MIAMI, Fla. — The Jacksonville Jaguars took on the Miami Dolphins in their only set of joint practices on Thursday, and we were boots on the ground for every second.
So, what did we see from the Jaguars in South Florida? We break it down below.
Offense has a Sloppy Outing
To say the Jaguars’ offense had a sloppy outing would be accurate. During an end-of-practice situation drill, the Jaguars had a delay of game, a pass batted down at the line of scrimmage, and an overthrow of an open Parker Washington downfield. Trevor Lawrence himself said it was a sloppy day of work, and Lawrence himself had two interceptions — one to Jack Jones on a play that would have been a potential sack, and another to Minkah Fitzpatrick on a miscommunication with Brenton Strange.
The offensive line particularly had a rough day; if there was one unit on offense who had the worst day, it was the line. The right side of the line gave up a lot of pressure, especially right guard Patrick Mekari. The running game was just OK outside of one long Bhayshul Tuten run, The entire offense saw a different defensive structure than they have seen all camp, and it would likely take more than one practice to adjust — but one practice is all they will get.
Brian Thomas Jr. Turns it On
Brian Thomas Jr. has had the kind of training camp that has led to a lot of people simply wanting to see more. The big plays have been there to an extent, but he has also struggled with drops and overall consistency on a day-to-day basis. Thomas also has not been shy about showing his frustration in these moments.
Well, a different Thomas showed up in Miami — as expected. Thomas had his best practices as a rookie in joint practices with Tampa Bay, and to no surprise, he was downright dominant against Miami with two touchdown catches and several other big plays. When he has real competition, he takes his game to another level.
Defense Dominates Miami
The Jaguars’ offense wasn’t the only one that struggled. The Jaguars’ defense was downright dominant, which is fascinating considering how they looked against the Steelers just two weeks ago. It felt like every single play had a Jaguars player in the backfield, with Travon Walker and Josh Hines-Allen each recording several tackle for losses and would-be sacks. The Dolphins had zero answer for either defensive end, and Hines-Allen had two tackles that would have resulted in close to 10-yard losses.
Other players who lived in the backfield included Devin Lloyd, who had a sack off a blitz, and defensive tackle Arik Armstead. Armstead got a sack in red-zone drills and had several pressures in later team drill periods. Jarrian Jones stood out in the secondary, recording a key pass breakup on third-down and being right there in tight coverage on each play he was targeted.
Odd Schedule
Thursday’s practice was an incredibly chippy and physical one, with at least three large fights forming and two more almost starting on the other side of the field. Dyami Brown tossed Jack Jones out of one scuffle, while another fight spilled from the field and partially into the indoor practice facility adjacent to the field.
In short, it was a practice in the third week of the preseason. Both teams are tired of camp. Both teams are ready for Week 1. And if I had to guess, Jaguars head coach Liam Coen would not have scheduled joint practices for this week if he knew what he does now — that the Dolphins already had two joint practices earlier in camp and seemed, from my vantage point, over the idea of doing a third one,
“Yeah, it is what it is. They’ve had multiple joints already and we had none, so to be able to come out and compete against somebody else in general is great,” Coen said after practice. “I do think it was good quality work for us. Could we have been able to go more because we’re not sure what we’re going to do with this next game, yeah probably, but it’s good to come out of it healthy as well.”
Play of the Day
Josh Hines-Allen was the best player on the field in Miami — period. He had an incredible day and his efforts would have included a touchdown during a regular-season game after he forced a fumble in the Dolphins backfield. He shot threw the offensive line with each and nearly intercepted the Tua Tagovailoa pitch.
Other Notes
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