Jaguars Training Camp Notebook, Day 9: Lawrence and Johnson Shine With Starting Offense
The Jacksonville Jaguars got after it on Saturday, putting the shoulder pads back on and practicing 11-on-11 for over an hour under the hot Florida sun.
With the Jaguars just a day away from their first official scrimmage, Saturday served as the ultimate tune up practice. The Jaguars were more intense than the day before and played a lot of situational football, giving us clear indications of how far each unit has progressed.
So, what did we see on the field on Saturday? We break it all down here.
Trevor Lawrence shines leading the starting offense
The Jaguars once again changed their quarterback rotation on Saturday, putting Gardner Minshew II with the backups and No. 1 overall pick Trevor Lawrence with the starting offense. Lawrence took the chance to once again run with the starting offense (or at least what remained of it after injuries) and shined on Saturday, having his best practice in nearly a week.
Lawrence shined against pressure on Saturday, throwing only one incompletion when pressured by a defender. He was athletic to move in the pocket and find new throwing platforms, while he also picked up a few big gains as a runner after exhausting all options. Overall, Lawrence looked more in command of the offense and comfortable against the rush than the previous few days, a sign of development from the rookie passer.
Lawrence started practice with an early deep touchdown to Johnson between two defenders, but that wasn't his last score for the day. Aside from the touchdown strike to Johnson to end the day, Lawrence also threw touchdowns to Chris Manhertz and Laviska Shenault in the red-zone, with the Shenault touchdown being one of the more impressive five-yard passes you will see. It was an absolute rocket to Shenault, who sat underneath in the same area as three defenders. Lawrence did little wrong on Saturday and should have had another touchdown to Laquon Treadwell, too.
Collin Johnson steps up amid receivers injuries
No receiver was targeted more often than Collin Johnson on Saturday -- and no player did more to impress with their chances than the second-year wideout, either. With DJ Chark, Marvin Jones and Phillip Dorsett all missing practice, Johnson was given his best chance in training camp yet to impress the Jaguars' staff and build a connection with Trevor Lawrence. There was even one drive where Johnson saw three consecutive targets, including a touchdown catch over two defensive backs.
Johnson was Lawrence's favorite target Saturday, catching passes deep, in the middle of the field, and near the line of scrimmage. He didn't let a single target hit the ground and played to his size against defensive backs, which is something Meyer said this offseason that he wanted to see more of. Johnson ended the day by breaking open over the seam and catching a second touchdown from Lawrence, the cherry on top of what was a dominant day from the former Texas receiver.
Tre Herndon's stock continues to rise
Don't sleep on Tre Herndon as a major contributor this season. Herndon flashed as a slot corner toward the end of the 2020 season and re-signed with the team this offseason, with the front office valuing his inside/outside versatility and cornerbacks coach Tim Walton being a big fan of the fourth-year cornerback. Herndon has answered the call this training camp, too, no matter if it is with the starting defense or the second team.
Herndon has intercepted three passes this week alone, including one off Trevor Lawrence on Wednesday and one off Gardner Minshew in a one-minute situation on Saturday. Herndon gave up a big grab earlier in Saturday's practice, but he has been around the ball more consistently than any other defensive back in camp and there seems to be a genuine chance he sees a considerable amount of snaps in Joe Cullen's defensive scheme.
Pharoh Cooper picks up big plays time after time
Maybe no player had a better practice on Saturday than veteran receiver Pharoh Cooper. Cooper impressed time and time again on Saturday, which says a lot considering the fact that the Jaguars were missing five receivers from practice and needed to see a standout performer from the depth chart.
Cooper came down with two deep completions from Gardner Minshew and Jake Luton, climbing the ladder in tight coverage to bring down each one. He beat Tre Herndon for a touchdown on the first grab -- which was a fantastic throw from Minshew -- and once again beat tight coverage for a score on the second play. Cooper is the team's top backup return man and he had an incredibly impressive practice on Saturday, so his stock has to be rising.
Jamal Agnew shows off his speed
Jamal Agnew had his two best returns recalled due to penalties on Saturday, but he certainly showed what he can do. The Jaguars signed him this offseason for the strict purpose of having him serve as a dynamic return man who can flip the field, and he has been the Jaguars' primary return man since the day he came off the NFI list and that didn't change Saturday.
Agnew returned two different punts over 30+ yards before being stopped, showing off dynamic speed, explosiveness and agility, forcing missed tackles on each rep and finding a small sliver of space to burst through each time. Neither return counted, but Agnew has proven over the last few days and shown off just how explosive he is in space. Look for him to break off at least one log return during the preseason. It just seems inevitable for a player with his speed to find space and take advantage of it.
K'Lavon Chaisson stands out in both aspects of pass defense
Saturday was K'Lavon Chaisson day. The Jaguars likely love what they saw from Chaisson on Saturday, who won a few reps against both Walker Little and Will Richardson. Overall, Chaisson stood out more than any other defender on Saturday, putting together good plays in the passing game as a rusher and in coverage. He also did a good job of stacking blocks at the line of scrimmage, jolting tight ends back and chasing down one run for a minimal gain.
Chaisson recorded one sack, one pressure and two pass breakups on Saturday. He looked explosive off the edge, dipping under Richardson for a sack. He also had a standout play in coverage, running with Tyler Davis downfield and deflecting a nicely placed C.J. Beathard pass. Chaisson stayed step-for-step with an athletic tight end on that rep but looked comfortable in coverage against running backs all practice. It was a good day for the former first-rounder.
