The Good and Not So Good From Jaguars' First Week of OTAs

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The first week of OTAs are in the books for the Jacksonville Jaguars, who now have a few practices under their belts at the Miller Electric Center.

We were boots on the ground for the Jaguars' first OTA practice, and we were able to pick up on all of the momentum the Jaguars are building, as well as some of the momentum they are losing. So, what were the ups and downs of OTAs? We break it down below.

The Good

The starting receivers

The best position group on the Jaguars' roster very well could be the wide receiver room. It is a top-heavy unit, but the top of the depth chart has one of the best receiver trios in the NFL, and that is even before you include the addition of Travis Hunter once he is healthy. The receiver room, as talented as it is, must shine in OTA settings considering the context of the practice and the direction of the offense. They certainly did that on Tuesday.

Parker Washington was the MVP of the offseason program a year ago before having a career season. He has gotten off to another stellar start this time around, looking uncoverable in 7-on-7 and team drills on Tuesday. Defenses can't contact receivers at this point, but Washington looked as dynamic as he ever has at this stage of the offseason.

Washington was not alone in having a productive day, with Brian Thomas Jr. also having a solid start to OTAs. Thomas is a critical piece of the Jaguars' offense due to his vertical ability, and he showed up big with a deep touchdown catch on Tuesday. That was the highlight of the day, but he made several other solid plays during the afternoon and did not drop a pass.

The secondary

The Jaguars' secondary is expected to take a big leap this year with the additions of full-time cornerback Travis Hunter and second-year cornerback Caleb Ransaw. While Hunter was not practicing on Tuesday, it certainly was encouraging to see the Jaguars' secondary have a strong practice even without their top corner and Jourdan Lewis.

Eric Murray and Preston Hodge each recorded interceptions, while several other members of the secondary such as Montaric Brown and Jabbar Muhammad were able to force pass breakups. The starting secondary looked faster and more instinctive than even a year ago, and the backups impressed each time theygot a chance. The secondary's improvement could set the ceiling for Anthony Campanile's defense entering 2026, and they certainly appear to have gotten off to a good start at this point in the offseason program.

The Devin Lloyd/Travis Etienne Bets

The two biggest decisions the Jaguars made this offseason were the decisions not to re-sign starters Travis Etienne and Devin Lloyd in free agency. Not only did the Jaguars want to get value from the NFL Draft compensatory pick formula, but the Jaguars' brass also clearly believes in the options they have to replace two of their most productive veterans from 2025.

The Jaguars' belief in both replacements seems to be, for now, justified. Bhayshul Tuten caught the praise of Liam Coen after one of his better practices as a Jaguar, while Ventrell Miller was arguably the highlight member of the defense after several pass-breakups and would-be tackles for loss. The Jaguars will need Tuten and Miller to take big leaps this year to ensure they do not miss Etienne and Lloyd, and they got off to a good start this week.

Remade TE Room

nate boerkirche — Jacksonville Jaguars tight end Nate Boerkircher (87) catches a pass during rookie minicamp at the Miller Electric Center, Saturday, May 9, 2026 in Jacksonville, Fla. Today was the second of a three day camp concluding Sunday. | Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Jaguars have obviously put a lot of eggs into the tight end basket this offseason. They have not been shy about wanting to get with the times and follow the trends of multiple tight ends, and the selections of Nate Boerkircher and Tanner Koziol in April prove that. While we can not divulge much in terms of the usage of the rookies, or Brenton Strange and Quintin Morris, we can say that it is easy to see tight end as arguably the most improved room on the roster.

The Jaguars' tight end room last year was middling behind Strange; there is a reason Morris was able to go from practice squad player to clear No. 2 tight end so easily over the course of the season. Boerkircher and Koziol simply give the Jaguars more juice at the position than they had at any point last year, and that is already showing up on the practice field.

The Not So Good

Chris Rodriguez Jr.'s Offseason Momentum

Jaguars head coach Liam Coen did not clearly update the status of free-agent addition Chris Rodriguez Jr. after he missed practice on Tuesday, but he seemed to imply it was injury-related. While it is far too early in the offseason to speculate on what this means for Rodriguez and his return to the practice field, it does at least derail the offensive momentum of the Jaguars' biggest offseason addition.

The Jaguars believe Rodriguez will be a key piece of the offense on and off the field, and Coen's history with him indicates he could get the most usage of his career. But until he gets on the practice field, the reps and chances to impress will go to Bhayshul Tuten and LeQuint Allen Jr.

The backup QBs

nick mullen — Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Nick Mullens (14) throws the ball during an NFL training camp session at the Miller Electric Center, Friday, July 25, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] | Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Trevor Lawrence had a solid day of work on Tuesday outside of his interception to Eric Murray. The rest of the quarterback room can not quite say the same, with Nick Mullens, Carter Bradley and Joey Aguilar each having their own set of issues with the backups on offense. This was not going to be a strong room behind Lawrence anyway, but Tuesday was plenty of errant throws and turnover-worthy plays from the group aside from the franchise quarterback.

Pass-Rush Depth

danny striggo — Jacksonville Jaguars defensive lineman Danny Striggow (92) walks off the field after an NFL training camp session at the Miller Electric Center, Wednesday, July 23, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] | Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Jaguars did not have veteran defensive end Josh Hines-Allen on the field for the first OTA practice, which gave one of the NFL's youngest defensive end depth charts a chance to get more reps. On one hand, it does give key backups like Danny Striggow a chance to get some valuable reps ahead of training camp. On the other hand, it certainly showed what the Jaguars' defensive line would be like if Hines-Allen is ever out of action, and it certainly was a bit concerning.

Striggow and fellow former undrafted defensive end B.J. Green certainly flashed last season, but the sheer possibility of the Jaguars' pass-rush having to lean on them and rookies Wesley Williams and Zach Durfee makes one wonder why the Jaguars have not yet added a veteran pass-rusher. Time is not out to do so, at least.

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