Jaguars Training Camp, Day 11: Observations on Anton Harrison, Physical Practice and More
The Jacksonville Jaguars held their most physical practice of training camp on Monday, turning Day 11 into a day filled with live hitting for the first time all camp.
So what did we see at the Miller Electric Center for the 11th practice in 13 days? We break it down below.
Monday was the most physical practice of training camp by a wide margin
Monday's practice was a true callback to the physical training camp practices the Jaguars held on several occasions in 2022. The Jaguars have had much less live hitting in this year's camp, but this wasn't the case on Monday as the Jaguars went live in full pads. This led to a spirited and physical practice from the offense, defense and special teams that puts every other practice this camp to shame.
Considering the Jaguars are off on Tuesday and will enter a game week atmosphere when they return on Wednesday, it makes sense why they went with a big uptick in physicality on Monday. It was the type of practice that shows you which players are physical and aggressive enough to make their mark, and which ones aren't.
Anton Harrison shows why he was a first-round pick
It was a very good practice for right tackle Anton Harrison, who has seemingly put his shoulder injury behind him. Harrison drew consistent praise from offensive line coach Phil Rauscher during one-on-ones, with one rep seeing him ride K'Lavon Chaisson around the arc before smothering him on the ground, and another rep seeing him anchor well vs. Travon Walker for the second day in a row.
Harrison's good day was apparent during team drills, too. While the Jaguars' defensive line generated pressure here and there on Monday, it was rarely against the Jaguars rookie right tackle. You can tell he is still a young and ascending player when you watch him play, acting almost unsure of himself ... but you can also tell Harrison has all of the speed and size traits needed to succeed on an island. He had a positive day on Monday, which is good news for everyone involved.
Darious Williams accepts the Calvin Ridley challenge
Calvin Ridley has been open all throughout training camp about his desire to matchup against starting cornerback Tyson Campbell. He can't do that this week, though, since Campbell has been in the concussion protocol since Saturday. As a result, Monday's practice gave us a healthy dose of Ridley vs. Darious Williams, with Williams holding his own in a big way.
Williams was tremendous against Ridley in one-on-ones, with Ridley's only win coming on a slant pattern that seems a bit unfair in these drills. In the other two reps, Williams was physical with Ridley and was able to eliminate any potential separation, picking off one target to Ridley and then clamping him well enough on another rep that Trevor Lawrence opted to not even throw the ball.
Travis Etienne sees first reps in goal-line work
The Jaguars' running back position has been the biggest talking point of the team for most fantasy football analysts, which made Monday's practice an interesting one to take in. The assumed thought for most is that returning starter Travis Etienne could be in line to see goal-line carries taken away from him after the third-round selection of power back Tank Bigsby, but that didn't seem to be the immediate case on Monday.
Instead, it was Etienne who got the first crack at the starting defense when the Jaguars went to their first goal-line period of camp. Etienne got the nod over Bigsby on each of the first two carries, converting both into touchdowns. The first rush was the most impressive one, with Etienne taking a toss to the left side and breaking tackle attempts by Chad Muma and Josh Allen on his way to the end zone.
Play of the Day
The best play of the day was a 70+ yard touchdown run from Tank Bigsby during the final period of practice. Bigsby showed good burst and balance and broke two tackles near the line of scrimmage before exploding downfield, with rookie guard Cooper Hodges throwing a block downfield to help spring him for the biggest run of camp.
Other notes
- Brenton Strange showed off grown-man strength on an early team rep target, catching the pass underneath before using a stiff arm to send Rayshawn Jenkins to the turf with authority.
- Erick Hallett continues to stand out. He picked off Nathan Rourke on Monday for yet another interception in camp after drawing praise from defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell earlier in the day.
- Jamal Agnew stayed down for several moments after getting hit on Monday, eventually walking slowly back to the sideline while holding his back. He appeared to be fine, however, and stayed on the practice field.
- Yesterday it was Chris Claybrooks who got reps with the starting defense in Tyson Campbell's absence. Today, it was Montaric Brown.
- Gerrit Prince has just had a terrific camp. He had a great touchdown grab over Daniel Thomas in goal-line drills today.
- Outside linebacker DJ Coleman and offensive lineman Blake Hance got into it after a one-on-one, with Coleman being told by the staff to leave the drill. Roy Robertson-Harris showed great leadership, though, going to Coleman and talking to the younger defender to the side.
- Parker Washington looked like the Jaguars' backup punt returner on Monday. He took all of the snaps behind Jamal Agnew during special teams periods.
- Raymond Vohasek made several standout plays vs. the run, including a safety on Snoop Conner.
