Jaguars Training Camp Notebook, Day 15: Lawrence Takes a Step Forward in High-Energy Practice
Urban Meyer and the Jacksonville Jaguars are one day closer to Sept. 12 and the start of the 2021 season, with Tuesday marking yet another grueling training camp practice in the Florida heat.
The Jaguars' roster was smaller by five players on Tuesday, with Tim Tebow among the notable names now gone after the first cut day. And with the roster now at 85, the Jaguars still have to waive 32 more players before Week 1, adding major implications to Tuesday's practice.
What did we see during the two-hour practice? Who stood out, what patterns revealed themselves and what could be a factor in the future? We break it all down here.
Trevor Lawrence makes a pair of jaw-dropping throws
Trevor Lawrence isn't getting the starter's reps every single day, but he got them on Tuesday. He made the most out of them, too, throwing three touchdowns and leading several big scoring drives throughout the practice. Lawrence once again looked the part of the No. 1 overall pick, specifically when it comes to throwing the ball downfield or hitting touch throws in the corner of the end-zone. He wasn't mistake-free, but he did have a few plays that were genuinely jaw-dropping.
The first was a red-zone touchdown to Chris Manhertz in the upper left corner of the end zone. After three straight incompletions, Lawrence went to the end zone and looked for a big play as Manhertz got a step on linebacker Dakota Allen. Instead of attempting to hit Manhertz in the chest and giving Allen a chance to break up the pass, Lawrence rainbowed the pass over both players and put it at a high point near Manhertz's outside shoulder -- a spot where only he could catch the ball.
The second throw was a beautifully placed deep pass to Marvin Jones down the left sideline, with Shaquill Griffin legitimately step-for-step in coverage. There was no real window, with Lawrence's only chance to complete the 30-yard pass being to lead Jones over his shoulder. Lawrence did exactly that, resulting in a massive gain and a perfect deep attempt.
The Jaguars aren't ready to hand Lawrence the keys to the offense on an everyday basis quite yet, but throws like these two will make it tough to not do so. With that in mind, the Jaguars are still looking for something out of Lawrence before he gets every single rep with the first team.
“Just probably consistency is the word that you’re looking for right now. He has a bunch of good plays, just can’t have a bad play at that position," Meyer said.
Brandon Linder misses practice
The Jacksonville Jaguars were missing arguably the most important part of their offensive line on Tuesday, with center Brandon Linder not hitting the practice field in any capacity. Veteran center Tyler Shatley took his place with the starting offensive line and held his own, but any sign of a Linder injury is a red flag due to both his importance to the offense and his lengthy injury history.
“He’s got patella tendonitis, so they gave him a little rehab day today. He should be back out," Meyer said Tuesday. "We’re going to sit him for a little bit, but he’s fine. He’s fine.”
Linder could be expected to miss the next preseason game and even the one after that, but whether he is ready to return by Week 1 against the Houston Texans has now become a key question for an offense that already has injuries at left guard and receiver.
Jarrod Wilson uses Tuesday as a teaching moment for a Jaguars' rookie
The most experienced member of the Jaguars' secondary, Jarrod Wilson has been the veteran leader of the safety room for several seasons now. He used that veteran knowledge to help a key rookie improve and learn from a teaching moment on Tuesday, a sign of the value of having smart veterans who are willing to pass down their knowledge of the game after years in the NFL.
While third-round safety Andre Cisco is immensely talented, he is still a rookie who is going to make mistakes. One of those mistakes occurred on Tuesday when he was beaten badly by Travis Etienne, resulting in an Etienne/Gardner Minshew touchdown connection. Safeties coach Chris Ash loudly expressed his displeasure and Wilson then took the role of a veteran leader. Wilson called the rookie safety over to his spot on the field and spent the next rep speaking with him, showing him what he saw and how he could play it in the future.
A heavy rotation has begun at the safety spot across from Rayshawn Jenkins
The Jaguars have had big competition at strong safety for the entire course of training camp -- they even had multiple players listed as potential starters alongside Rayshawn Jenkins on their unofficial preseason depth chart. And while veteran safety Josh Jones was seemingly running away with the job for the first few weeks of camp, the Jaguars turned to more of a rotation at safety on Tuesday.
