JACKSONVILLE – The work continued Wednesday, with a spark of intensity.

There was more than a little excitement, too.

The intensity came from the fans, with excitement continuing to come from the Jaguars' biggest offseason story – wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. With defensive end Josh Hines-Allen and defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile speaking to the media after practice, it made for a good Day 2 of Jaguars 2026 Minicamp Wednesday at the Miller Electric Center.

"It helps bring some life to the joint," Liam Coen said.

Coen, entering his second season as the Jaguars' head coach, was speaking about the packed stands at the MEC Wednesday for the team's lone open practice of the 2026 offseason. He spoke, too, of yet another standout day Wednesday from Thomas – a third-year veteran who has had multiple memorable practices in recent weeks.

Coen called the recent practices "huge for the confidence" for Thomas, who struggled at times with drops early last season and who was the subject of trade speculation earlier this offseason.

"It's hard to not hear everything – and also, for himself, I know there were standards in which he wanted to improve upon," Coen said.

Coen has talked throughout the offseason about the positives of improved chemistry between Thomas and quarterback Trevor Lawrence – and about the importance of Thomas as a downfield threat in the passing offense.

"The fact that he's just come out here and worked his ass off, having a great attitude, after every play, communication with either myself or Trevor or EB (wide receivers coach Edgar Bennett) or Grant (offensive coordinator Grant Udinski] – whatever it is, and then making the plays," Coen said. "That is something that you cannot simulate in routes on air. You cannot simulate that type of confidence until you do it in practice.

"The confidence of the connection and chemistry that they're building, that's real."

Hines-Allen and Campanile spoke to the media following Coen, with Hines-Allen – the Jaguars' all-time sacks leader – dismissing the notion that he looks bigger and stronger than last season as he prepares for his eighth NFL season.

"I'm still the same weight," Hines-Allen said, adding with a smile, "I just look good."

Campanile, entering his second season with the Jaguars, said Hines-Allen "looks great" and added, "He has put on good weight."

"Obviously, you can put on weight, but it has to be good weight," Campanile said. "He's super strong at the point of attack and he's got that first step and explosion that we love about him."

Added Campanile, "It benefits him in every which way. Finishing the rush at the top of the rush. When you're working speed to power, you can't tell me that that's not something that's an advantage to you because his lower half is super strong, and we talk about that in the run game. Your hands, the guy who strikes first wins, but the ass whooping is done with your legs, your hips and lower back.

"We have a bunch of guys with that lower body strength in the front and that's what we're always looking for."

However much bigger Hines-Allen may or may not be, he said he very definitely has areas of focus entering the 2026 season. He registered eight sacks in 2025, ranking among the NFL's best with between 80-to-95 pressures. Improvement, he said, is about "the details."

"Our coaching staff does a good job on finding your three better, three best," Hines-Allen said. "I look at my tape: 'Where can I get better?' I can write these things down. Then you go to your coaching staff, and they say, 'Hey, these are the areas.' When they can match together, that's a good sign of we're all on the same page.

"For me, it's just keying the ball a little bit better. A lot of those pressures, a lot of those hits can become sacks if I scoot up on the ball a little bit more by just a hair. If I can get off, if I can anticipate the snap count a little bit better, these are all things that those pressures, those hits can become sacks and forced turnovers.

"We're all on the same page of that. That's one thing that I've been trying to emphasize this offseason, just the little details and being on it every single play, not taking a play off on those details. And that's kind of my main focus this OTAs and we're doing good with it."

QUOTABLE

• Coen on fans attending minicamp practice: "It was good to get them out here. You try to give the fans what they want and get the ball down the field a little bit. We appreciate the whole fan base and community coming out to support us. It's fun. I know the players really appreciate it. I know all of us feel it and it makes it just a little bit more competitive. It's just natural. The fact that you've got people that you know care about what we're doing out here taking the time to watch us practice, that's something that I really appreciate as the coach and also feed off of when we're out here. You hear the fans roar when the guys make a play. Well, I want to throw it down the field again, and you want to continue to do it because momentum's a hell of a drug."