Jaguars Practice Heats Up: Observations and Notes From Saturday's Training Camp

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Saturday felt a whole lot like real football during the latest installment of the Jacksonville Jaguars training camp. Pads were popping, players were hooping and hollering and coaches were able to get a good luck at what their team will look like on Sept. 13.

But who and what stood out the most on Saturday, and what could it mean moving forward? We give you our live observations from Saturday's practice, along with a few quick-hitting notes to keep you in the loop.

Gardner Minshew turned in a great day

In what is surely a positive development for the Jaguars brass, it certainly seems like starting quarterback Gardner Minshew II is improving as camp goes along. It was expected for Minshew to not be lights out in the early going of camp considering he was transitioning to an entirely new scheme under offensive coordinator Jay Gruden, but it was important to note whether Minshew would be taking a step forward as he stacked practices atop of one another.

On Saturday, Minshew had one of his best practices of camp so far, save for Thursday's red zone onslaught. He was extremely sharp in team drills, throwing just two incompletions -- one of which was simply a great play made on the ball by Luq Barcoo. He was accurate with the ball, made good decisions and evaded a few rushes to complete passes 10 or more yards downfield. Add in the fact that he has turned in great results as a deep passer in camp, and Saturday was an extremely positive sign for Minshew and the Jaguars.

Myles Jack had his ups and downs

Saturday was a mixed bag for Myles Jack, the main linebacker the Jaguars badly need to improve in 2020. Now at weak side linebacker after two so-so years in the middle, the thought process has been that allowing Jack to move outside would enable him to make plays with his speed and not have to think as much, and this speed has shown up throughout camp. On Saturday, Jack made a couple of run stop near the line of scrimmage during team drills that showed he was getting comfortable at reading and reacting from his new spot.

But, it wasn't all positive from Jack. He struggled in a few one-on-one reps against running backs, specifically against running back Leonard Fournette. On one route, Fournette made contact at the top of the route and sent a lackadaisical Jack to the ground, while Jack would lose his footing on another rep vs. a Fournette route. What Jack does in team drills matter more, but he will need to have more consistent practices overall to take a step forward.

Timmy Jernigan dominates

It was clear from Timmy Jernigan's first few days of practice with the Jaguars that he was still getting comfortable and getting back into football shape after spending the offseason without a team. For that reason, it took a couple of practices for Jernigan to truly make his presence felt in the middle of the defense. That changed in a big, big way on Saturday, however.

From the start of one-on-ones to his last rep in team drills, Jernigan was an absolute force for the Jaguars. He tormented second-year center Blake Hance, beating him badly in a one-on-one at the start of practice and then blowing past him for a few run stops in team drills. Jernigan's best play came during a team drill in which he shed the block as he made contact off of the snap and then quickly shed a block attempt from the running back to get what would have been a sack. Overall, Jernigan had a terrific anchor vs. the run and flashed active hands on Saturday. He also brought an undeniable energy to the defense, something that can't go overlooked.

Running backs have an eventful practice

It was an interesting day from Jacksonville's running back group. They got a ton of reps in between one-on-one blitz pickup drills, routes against linebackers and a heavy dosage of runs in team periods. Here is a rundown on how the group looked overall.

Leonard Fournette got beat by Joe Schobert in the blitz drill a few times, but he overall had a great day. He dusted Jack on multiple routes, showed good hands and then ran hard during team drills. He is moving well and showing solid agility considering his profile as a runner. He broke off a few long runs in team drills and didn't have any major gaffes at really any point.
Ryquell Armstead had some whiffs in the blitz drill, but he was locked in during team drills. He had two really impressive runs -- one which was about an eight-yard gain in which he got about an extra two to three yards by lowering his shoulder and running through Jarrod Wilson. The next run was a longer one around the right side, with Armstead finding the open lane and then initiating contact against Chris Claybrooks in space to nearly break the tackle, resulting in more yards.
Chris Thompson continues to shine as a pass-catcher. No running back on the roster catches the ball quite as well as him or runs routes as consistently crisp. He should have a role carved out in the offense as long as he is healthy.
Devine Ozigbo was the best running back in pass protection drills, which is surprising considering Fournette's sterling reputation as a blitz blocker. Ozigbo got a lot of praise on the field for the way he embraced contact and kept the linebackers from getting into the backfield.
James Robinson had a few nice blitz pickups. He is one of the team's bigger backs and should shine in more physically oriented drills.
Bruce Miller was hit or miss as a receiver and pass-blocker, but he created holes for Fournette on more than a few occasions.

Young corners get chance to shine with CJ Henderson out

Since CJ Henderson sat out of practice due to an illness (which the Jaguars said is not COVID-19 related), the Jaguars' young cornerback depth got more reps and a few different rookies stood out as a result. The primary three were fourth-round pick Josiah Scott, seventh-rounder Chris Claybrooks and undrafted free agent Luq Barcoo.

Scott, who has gotten his hands on a lot of passes in recent days, got his second interception in three practices thanks to a bobbled catch attempt by Keelan Cole. Scott has been in the right spot at the right time at really every point this week, making it hard not to be impressed by him. As for Barcoo, he recorded a few different pass breakups on Saturday, but his best one came against the Jaguars best player -- DJ Chark. On a deep route in team drills, Chark looked to have had a step on Barcoo for a big gain, but Barcoo recovered and deflected the ball in the air before it could get to Chark. As for Claybrooks, the raw cornerback had one play that perfectly demonstrated his elite athleticism, leaping in front of the receiver from several yards behind him to nearly intercept a Josh Dobbs pass.

Notes

Tyler Eifert has looked the part as a pass-catcher. Not only has he had great hands all throughout camp, but he put his speed on display a few times today as well, beating a few defensive backs down the seam for a long gain on a throw from Jake Luton.
One of the most memorable moments of camp so far came from undrafted rookie defensive tackle Doug Costin. During team drills, Costin read Dobbs' eyes at the line of scrimmage and leaped to intercept a short pass. He then took the ball to the end zone thanks to an extremely celebratory convoy led by Josh Allen, Ronnie Harrison and K'Lavon Chaisson.
Josh Jones continues to impress. He made another couple of big run stops in today's practice that makes it hard to not consider him as one of the team's best box enforcers, at least when it comes to defensive backs.
Mike Glennon was much better today than Thursday and Friday. He didn't turn the ball over once, and he completed a great touchdown pass to Eifert in the face of a pass rush.
Players like Schobert, Dakota Allen and Shaquille Quarterman all had impressive wins in the blitzing drills. Allen and Quarterman have flashed a lot in recent days.
Dede Westbrook did not practice due to a shoulder injury.