Jaguars Training Camp Notebook, Day 12: Trevor Lawrence Excels in the Red-Zone
In just a few days, the Jacksonville Jaguars will pack TIAA Bank Field as Urban Meyer and Trevor Lawrence make their preseason debuts against the Cleveland Browns. But until then, the Jaguars will continue to work under the scorching Florida sun as training camp progresses.
Wednesday's practice -- the 12th of this year's camp -- was yet another example of the work the Jaguars still have to put in before they reach Saturday's game, and before they reach Week 1 against the Houston Texans.
What did Wednesday's practice show us and what does it mean moving forward? We break it all down for you here in today's training camp notebook, coming live from practice.
Trevor Lawrence shreds red-zone defense
Trevor Lawrence was on absolute fire on Wednesday, even if the Jaguars didn't give him the first-team reps. From the first team period (where Lawrence went 3-of-3 and threw three first downs) to the red-zone area (where Lawrence threw four touchdowns and a two-point conversion), Lawrence was on the money on Wednesday. While the Jaguars have yet to name him the starting quarterback, days like today show why it is an inevitable move.
Lawrence's first score was in a third-and-long situation. With the Jaguars' offense needing 10 yards, Lawrence instead got 40 -- along with six points. Josh Hammond beat CJ Henderson on a deep route toward the left sideline and Lawrence perfectly rainbowed a pass into Hammond's hands for the score.
Lawrence then threw touchdowns to Collin Johnson, Jeff Cotton, Tavon Austin, and Luke Farrell in the red-zone, going 5-for-5 in his first two drives. Considering Lawrence's biggest struggles in the offseason and early in camp came in the red zone, days like Wednesday are encouraging. Lawrence looked in complete command of the offense, threw accurate passes, and fit the ball into tight windows that no other Jaguars quarterback can do. Lawrence has been at his best over the last three to four practices, with Wednesday arguably being his sharpest day of the bunch.
Gardner Minshew gets the first-team reps and finds red-zone success of his own
Nobody can say Gardner Minshew hasn't gotten plenty of chances this training camp. The Jaguars once again gave Minshew first-team reps on Wednesday, with the third-year quarterback taking nearly every snap that the Jaguars' starting offensive line was on the field for. And Minshew didn't fumble the opportunity, either, not making any poor decisions or throwing any near-interceptions at any point.
Minshew didn't have the exciting day of Lawrence, and he had a few more errant throws (missed deep to Collin Johnson and high to Marvin Jones on back-to-back plays in team drills), but he still had a solid day at the office. He threw two touchdowns in the red-zone and went 4-of-6 in his first two red-zone periods, continuing to show that he is more comfortable now than he has been in either of the previous two seasons.
As of now, Minshew should likely be the favorite to start Saturday's game against the Browns. He keeps getting first-team reps and the Jaguars have made it obvious that they are taking it one day at a time with Lawrence's development instead of handing him the keys to the offense right away.
An abundance of contributors return to practice in some capacity on Wednesday
The Jaguars got a lot of players back at practice on Wednesday, which was likely welcome news considering how many key players the team has missed in recent days.
Andrew Norwell went through some individual drills with the offensive line before working off to the side with a staff member at the other points of practice. Norwell, who missed the last four practices, had his helmet for the first time in the last several days and was sporting a brace on his right arm.
Phillip Dorsett, who has missed the last five practices, also came out to Wednesday's practice with his helmet. He didn't take part in any team drills, but he wasn't working off to the side with a staff member like he was on other days.
Laviska Shenault and Josh Allen each missed Tuesday for personal reasons but each was back on the practice field and a full participant throughout the entire practice, with each going right back to their old spots with the starting offense and defense.
Jimmy Johnson makes an appearance
As we've said before, expect plenty of guests at the Jaguars' camp this year and beyond. There are few coaches as connected as Urban Meyer, so he will always have a close friend in the football world who is willing to see what Meyer's NFL squad can do on the practice field. And after we have already seen Lou Holtz, Dabo Swinney and Maurice Jones-Drew in recent weeks, we saw NFL Hall of Famer Jimmy Johnson at Wednesday's practice.
Johnson spent the bulk of Wednesday's practice talking with general manager Trent Baalke, though offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell told local media after practice that Johnson would speak to the organization again later Wednesday. Johnson and Meyer are particularly close after working together at FOX Sports, and Johnson is the best-ever at making the transition from college head coach to NFL head coach, making it obvious why his presence around the Jaguars would be valuable.
James O'Shaughnessy continues to make an impression, but he wasn't alone among the tight ends
If it seemed like almost every tight end on the roster made a big play on Wednesday, it is because they did. The Jaguars' tight end room has been the most critiqued position group on the team since even before Meyer was hired, but Wednesday saw four of the team's six tight ends have strong days. Ben Ellefson had a quiet practice and Tim Tebow dropped a fourth-down pass from Lawrence that he should have caught, but every other tight end made at least one highlight play.
