Jaguars Training Camp, Day 7: Observations on Walker Little, Calvin Ridley and More
The Jacksonville Jaguars are getting into the dog days of training camp, throwing on the shoulder pads for the second day in a row on Wednesday.
What all did we see in a day that wasn't particularly fruitful for the offense? We break it all down below.
Walker Little shines in one-on-ones
It has been a whirlwind three seasons for Jaguars offensive tackle Walker Little. After riding the pine for most of his rookie season, which came after years off the field due to injury and the COVID-19 pandemic, and a sophomore season that saw him have to learn both right and left tackle, Little has finally found his home at left tackle. Whether Little remains there when Cam Robinson returns from suspension remains to be seen, but it has been a training camp of familiarity for Little for the first time in his career.
It showed on Wednesday, too. Little was absolutely dominant in one-on-ones vs. the team's pass-rushers, drawing wins vs. each of Josh Allen, K'Lavon Chaisson, Travon Walker, and Jordan Smith. He had particularly assertive reps vs. Chaisson and Smith, while he shut down counter moves from Allen and Walker with ease. Walker has added a lot of size and strength since entering the NFL and it showed up repeatedly on Wednesday.
The Jaguars need Walker Little to step up in a big way over the first month of the season considering the question marks around the rest of the offensive line. And if today's practice was any indication, then Walker shouldn't have many issues.
Pass-catchers have an off day
The Jaguars' wide receiver room has had a fantastic training camp so far, with Calvin Ridley looking like a potential star receiver and Christian Kirk and Zay Jones both picking up where they left off. Wednesday was a day to forget, though, with the Jaguars' receivers just struggling in terms of drops from the top of the depth chart to the bottom. It seemed like Trevor Lawrence and Calvin Ridley just couldn't get on the same page on Wednesday, with most of the connection issues just being drops on Ridley's part.
Ridley is healthy, with his sore toe being related to a non-serious cleat issue. Ridley had several non-contested drops on Wednesday, while Tyson Campbell was able to rip the ball out of his hands on a few other occasions. Ridley still ran crisp routes, drawing several flags in one-on-ones vs. both Campbell and Darious Williams, but it was the first practice he looked, well, human. He wasn't alone, though, as Jones and Kirk both dealt with drops during team drills as well. It wasn't the passing game's day for a large chunk of Wednesday, but this time it felt self-inflicted for the first time in camp.
The pass-rush remains a question mark
The biggest question mark for the Jaguars through the first two days of pads remains the pass-rush. Josh Allen has had a solid camp, but otherwise there are glaring signs that the Jaguars' pass-rush depth is both thin at the top and in terms of its depth. There have been some impressive flashes, such as reps from Roy Robertson-Harris and Foley Fatukasi, but ultimately the Jaguars are a team that is still looking for its pass-rush to form an identity in team drills, while one-on-ones haven't been fruitful.
The Jaguars did have several pressures on Trevor Lawrence at the start of the practice, with Robertson-Harris forcing Lawrence out of the pocket on one play and Daniel Thomas recorded what likely would have been a sack on another. Overall, though, the Jaguars' offensive line has held up well against the Jaguars' pass-rush, especially in one-on-ones.
It isn't fair to judge a pass-rush unit based on one-on-one performances, but it is still a bit staggering to look at the Jaguars' pass-rush depth after Allen and Walker. One-on-ones aren't exactly a game-like situation and there is no true live quarterback in the pocket, but it is normally a drill designed for defensive linemen. But a year after the Jaguars' trio of Allen, Arden Key and Dawuane Smoot gave the Jaguars' offensive line fits day in and day out, the Jaguars are still looking for K'Lavon Chaisson and the rest of the Jaguars' pass-rush depth chart to find consistent pressure.
“I still like where Roy [DL Roy Robertson-Harris] is and where he’s picked up from last year. He’s done a nice job of getting on an edge in the team drills. Travon [OLB Travon Walker] has had some really good rushes against Walker [OL Walker Little] and against Anton [OL Anton Harrison], and obviously against Josh Wells [OL Josh Wells] yesterday," Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said before Wednesday's practice.
"I like where he’s at and how he’s progressing. Josh [OLB Josh Allen] has that speed and athleticism and length as well. He has showed up a little bit, and it’s good to get DaVon Hamilton [DT DaVon Hamilton] back out there in practice a little bit to see his push and I’ll tell you this, Foley [DL Folorunso Fatukasi] has really shown up in the first few days of camp here. I think that’s the progression of being in our system second year, just understanding what our expectations are for him.”
Run defense, however, looks ready for Week 1
If the Jaguars could hang their hat on any aspect of their defense in 2022, it was their run defense. The Jaguars' front seven had strong stretches of play against the run last year despite having issues with missed tackles during the season, and so far the same has shown up in live reps with pads. The defensive line seems to have performed well against the offensive line in team drills in terms of the running game, with Fatukasi and Robertson-Harris creating consistent pressure. Adam Gotsis and Devin Lloyd have made strong plays against the run, too.
Running back Tank Bigsby had one solid run around the right side after Josh Wells and Brenton Strange helped pave the way, while Travis Etienne also logged an explosive run to the same side earlier in practice. The Jaguars' defense has played with a chip on their shoulder throughout training camp, and it has especially shown up in the running game over the last two days of padded practices.
Play of the Day
It was a hard day to find the best play of the day, particularly because a lot of the plays ended in self-inflicted mistakes for the offense. There weren't any interceptions or big pass-breakups in the end-zone to write home about, for example. One player who did step up, though, was tight end Evan Engram. Engram caught two touchdowns from Trevor Lawrence toward the end of practice, including a particularly difficult catch with Andrew Wingard draped over him in coverage.
Other Notes
- Erick Hallett II was impressive once again. He had one great rep against Parker Washington where he stayed in his hip pocket downfield and then broke up the pass at the catch point to prevent a score in one-on-ones.
- Brenton Strange had his best practice yet. The second-round pick had a nice diving catch across the middle of the field on a pass form Trevor Lawrence and then caught a touchdown from C.J. Beathard over Montaric Brown.
- Player having a sneaky good camp? Cam Robinson. He has been consistent in one-on-ones and has stood out in the running game.
- De'Shaan Dixon had an impressive win against Coy Cronk in one-on-ones, showing a lot of power.
- Foye Oluokun seemed to have a rest day, with Chad Muma taking his place with the defense.
- Andre Cisco was held out of team drills with a hamstring injury but it overall doesn't appear overly serious. Anton Harrison also didn't take part in contact drills for the second day in a row due to a shoulder injury.
