Jaguars Training Camp Notebook, Day 10: Lawrence Throws Multiple TDs in First TIAA Bank Field Scrimmage
In six days, things will be a bit more real. But for now, the Jacksonville Jaguars and their fans will take Sunday's scrimmage and relish in the return to normalcy as over 15,000 fans packed TIAA Bank Field to watch the two-hour practice.
The Jaguars took the pads off after going through an intense practice on Saturday, but Sunday was still filled with exciting action as the Jaguars prepared for next Saturday's preseason game against the Cleveland Browns.
“Yeah, the pads, that was always really the intent. Yesterday was really the 40-45 play scrimmage. Today was a mock game, simulation of a game," Urban Meyer said after practice.
So, what did we see on the field on Sunday? Who stood out? Who had a down day? We break it all down here.
Trevor Lawrence has a nearly flawless day
Trevor Lawrence had a nearly flawless day on Sunday, the first time the No. 1 overall pick has ever thrown passes inside of TIAA Bank Field. With over 15,000 fans in attendance, Lawrence marched both the first- and second-team offenses up and down the field on a consistent basis, including a 99-yard touchdown drive and a score in a two-minute situation. While Lawrence didn't get the first reps with the first-team (that was Gardner Minshew II), he took the most advantage of his snaps.
Lawrence's best play, and one that will continue to be a highlight shared on social media over the next week, was on a deep completion to Laquon Treadwell. After the play called for Lawrence to move to the right of the pocket, Lawrence reset his platform and unloaded a perfect pass across his body to a diving Treadwell, the biggest completion of the entire practice.
Lawrence threw two touchdowns during the practice, which is impressive considering two of his top three receivers didn't practice. Marvin Jones Jr. was on the field for warmups but didn't practice, while DJ Chark missed his third practice in a row with a finger injury. But even with those two missing from the offense, Lawrence found no issues spreading the ball around to the tight end room and the likes of Laviska Shenault, Collin Johnson and Treadwell.
Lawrence's first touchdown culminated the same 99-yard drive that featured the Treadwell throw. With defenders closing in on Shenault in the end zone, Lawrence lasered in a pass from just a few yards out that gave only Shenault a chance to score. Lawrence's second touchdown was a similar tight-window throw, with Lawrence leading James O'Shaughnessy over the middle between two defenders for a 10-yard strike.
Overall, even Lawrence's misses on Sunday weren't even far from being completed. After struggles earlier in the week, the No. 1 overall pick dazzled over the final two days of the week of practice.
Etienne has an impressive drive
While Lawrence was the clear star of the show on Sunday, his Clemson teammate wasn't far behind him. Etienne dropped one pass in team drills on Saturday but he did the exact opposite on Sunday, coming away with two of the best catches of any player of the day -- each coming on the same drive.
The first catch came as Etienne ran a short route near the left sideline. Gardner Minshew threw the pass too high and outside of Etienne and at first it appeared the attempt would sail over the rookie's head. But Etienne continued to track the ball toward the sideline and used one hand to reach over his shoulder and capture the pass for a completion and a first-down.
On the second catch, Etienne got behind the defense on a deep route and presented Minshew with an open streaking target toward the end zone. While Etienne ran away from the cornerback, the safety (Andrew Wingard) was closing in quick. Minshew rocketed the pass downfield and Etienne caught it over his right shoulder before absorbing an incredibly physical tackle from Wingard, all while completing the catch for a gain of over 25 yards.
For a player who perhaps wasn't always used to his full potential as a receiver at Clemson, Etienne has shined in that regard with the Jaguars. Look for him to continue to make highlights as a receiver because he has done it time and time again in camp.
Treadwell, Collin Johnson continue to push for spots
It is tough to say Laquon Treadwell and Collin Johnson haven't earned roles in the Jaguars' offense. With the Jaguars facing injuries at receiver this week, both Treadwell and Johnson have stepped up and made the most of their opportunities. This continued on Sunday as the Jaguars hit the stadium, leading to Meyer stating after practice that Treadwell was "in the hunt" for a spot on the roster.
