Jaguars Training Camp, Day 2: 5 Observations on Lawrence's Perfect Practice and More
Day 2 of training camp is in the books for the Jacksonville Jaguars, and it was a big one.
No, the Jaguars aren't in pads yet. They are still in helmets and shorts, practicing with limited contact and not yet in the dog days of camp. But the Jaguars did see an important step taken forward from a key player during Tuesday's practice at Episcopal School of Jacksonville Knight Campus.
So, what did we see during practice and what does it mean moving forward? We break it all down below.
Trevor Lawrence has a flawless practice
Trevor Lawrence had some good practices in last year's camp, but none came close to the day he had on Tuesday. Yes, it is just Day 2 and no pads are on yet, but Lawrence genuinely had as flawless of a training camp practice as a quarterback can have in this setting.
He didn't have a single off-target pass in skill drills, 7-on-7, or team drills, with his lone incompletion coming on a clear drop from Evan Engram during skill drills toward the start of practice. Save for that drop, every single Lawrence pass ended up where it was supposed to go. He was 18-of-18 in team drills, and that isn't just because the Jaguars' defensive backs didn't contest passes as fiercely as they would with pads on.
Lawrence made several tight window throws to Marvin Jones, Chris Manhertz, and Zay Jones that defensive backs otherwise would have had chances to make plays on. These were genuinely difficult throws that he was placing with ease. He also connected with Laquon Treadwell on a 40 to 45-yard deep pass, placing it stride along the right sideline after Treadwell beat Chris Claybrooks and got open. A pass that Lawrence has at times struggled with was right on the money on Tuesday.
If there was one thing Lawrence struggled with during his rookie training camp, it was accuracy and decision-making. He often threw high or outside, and there were several instances of him throwing interceptions because of how aggressive he tried to be. On Tuesday, he was once again aggressive, but this time the passes weren't landing in any danger.
Lawrence had a perfect practice today, and now it will be time to see if he can carry that over and stack days. He showed real improvement this spring, and Tuesday was even better. It was arguably the best practice he has had as a Jaguar.
"Week 1 is to just see the progress that we made in OTAs. Like what we were installing last night, we’re not starting over; we’re picking up where we left off," Lawrence said on Monday.
"Everything we’re talking about, we’re flying through because we’ve already installed it a couple times. Having that knowledge and everyone can just pick up quick when we install, that’s nice, so we can add new wrinkles faster because we’ve already done it. Also realizing that it’s a long season, and day one doesn’t have to be your best day. Just keep building and get better every day.
The competition officially kicks off at right tackle
The Jaguars have made it clear to media and to the players themselves they see right tackle as an open competition between Jawaan Taylor and second-year offensive tackle Walker Little. We didn't see that competition flesh out much in Monday's one-hour practice, with Taylor taking every first-team rep, but we did see some change on Tuesday.
Taylor once again was the first player to line up at right tackle with the first-team offense, taking most of the reps there during the first-half of practice. But once the Jaguars went to team drills, Walker Little began to rotate with Taylor, with each spending time as the first-team right tackle. When the second-team offense came in, Little remained at right tackle.
In short, Tuesday saw Little not only get his first first-team reps of camp, but it also saw him double-dip at right tackle as opposed to Taylor taking second-team reps. Considering Taylor is the incumbent and Little is the player who will have to snatch the job from his hands, it makes sense to give him as many reps as possible, especially since he is switching from left tackle to right tackle.
The Jaguars had Will Richardson Jr. as the second-team left tackle, suggesting the Jaguars will likely see the loser of the right tackle battle as the team's swing tackle. Either way, Tuesday was the first time we saw the Jaguars open up the battle during camp, and the next few weeks will tell us a lot.
"They’ve really, I think, taken on this challenge. They know that they’re going to be in a battle, and it was us as coaches to make sure that we communicated that with them," Doug Pederson said after OTAs. "We used them both on the right side, the left side, and got them some valuable reps there. It'll be good competition as we head into camp and as we get deeper into camp to see where this thing falls out.”
