3 Valid Reasons Jaguars' Brian Thomas Jr. Is Due for a Bounce Back Season

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- If there is any player on the Jacksonville Jaguars' who could be in due for a breakout year, it would be reasonable to say it is Brian Thomas Jr.

The 2024 first-round pick was one of the NFL's most productive wide receivers as a rookie, and expectations for him entering last season were sky-high. But as we know now, a variety of factors led to Thomas' sophomore numbers slipping considerably, and he ended the year with 48 catches for 707 yards and two touchdowns.

But after a stellar offseason program, it seems like Thomas could be back on the path to becoming a difference-maker in the Jaguars' offense. If his spring performance isn't enough to convince you, though, perhaps these reasons for a rebound year will.

His Health

brian thomas j — Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. (7) runs a drill during the second day of minicamp at the Miller Electric Center, Wednesday, June 10, 2026, in Jacksonville. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union] | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The biggest reason for optimism around Thomas and his third season has to be the simple fact that he is healthy now, but he wasn't last season. Thomas dealt with injury issues early in the 2025 season and ended up missing three games as a result, and should be clear now just how impactful those injuries were. While he toughed it out and still made several impactful plays for the Jaguars' offense down the stretch, he was not close to 100%.

This offseason, Thomas noted that he is back to full health and his performance on the practice field certainly showed it. His special burst off the line and long-speed looked as good as ever this spring as he dominated OTAs and minicamp, and it is tough to imagine many teams being able to keep up with him at full-strength.

His Role Within the Jaguars' Offense

Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. (7) runs on the field before an NFL football matchup at EverBank Stadium, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla. The Jaguars defeated the Titans 41-7, capturing the AFC South title. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The Jaguars clearly had expectations for Thomas to be a do-everything receiver last year, with Liam Coen saying at the combine that they expected the passing game to run through him. That just didn't seem to click over the first two months of the season, with Thomas not having much success on in-breaking routes over the middle of the field, which is a staple of Coen's offense.

As the year went on and the Jaguars completed building their receiver room with the addition of Jakobi Meyers at the trade deadline, though, the Jaguars were able to tap more into the vertical aspect of Thomas' game.

According to NFL's NextGenStats, "Brian Thomas Jr. averaged 17.4 air yards per target in Weeks 13-18, the second-most among receivers in that span (min. 15 targets) and nearly five more air yards than his average in Weeks 1-9 (12.5). That increase came after his return from an ankle injury in Week 13 and coincided with his first games alongside Jakobi Meyers. Over that stretch, 38.7% of Thomas' targets came on deep throws (20+ air yards), up from 18.3% in Weeks 1-9, though he hauled in just 3 of his 12 deep targets (25.0%) for 108 yards."

In short, the Jaguars learned Thomas and his game and found the best way to utilize him in the offense. Now that he is healthy and in a role more suited for his talents from the start of camp, the upside could be immense.

Trevor Lawrence

brian thoma — Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) talks with wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. (7) as they walk off the field with wide receiver Travis Hunter (12), right, after an NFL training camp session at the Miller Electric Center, Tuesday, July 29, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Perhaps the biggest reason to buy into the idea of Thomas as an impact player for the Jaguars in 2026 is the fact that, at least based on the offseason, he and Trevor Lawrence are back on the same page. The duo struggled to find much rhythm at any point last year, starting with a frustrating training camp that led to a limited regular-season success at getting the ball to Thomas downfield to start the year.

Lawrence has been a streaky deep passer in the past, at times having some of the best vertical passing production of any NFL passer. But there have also been stretches like last season and at times in the past where he has been less than effective in that regard, and that was a big issue for the Jaguars at the start of 2025.

Lawrence and the Jaguars spoke throughout the offseason program about how pushing the ball downfield would become a primary focus when it came to improving the offense, and that improvement looked clear during OTAs and minicamp. Lawrence looked good throwing deep to each of his top targets, but especially Thomas.

With Lawrence hitting his stride as a quarterback and set to have perhaps the best year of his career, Thomas could be the Jaguars receiver who ends up benefitting more than anyone else. If Lawrence has his deep ball back, that is good news for Thomas.

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