Jaguars continue Walker Little experiment
A day after Walker Little had his first practice at right tackle, the Jaguars opted to run the experiment back on Saturday. Little once again saw all of his snaps at right tackle -- all of them with the second-team offensive line. Usual right tackle Will Richardson saw the second-team reps at left tackle, which had been Little's spot for the first seven practices of camp.
With the numbers game on the offensive line, there is always a chance the Jaguars have to choose between Richardson and Little as their swing tackle -- with Little the clear favorite to win the job. Little would be the first person to step in for Jawaan Taylor if he became injured at any point, so it is clear the Jaguars want Little to at least have some comfort on the right side if he is ever needed to play there in a game.
Tyson Campbell sees more and more snaps
Could Tyson Campbell push for a starting role early as a rookie? That seems to be the question after the last several days, days in which the No. 33 overall draft pick has made at least one big pass breakout each practice. That continued today when he earned praise from cornerbacks coach Tim Walton for breaking up a pass intended for Pharoh Cooper, breaking on the route at the first-down marker to knock it out of the receiver's hands.
Campbell saw reps with the starting defense more often than not on Saturday and there seems there could be a chance we see Shaquill Griffin and Campbell as the two cornerbacks who start when the Jaguars are in base. Sidney Jones has had a strong camp, but Campbell got starters reps on Saturday and his arrow is pointing up. He has also offered the flexibility to play both on the outside and inside, which only Tre Herndon can say as well.
Shaquill Griffin's presence rubs off
Shaquill Griffin has had a strong camp in all aspects. He consistently battled and won reps against the likes of Marvin Jones and DJ Chark in the early days of the week, and now he is continuing his big week by coming up with some big pass breakups that led to an infectious spread of energy throughout the entire defense.
Griffin broke up three passes on Saturday including, including deep passes to Tavon Austin and Laquon Treadwell. And when he came up with the big plays, it seemed to spark life into the entire defensive unit. Griffin practices with an unbelievable swagger and intensity, no matter the drill or period, and it clearly rubs off on his teammates throughout the practice.
Linebacker conundrum
The Jaguars have a lot of options at linebacker, both at the top of the depth chart and throughout the middle and bottom of it. Players like Shaquille Quarterman and Quincy Williams made impact plays on Saturday (Williams had a good pass breakup against Minshew), meaning the Jaguars will have tough decisions to make in terms of their depth. But it was the top of the room that presented the most questions on Saturday.
And that isn't to say the Jaguars' starting linebackers struggled on Saturday, either. In fact, Joe Schobert made several nice plays in coverage while Myles Jack was a consistent presence near the line of scrimmage. Instead, the conundrum is born out of the Jaguars' usage of Schobert, Jack and veteran linebacker Damien Wilson on Saturday.
The Jaguars rotated all three linebackers onto the field together on Saturday. There were Jack/Schobert pairings; Jack/Wilson; and even Schobert/Wilson. The last one doesn't seem optimal since it has Jack on the sidelines, but it does show the Jaguars are willing to experiment with their linebacker rotation to fit all three defenders into the scheme.
Roy Robertson-Harris has a busy day
"Good job, Roy," was said over the PA's loudspeaker countless times on Friday. Robertson-Harris has been a consistent disruptor for the defense in team drills, especially since pads have come on, showing off his blend of power and explosiveness to find himself in the backfield more often than not.
This continued on Saturday, with Robertson-Harris recording three pressures and one tackle for loss Saturday. Robertson-Harris could be the Jaguars' answer to their lack of interior disruption in recent seasons. In fact, he gives them their best chance to get a pass-rush up the middle than any player they have had since Calais Campbell. That isn't to compare the two, but Robertson-Harris has had a strong camp as a penetrating defensive tackle and this continued on Saturday.
Ben Bartch gets another day with first-team reps
With Andrew Norwell on the practice field but not participating, that meant the Jaguars got to see second-year guard Ben Bartch once again tape reps with the starting offense. Bartch flashed on Friday, winning several one-on-ones and paving the way for two big runs in team drills. He did deal with some penalty issues, though, and all of this carried over to Saturday.
In terms of power and athleticism, Bartch looks the part. He moves easy in pass protection, has a much-improved anchor to a year ago and gets good movement in the run game. He flashed yet again on Saturday, especially as a run-blocker in team drills. With this in mind, he was also called for a personal foul to negate one moderate gain. Bartch is still a bit inconsistent, but there is no question he is better than he was in his first training camp. With Norwell dealing with injuries the last few seasons, there seems to be a good chance Bartch could start at one point or another this year.
Housekeeping
- James Robinson didn't get any reps during team drills after he went through the stretching period with the team, instead going off to the side to get examined by a staff member. Robinson kept his pads on throughout the day, however, so it didn't appear to be overly serious.
- Phillip Dorsett, Marvin Jones Jr., DJ Chark, Tim Jones, and Josh Imatorbhebhe each missed practice.
- CJ Henderson practiced for the first time in training camp, immediately hitting the field in pads and a helmet and participating in team drills throughout the day.
- Tim Tebow was absent from practice for the second day in a row due to a non-COVID-19 illness.
- Tavon Austin appeared in his first practice as a Jaguar after signing with the team on Friday afternoon, even catching a long gain at the start of team drills.
- If one of the recent receiver additions could stick on the practice squad, look at Tevin Jones. He caught a ton of passes on Saturday.
