Jaguars News | Jacksonville Jaguars - jaguars.com

JACKSONVILLE -- Senior writer John Oehser’s five takeaways from Day Six of Jaguars 2015 Training Camp Thursday at the Florida Blue Health and Wellness Practice Fields … 1)Colvin still standing out. We begin Jaguars Training Camp Day Six Takeaways with what has been a regular topic in ’15 camp – the development of Aaron Colvin. The second-year cornerback had the play of Thursday’s practice, returning a late-practice interception off Blake Bortles for a touchdown. That was Colvin’s second interception of practice, though the first was disputed because he was close to the sideline. “I’ve been working hard and I’ve been tough on myself,” Colvin said. “Sometimes, I’ve been too hard on myself. To go out and make plays feels good.” Colvin has continued to work at outside corner and nickel with the starting unit; to listen to coaches, it’s evident he has continued to impress. “There’s not a lot of guys who can do it (play inside and outside), so that tells you how talented he is,” defensive coordinator Bob Babich said. “When I talk about talent, I’m not just talking about his athleticism and his playmaking ability. You’ve got to be able to switch from playing outside to inside.” The chances of Colvin starting on the outside and moving to nickel – an area where he is exceptional for a young player – on passing downs also appear to be increasing. “I’m still learning and it’s still a process, but I’m really starting to find my groove,” Colvin said.2)Marshall drawing praise. Cornerback is becoming the Jaguars’ deepest young position, and it became more apparent Thursday that that goes beyond the roster’s top four players: Demetrius McCray, Colvin, Davon House and Dwayne Gratz. Rookie corner Nick Marshall, a rookie free agent from Auburn transitioning from college quarterback, drew praise from both Head Coach Gus Bradley and Babich Thursday. “We’re really pleased with Nick’s transition,” Babich said. “He’s very, very athletic and very, very instinctive. He’s just young, and when I say young … young at the position. He has playmaking skills. One thing he can do is he lets his instincts at the point of attack take over and I think that really helps him.” Said Bradley, “I really like him, now. I think he’s got a chance.”3)Miller optimistic. Defensive tackle Roy Miller on Thursday said overall he likes his progress a week into 2015 training camp. Miller, the Jaguars’ starting nose tackle, underwent knee surgery early in the offseason, and entered training camp expected to be limited in repetitions. His workload has played out that way, practicing the last two days – the first in full pads during this camp – after missing two days to rest the knee. “I’m just working through it,” Miller said. “I knew there would be some obstacles coming in that I’d have to work through. I’m at that stage where structurally it’s sound but there are certain things you can’t emulate in the offseason like taking double teams. You have to be smart, because the best way for me to get in shape would be to take 100 double teams a day, but is that good for my knee? Right now, I’ll put that in their (trainers and doctors) hands and trust them.”4)Julius Thomas’ hands are impressive. There’s little more to say about tight end Julius Thomas that hasn’t been said already. In a little less than five months since signing as an unrestricted free agent from the Denver Broncos, Thomas has been impressive on and off the field, particularly standing out early during organized team activities in May. He has stood out in training camp, too, making difficult catches look easy and consistently getting open on intermediate routes. Thomas on Thursday made the sort of reception that has marked his practices in Jacksonville, reaching behind him to make a two-handed reception and beating his defender for a long touchdown. It’s too early to ultimately judge this signing, but early reports remain positive. Thomas left practice Thursday with tightness in his back, but the issue was not initially thought to be serious.5)Keep an eye on … Tyson Alualu. The sixth-year defensive end long has been a player fans love to criticize. He was the No. 10 overall selection in the 2010 NFL Draft, and while he never has missed a game in five NFL seasons, he hasn’t been a huge sacks guy and has played through significant injuries at times. But Alualu’s role isn’t sacks; it’s playing strong-side defensive end and being reliable. Alualu has been that, and the Jaguars valued it enough to re-sign him before he became a free agent this past offseason. Alualu backed up Red Bryant last season, but played nearly as many plays as Bryant and played near or at a higher level. Alualu is backing up Jared Odrick on the strong side early in camp and is playing extensively at Sen’Derrick Marks’ three-technique tackle spot while Marks rehabilitates from offseason reconstructive knee surgery. Alualu also is working with the offense as a fullback, a position the Jaguars don’t plan to carry offensively this season.

Jaguars News | Jacksonville Jaguars - jaguars.com

Day Six Takeaways: Colvin finding "groove"