2024 Jaguars mandatory veteran minicamp: Day two takeaways and observations

The Jacksonville Jaguars continued Phase 3 of their offseason program on Tuesday afternoon, concluding the second day of their mandatory veteran minicamp on the Miller Electric Center practice fields. Here are some first-hand observations and highlights from the field.

Today was probably one of the most closely contested days of minicamp or OTAs between the secondary and the receivers. We had a Parker Washington “forced fumble” (probably an incomplete pass), multiple defensive interceptions, and some tight coverage. Neither side “won” but it’s great to see this type of competition.

Overview of the most important events:

Brian Thomas Jr

BTJ showed off his soft hands by making a low throw off the turf while rolling over to secure it. All in all, Thomas Jr had another pretty busy day with a lot of solid catches. However, the defense didn’t give up their free lunches today, which we’ll talk about later.

Deantre Prince

Prince made one of the best defensive plays of the day, breaking up a 20-yard pass to Elijah Cooks that resulted in an interception after Princes’ hand sent the ball flying. He concentrated on the throw, used his speed to close the gap after the throw, and put his hand in his pocket.

Nickelback/Slot Corner Contest?

If you believe there is an open competition for the Jaguars’ starting cornerback role, today’s action probably did little to change your opinion. Both rookie CB Jarrian Jones and S Darnell Savage had a field day in coverage today.

• Jarrian started to set the tone for the defense early on with a deflected pass, followed by another pass that, if not deflected, would have resulted in a serious collision or deflection.

• Savage, not to be outdone, finished the drill with an interception in the red zone while making good cover for Parker Washington, who slipped after getting stuck in the lane.

However, his second attempt at this exercise was hilarious.

Brenton Strange

Strange started the action early, taking over the middle areas of the pitch again and showing his improvement in his receiving game.

Mac Jones

After Monday’s intense training, Jones had another solid day. The backup QB competition should be interesting between him and J Beathard. As a reminder, the only QB to practice at the Veteran Mandatory Minicamp in 2023 was former Jaguar and current New York Giants QB Nathan Rourke.

Other observations:

Montaric Brown

Buster showed up in a big way in the red zone today, breaking up Mac Jones’ pass attempt in the end zone to Brian Thomas Jr. after a pretty good route with double traffic.

OLine moving weight

Tim Jones

The Jones-Jones connection came up multiple times today, with Tim making 3 intermediate catches in stoppage time and zero turnovers.

Joshua Cephus

Cephus had a quieter day today as he will continue to compete for a potentially final spot on the WR roster. As OC Press Taylor stated earlier in the day, the WR6 roster spot will likely come down to special teams play.

Will KR/RB Robinson be helpful in attack?

Robinson has the potential to play a passer/returner/gadget role in this offense.

Say it right!

Excused absences for veterans

As a reminder, many of the healthy veterans on the roster have been cleared by the team from this week’s practices, which include, but are not limited to:

• QB Trevor Lawrence
• RB Travis Etienne
• OT Cam Robinson
• WR Christian Kirk
• Walker OLB Travona
• LB Foye Oluokun
• CB Tyson Campbell
• S Andre Cisco
• And a couple others

Injury/rehabilitation updates

• DT Arik Armstead (unknown injury) and Roy Robertson-Harris (unknown right ankle injury) continued to rehabilitate from their injuries, spending part of practice on the sidelines with medical staff. RRH continued to wear a walking boot on his right foot, initially seen on OTAs. Coach Pederson stated that he expects Armstead to be fully ready in training camp.
• WR Gabe Davis is still recovering from a PCL injury in 2023. He will still have limited opportunities and will not participate in “team” training sections.
• RT Anton Harrison was limited after offseason labrum surgery.
• S. Darnell Savage practiced today wearing a limited edition orange cap. The team previously said it would be cautious while recovering from a rotator cuff tear in 2023.

Offensive coordinator Press Taylor discusses the WR6 competition, the evolution of Evan Engram, activating the run game and more

Available here!

Next in line

The team will hit the field on the final day of Mandatory Veteran Minicamp on Wednesday, June 12. Head coach Doug Pederson will be available at 9:15 a.m. and the team will begin practice at 10 a.m.