to keep him locked up near the line of scrimmage on another.
- Cam Robinson had an excellent day. One of the most vocal linemen, Robinson was clearly energized by some impressive wins on Sunday, including a rep against Chaisson where he was able to nearly put the former first-rounder completely in the dirt.
- Walker Little bounced back from some losses to Allen and Chaisson to finish strong against Allen on one of the final reps of the day. Little showed a good anchor and stopped an Allen bull-rush for Allen's lone loss of the day.
- Travon Walker had one of the best reps of the day when rushing from inside against left guard Ben Bartch, quickly shooting past Bartch thanks to an explosive first step and active hands. Walker also split a pair of reps with Will Richardson Jr. from an outside linebacker alignment, with one rep drawing loud cheers from his veteran teammates.
- DaVon Hamilton was a tough block for Luke Fortner in the rookie's first-ever NFL reps in this drill. Hamilton has always had success against centers in this drill thanks to his power and first step, something Fortner learned quickly on Sunday.
Offense and defense trade wins back and forth
Sunday was a day where both the offense and defense flashed, which is probably what the Jaguars are hoping for at this stage of training camp. Neither side dominated the other for the entire course of practice, but each side of the ball did have its stretches of excellence.
The first stretch came from the defense. Roy Robertson-Harris blew up a run before Rayshawn Jenkins had a near-interception of Trevor Lawrence. Lawrence was targeting Christian Kirk, but Jenkins read Lawrence and undercut the route before just barely dropping the ball as he hit the ground.
The Jaguars also saw Shaquill Griffin knock a ball out of Kirk's hands that should have been a deep completion in a later team drill. It was in this drill where Lawrence also had one bad overthrow of Snoop Conner downfield, while Evan Engram and Marvin Jones had passes bounce off their hands. Lawrence and Shenault also failed to connect on a short pass over the middle, so the offense has seen better periods.
The Jaguars did manage to create some plays on offense throughout the day but especially toward the end of practice, showing some bounce-back ability after the defense more or less held them to few big plays during the first-half of practice. Lawrence had some nice completions to Shenault, Zay Jones, Marvin Jones, and Kirk, leading the Jaguars to several solid completions in a row.
Sunday saw a little of everything, in short. It saw big plays from the offense and defense, along with self-inflicted gaffes by a still-developing Jaguars' offense that is still working through the kinks of their new offense.
Play of the day
The play of the day is an easy pick for Sunday. It seems like Travis Etienne is breaking at least one run for a long gain in each practice and this continued on Sunday, with Etienne making his way through the middle of the defense with Scherff leading the way. Etienne exploded through the second level and met cornerback Tyson Campbell in the middle of the field after a long gain, ending the run with an impressive thump from his shoulder that showed some impressive and even unpredicted power.
Etienne has been one of the most explosive players in camp this year, if not the best performer on offense overall. He keeps showing off new parts of his skill set, too, and Sunday was another example as he ended his big play with the power that most don't expect from a running back like him.
Other notes
- Travon Walker had a fun day. Aside from his reps in one-on-ones, Walker also had an impressive pass-rush in team drills that nearly resulted in a sack, while also providing the pressure on Lawrence on his near-interception. Add in a batted pass after he split a double team from a tight end and tackle and it was a solid first day in pads from the No. 1 pick.
- Jeff Cotton had one of the biggest gains of the day on a nice catch downfield from Jake Luton. He has had another good camp.
- Benji Franklin keeps standing out. He broke up a pass intended for Grayson Gunter today and keeps flashing in the secondary.
- Shaquill Griffin, Rayshawn Jenkins and Andrew Wingard all had nice plays against the run in team drills.
- Ben Bartch had some really impressive reps in team drills against Malcom Brown, consistently getting movement in the running game.
- Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said Foley Fatukasi (calf) and Jawaan Taylor (hamstring) were each day-to-day, while rookie linebacker Devin Lloyd again didn't practice. Darious Williams once again took part in just individual drills.
- The kicker battle hasn't gotten much better as the week has gone on, though Elliott Fry did flash with a 50-yard kick on Sunday. Still, both Fry and Ryan Santoso finished 2-of-4 on field goal attempts with some wild misses from both.
