JACKSONVILLE – Jaguars 2026 Training Camp continued Wednesday.
It was the 16th day of the second training camp under Head Coach Liam Coen, featuring a practice of about two hours in full pads with the Carolina Panthers at the Miller Electric Center. Each day throughout camp, members of Jaguars Media – senior writer John Oehser, senior correspondent Brian Sexton, team reporter Kainani Stevens and correspondent John Shipley – will share an observation.
Here are Wednesday's "campservations:"
Oehser…
- Day 16 was about hitting, intensity and physicality – and it was necessary and good. The Jaguars' joint practice against the Panthers was notable for energy and big plays – and for the obligatory joint practice tussle – but it was perhaps most notable for a few periods when practice reached the point of being darned close to real football. This wasn't about an early skirmish between the Jaguars' offense and Panthers defense, but about some stretches when the teams were tackling to the ground rather than the usual NFL practice of thud-tackling with no "full tackling." Jaguars safeties Antonio Johnson and Jalen Huskey each had violent tackles on Panthers receivers during this stretch, and while Johnson after practice categorized it as just what Jaguars safeties do, it definitely leaned more toward NFL training camp practices of past eras than is common these days. Overall, this was a day that the Jaguars appeared to get accomplished a lot of what they wanted to accomplish. Head Coach Liam Coen wanted a better practice than he saw against the New Orleans Saints last week. He wanted the Jaguars to hit first and not wait to respond. He wanted good work in the running game and good physicality. He appeared to get it all, and that made Wednesday a good day for the Jaguars around the MEC.
Sexton…
- This was 180 degrees from last Thursday in New Orleans. Coen wanted his team to respond to the challenge, and it certainly did. Whether it was in the red zone or on special teams, Coen wanted his team to play physical, fundamentally sound football. Left tackle Anton Harrison and left guard Ezra Cleveland in particular stood out Wednesday. They both struggled against the Saints, and both practiced well against the Panthers. On defense, tackle Arik Armstead was unblockable, and cornerback Travis Hunter was a force in the secondary. It will be interesting to see how this practice influences Coen's decision on which starters to play against the Panthers in Preseason Week 2 Friday and how much to play them. He spoke about needing to see more. Did he see enough today to stick with his original plan?
Stevens…
- Wednesday's practice was an opportunity for the Jaguars to rebound after a subpar week of work, and they certainly did. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence led the Jaguars' offense with a much better start than they had in New Orleans, and the unit looked near-dominant in red-zone period. The Jaguars' defense was physical and put extensive pressure on Panthers quarterback Bryce Young. Coen after practice backed off a bit from the notion that starters will play on Friday. I expect a final decision on that will be made Thursday.
Shipley…
- The Jaguars on Wednesday had the most physical and spirited practice of the summer, and they looked good in the process. Coen said he challenged the team to "come out and set the tone," and that was exactly what the Jaguars did. The offense looked particularly good running the ball and in the red zone, with both Coen and Lawrence remarking after practice how impressed they were by the running game. Running back Bhayshul Tuten broke several long runs for the Jaguars, while Chris Rodriguez Jr. once again impressed as a power runner. Rookie running back J'Mari Taylor also added a touchdown run in team drills after terrific blocks from wide receiver Josh Cameron and offensive tackle Kilian Zierer. In the red zone, the Jaguars' offense scored on five of six plays, with touchdown passes from Lawrence to tight ends Brenton Strange and Nate Boerkircher and wide receiver Jakobi Meyers.