There were times Tuesday where Rudy Ford, Jarrod Wilson, and Andre Cisco all got reps with the first-team defense across from Jenkins, whose spot as a starter is entrenched. The Jaguars, who still have Andrew Wingard and Daniel Thomas also waiting in the wings in the safety room, have both young and veteran options to start at safety. As of now, it looks like they are evaluating all options.
Phillip Dorsett shows off why the Jaguars value his skill set
There has been plenty of hand-wringing among Jaguars fans about Phillip Dorsett and his likely inevitable spot on the 53-man roster. It is understandable, too, since Dorsett has been injured for most of camp and hasn't produced much at the NFL level, while the Jaguars have several impressive young receivers on the depth chart. But for all of those who question why the Jaguars seem to view Dorsett as a key part of the offense, Tuesday was a perfect example of why.
Dorsett, who returned to practice from a hamstring injury on Monday and caught two touchdowns, made the best play of any individual player in Tuesday's practice. In a one-minute drill at the end of practice, Lawrence dropped back and knew he wanted to hit Dorsett on a deep route. Dorsett got a step of separation on Shaquill Griffin (one of the fastest players on the team) and tracked the well-placed pass over his shoulder and toward the sideline. Griffin had Dorsett's right arm slightly held, so Dorsett extended his left arm to bring the pass in in-bounds for a 35-yard gain. It showed his speed and ball-tracking ability, two traits the Jaguars want in their offense to complement their bigger receivers.
Energy between the offense and defense reaches its highest point of training camp
The Jaguars have held an intense training camp. The players consistently say it has been among the most demanding and challenging of any camps they've experienced (with Cam Robinson noting that Tom Coughlin/Doug Marrone's 2017 camp is up there). The energy at practice is usually as expected from a Meyer team, especially a young one. But on Tuesday, it appeared each sideline was given a small jolt before the day ended.
From the first snap on Tuesday to the final one, the Jaguars' offense and defense were constantly jawing at one another. Each side wanted to flex its muscle with bravado and took turns doing such throughout the day, celebrating each big play with massive cheers. And while Jacksonville hasn't had any true dust-ups and skirmishes during camp, they came close on Tuesday when wide receiver Laquon Treadwell and cornerback Jameson Houston nearly got into it. This only made the offensive and defensive sidelines more animated, with the chirping and energy from the final few periods of practice being the high point of camp from an atmosphere and intensity standpoint.
“I feel like the defense is always like that; being competitive, not wanting to lose, just coming on the field with some grit," Tyson Campbell said after practice. "That’s the mindset we carry and the culture Coach Meyer is bringing to this ball club.”
Defense offers terrific initial resistance in the red-zone
Trevor Lawrence ended his first red-zone period with the aforementioned touchdown to Manhertz, which was one of his best throws of training camp (if not the best). But before then, the defense was more or less having its way against a first-team offense that had found massive success in the red-zone in previous practices. The Jaguars' defense struggled in the red-zone against the Browns, so seeing some strong initial resistance is likely an encouraging sign for the coaching staff.
Here is how the first few plays of Lawrence and the first-team offense's red-zone went, with the defense getting three official wins and benefitting from a penalty.
- Lawrence attempted an underneath pass to Collin Johnson that Shaquill Griffin broke up and nearly intercepted.
- Lawrence missed an open Laviska Shenault in the right corner of the end zone, throwing high due to the Jaguars' blitz getting home and beating the protection.
- Tyson Campbell breaks up a Lawrence target to Marvin Jones over the middle of the field, knocking the ball from Jones' hands.
- The offense false started, moving them back on fourth-down.
"The Head Ball Coach" makes an appearance
From Lou Holtz to Dabo Swinney to Jimmy Johnson, the Jaguars and Meyer haven't been shy about extending invites to high-profile coaches during training camp. The Jaguars got another one of those big-name visits on Tuesday, with former Florida Gators and South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Steve Spurrier watching the Jaguars for the entire course of the practice, with his signature visor set firmly on his head.
“No. I’d love him to, but I think just speaking to me and Schotty [Passing Game Coordinator Brian Schottenheimer] is enough," Meyer said with a smile after practice when asked if Spurrier would speak to the team. "I love Spurrier and he’s going to come to a game as our guest, him and Jerri [his wife]. He’s the best.”
Meyer has one of the deepest collections of connections in the entire football coaching profession, so it isn't surprising to see so many coaching stars of both past and present flock to watch Meyer's team practice. Spurrier wasn't the first and he surely won't be the last.