Treadwell made several good grabs on Sunday, including the aforementioned deep connection with Lawrence. He also picked up big gain on a slant from Lawrence, while coming up with a near-touchdown from Gardner Minshew near the right sideline. Treadwell has caught nearly everything that has come his way in camp, no matter who the quarterback is. Meanwhile, Johnson once again showed strong hands across the middle as he came up with multiple grabs in contested situations while Lawrence was at quarterback. Each of these two look like they should make the 53-man roster as of today.
Urban Meyer explains Walker Little's flexibility
Walker Little was one of the true standouts of the Jaguars' training camp through the first seven practices. The No. 45 overall pick out of Stanford was consistently winning one-on-one reps at left tackle and looked like he was primed to break into the starting lineup in some fashion sooner than later. But for the last three practices, Little has had to show off his flexibility.
Little started playing right tackle in practice for the first time on Friday, a trend that continued Saturday and then again at the scrimmage on Sunday. Little was playing only left tackle throughout the first week of camp, but the Jaguars have wanted him on the right side more and more often as camp progresses. Thankfully, Meyer provided an explanation for why one of his top draft picks had suddenly and seemingly randomly changed positions.
"Yeah, that's Coach Warhop. We're trying to figure out who will be -- just because of sheer numbers, they're cutting this roster down pretty soon," Meyer said. "Usually we have three tackles, three inside guys and one flip guy, and we're just trying to find out -- that's been on purpose, why we're trying to see if he can handle the right side.”
Essentially, the Jaguars will likely only keep one offensive tackle after Jawaan Taylor and Cam Robinson, and that tackle will be Little barring a massive shock. As a result, the Jaguars want him prepared for any possible scenario he has to fill in on the right side.
Tyson Campbell stands out
The Jaguars are likely going to need Tyson Campbell a lot sooner than they thought. While Campbell was always a candidate to play early on as a rookie, the continued absence of CJ Henderson has sped up the need to develop Campbell. Henderson missed the first eight practices of camp, returned for the ninth, and then missed Sunday for what the team and Meyer called 'personal reasons'.
Luckily for the Jaguars, Campbell has been one of the standouts of the defense in recent days. It seems like he has made at least one impressive play in coverage in each of the recent practices and this continued on Sunday as he once again saw reps on the outside and in the slot. Campbell broke downhill to break up a Pharoh Cooper target from Minshew early in the scrimmage, knocking away the pass on what would have been a first-down conversion. Campbell has stood out more and more each day and Sunday was no exception.
“Tyson Campbell is a very fast guy that plays -- the reason we drafted him, he never panics because he's got elite speed, and he's been really good," Urban Meyer said after the scrimmage. "He had a tough day on special teams yesterday, but defensively he's been doing very well. We're glad we got him.”
James Robinson returns
A day after James Robinson was held out of the Jaguars' live-contact scrimmage, the second-year running back returned to the practice field in a full capacity on Sunday and didn't seem to have any restrictions. In fact, Robinson took the first snap of the day at running back with the first team offense, taking a handoff for a solid gain up the middle.
While it appears the Jaguars are intent on giving Carlos Hyde a chance to contribute to the rushing attack, there is little reason to think Robinson will see a vastly diminished role as long as he is healthy. The Jaguars are high on his ability to grind out yards and get downhill, while he has shown the best vision of any of the backs in team drills. The fact he got back on the field so quickly Sunday and then immediately took his place with the starting offense was a good sign.
Special teams standouts
Jamal Agnew stood out as a kick and punt returner for the second day in the row. It is clear the Jaguars have put all of their eggs in Agnew's basket when it comes to returning kicks and punts, and so far he hasn't disappointed. Agnew had a big day on Saturday when he nearly housed two different punts, and he returned again on Sunday for massive gains on both a kick and punt return at different points of the scrimmage. His speed is clear, but more importantly than that it appears he is comfortable navigating open space.
Aside from Agnew, the Jaguars also saw a solid practice from kicker Josh Lambo. Lambo was supposed to enter a kicker competition with Aldrick Rosas in training camp, but Rosas was waived before he could ever participate in a training camp practice. Lambo has been mostly solid since then, though he did miss one field goal on Saturday. He bounced back on Sunday, though, having a perfect day and making all six of his field goal attempts.
Josh Jones also looks like he could be a potentially impactful coverage man on kicks and punts. It is clear he will make the team and likely even play a big role in the defense, but his physical hitting style and straight line speed make him a weapon on special times and his physicality even showed up on a few reps during Sunday's padless practice.