UDFA who is standing out
The Jaguars have a long history of undrafted free agents making the 53-man roster and making an impact. Allen Hurns, Jarrod Wilson, Tre Herndon, Corey Grant, and James Robinson have all shown it is very possible. While none made the squad last year, this year could be different if things keep trending in the right direction for one player.
Thus far, the undrafted free agent making an impression has been Lujuan Winningham. The big-bodied receiver had 53 receptions for 840 yards and five touchdowns in nine games for Central Arkansas last season and he had an impressive spring that has since carried over to training camp.
We noted yesterday that Winningham had one of the best catches of the day. He did so again on Tuesday, catching a pass in traffic in the middle of the field from Jake Luton. Winningham may not have blazing speed, but he has consistently made standout catches when his number has been called.
Kevin Austin Jr. is the Jaguars' big undrafted name, but Winningham has outperformed him through the spring and the first two days of camp thus far. He is the player to watch, especially when pads come on.
Kicking battle leads to shaky results
The Jaguars entered training camp with some concerns about their kicking situation. Through two days, it is unlikely those concerns have been alleviated in any sense. Journeyman veteran Ryan Santoso and undrafted free agent Andrew Mevis are competing against each other for the job, but each had their own struggles on Tuesday.
With each kicker attempting four kicks (27, 37, and two kicks of 47 yards) at the start of practice and with Pederson watching closely, the Jaguars saw mixed results. Santoso made 3-of-4 kicks but did have a 47-yard field goal bang low off the right upright, while Mevis went 2-of-4 and missed each of his 47-yard attempts left. Santoso had the better outing, but his wasn't particularly impressive either.
It was clear Tuesday that Santoso has more pop in his leg than Mevis, but consistency is what the Jaguars are looking for at kicker. On Tuesday, the Jaguars didn't get that from either one of their two candidates to replace Josh Lambo and Matthew Wright. If neither kicker improves during camp, the Jaguars may have to be on the lookout for more kickers.
Play of the day
The play of the day from Tuesday's practice could be Treadwell's deep catch, which ultimately would have amounted to a 70-yard touchdown if it happened in a regular-season game. Instead, though, we give the nod to Laviska Shenault, who was used in some creative ways on Tuesday.
Shenault hasn't had many reps with the No. 1 offense through two days of camp and there hasn't been a standout catch in team drills, but he did take a handoff after being lined up at receiver on Tuesday that showed his explosion and power, with Shenault blowing by the defense's angles once he got going downhill and even bouncing off several thud attempts.
Shenault's big run earned some wild cheers from the Jaguars' sideline, especially from Marvin Jones, Christian Kirk and Zay Jones. It was the most animated play of the day, and a play Shenault needed to make to build some momentum.
Other notes
- Aside from his big run, Shenault also earned a lot of praise on Tuesday for his blocking on the perimeter and even near the line of scrimmage. Offensive line coach Phil Rauscher was animated in his praise of Shenault on more than one occasion
- No. 1 overall pick Travon Walker had a few impressive rushes against Cam Robinson. Pads will be the real test for Walker, but he has looked comfortable at outside linebacker.
- Luke Fortner once again took first-team reps at center, with Tyler Shatley at left guard. Fortner took some extra snaps with Lawrence after practice to help build their chemistry, too.
- The second team offensive line looked like this: Will Richardson (LT), Ben Bartch (LG), K.C. McDermott (C), Wes Martin (RG), and Walker Little (RT).
- Evan Engram had an up-and-down day. He had the aforementioned drop, but he also completely shook Chad Muma in space for an impressive run after the catch gain in team drills.
- Lawrence showed good leadership and command of the offense on Tuesday, frequently huddling up with his receivers after certain throws to break down their routes and timing.
- Christian Kirk hasn't had a standout play so far, but he caught everything thrown to him on Tuesday, which included a few underneath grabs with a cornerback right there.
- Darious Williams, Tre Herndon and Xavier Crawford continue to get reps at nickel. Crawford recorded a PBU for the second day in a row, knocking away a Luton pass intended for Shenault.
- Jay Tufele blew up a running play in a big way during team drills. Had it been full contact, it would have been a four or five-yard loss.