- O'Shaughnessy continues to look like a quietly important piece to the offense. He was targeted often by both Minshew and Lawrence and his touchdown from Lawrence was his second touchdown connection with the rookie quarterback in the last three practices.
- Chris Manhertz caught an absolute heater from Lawrence up the seams in the first team period. Manhertz has to prove he can be a reliable pass-catcher since there is a good chance he won't see many targets, and catching hard-thrown passes like this one was a good sign.
- Tyler Davis essentially did the exact same thing, except his catch came on the right side of the field as opposed to the left. His also came on a third-down, giving him and Lawrence the big conversion. The second-year tight end earned a loud "Great job Tyler" from a member of the coaching staff.
- Luke Farrell continues to show off good hands. His touchdown catch from Lawrence in the red-zone showed excellent concentration and extension of his frame.
Tyson Campbell has another strong day
I have been surprised by how quickly Tyson Campbell has developed in his first training camp. Drafted to cross-train at both an outside cornerback spot and in the slot, Campbell was asked to learn a multitude of new things early on in his NFL career. He has embraced that challenge, though, and has made as many plays in coverage as any other defensive back on the team in recent days.
Campbell continued his strong camp on Wednesday, breaking up two passes near the sidelines in team drills (one intended for Josh Hammond, one intended for Collin Johnson). Campbell simply hasn't looked out of place in the defensive scheme and his comfort level is clearly growing as he has begun to anticipate plays instead of reacting to them. It would be surprising if he doesn't have a significant role in Week 1, but the preseason should show us exactly what that role might be.
CJ Henderson practices for a second time in a row for first time in 2021
CJ Henderson gave up a pair of scores in Wednesday's practice (one to Josh Hammond and then one against Collin Johnson in the red zone), but Day 12 of camp still stood out as a significant day for Henderson. For the former No. 9 overall pick, Wednesday's practice was the first time he has been a full participant in practice two days in a row since last November. It was the first time he has practiced on consecutive days for Urban Meyer and his staff, which, frankly, was something he needed to show them he could do.
Henderson got a significant number of reps in team drills, even operating across from Tyson Campbell at certain points in practice, making Wednesday by far the most he has done in a practice under Meyer. It is too early for him to either see reps with the starters or to be expected to thrive, but Wednesday at least was another day of work that Henderson was able to stack together after missing the first eight practices of camp and then missing practice No. 10. That alone is a small but notable victory for the Jaguars and Henderson.
“I think that we still have enough time here because we’re a month still out from playing our first game," Jaguars assistant head coach Charlie Strong said about Henderson on Tuesday.
"I know we have these preseason games, and they will always be good to get him back so he can get out there and run around. But just knowing that he can get back and that we can just teach him the defense and he can learn it, because we’re doing a lot on defense and that’ll be good for him to get back and just go through the whole learning process."
Four defensive linemen make big plays
The Jaguars weren't in full pads on Wednesday, but there were still ample chances for the defensive line to make an impact, While defenders weren't driving ball-carriers down, defensive linemen still flew into blockers with ferocity as they attempted to win rep after rep. And in those reps, we saw four individuals stand out.
- Josh Allen beat Cam Robinson for a sack early in team drills, using his speed and an excellent first-step to quickly beat Robinson to the top of the arc and get his hands on the QB. The play kept going, but it would have been a sack in a real game.
- Roy Robertson-Harris split a Tyler Shatley and K.C. McDermott double-team on his way to a sack. He has been arguably the most disruptive defensive lineman in camp this year and his excellent strength and explosion on Wednesday's rep showed why.
- DaVon Hamilton blew up multiple inside runs against the first-team offensive line. He is someone who is going to play significant snaps this year -- his strong play and increased role over the last week suggests as much.
- Dawuane Smoot beat Will Richardson for a tackle for loss on Carlos Hyde in team drills, quickly shedding the block at the line of scrimmage and crashing down on the ball-carrier. Smoot has always been a better pass-rusher than run defender, but he has made numerous tackles for loss in this year's camp.
Tavon Austin keeps finding the end zone
Tavon Austin got off the plane on Sunday and instantly started making plays for the Jaguars. With the Jaguars facing a number of injuries both at the top and bottom of the depth chart, the Jaguars signed Austin late last week as a free agent. In three practices since, he has made a handful of big plays each day, including another stellar practice on Wednesday.
A day after Austin caught two touchdown passes in Tuesday's practice (one from Gardner Minshew, one from C.J. Beathard), Austin once again caught a pair of scores in Wednesday's practice, with each touchdown coming in the red zone. The first showed Austin win outside leverage and beat the cornerback to the end zone by several steps, while the second showed good hands and concentration near the middle of the field.
Austin has had zero issues getting open and he has caught every pass thrown his way, which is astounding considering the size and strength disadvantage he is at on every rep. It is too early to tell if Austin has earned a roster spot, but his play over the last few practices suggests he should get more and more opportunities as training camp and the preseason continues.
