JACKSONVILLE – The have-tos ended Thursday, with competition still key.

The Jaguars held a third and final 2026 Minicamp practice Thursday morning at the Miller Electric Center – and as their lone mandatory workweek of the '26 offseason ended, Head Coach Liam Coen and veteran leaders agreed:

So far, so good.

"Over the course of the offseason, we've improved for sure," Coen said.

Coen on Thursday said he liked the progress made in the passing game in recent weeks – with veteran wide receiver Jakobi Meyers saying he likes what he has seen overall during an offseason program that will conclude next week with a final week of voluntary organized team activities.

"I feel like all our quality players really put that work in this offseason," Meyers said. "It showed when we hit the grass, so it was fun to be out there competing every day."

Meyers said the quality of the Jaguars' roster stood out during the offseason program

"We all knew they had talents," he said. "It's just a matter of working hard when you get to the league."

Thursday's work was unpadded, as are all NFL offseason practices. It also featured 11-on-11 and seven-on-seven work, with the last three weeks and next week – Phase 3 of the offseason – the only time NFL teams can practice at that level of competition in the offseason.

"We've taken steps in the right direction in terms of the pass game, specifically," Coen said. "Offensively, pass pro[tection] is always challenging during this time, but I think the amount of reps that we accumulated throwing the football this spring was pretty cool to see – guys making plays in one-on-one situations, the timing and spacing."

Coen throughout the past few weeks praised the increased chemistry between quarterback Trevor Lawrence and wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr., particularly in the downfield passing game. He discussed Lawrence's progress this offseason overall Thursday.

"I'm pleased with Trevor's spring, absolutely," Coen said.

Lawrence, the No. 1 overall selection in the 2026 NFL Draft, finished fifth in NFL Most Valuable Player balloting last season after throwing 29 touchdowns, rushing for nine touchdowns, with 12 interceptions. Coen on Thursday praised Lawrence's offseason decision-making.

"I don't know how many picks he actually threw, but I have to believe it was under five throughout all of OTAs and minicamp," Coen said. "While trying to challenge himself and our receivers more with down-the-field passing, challenging him to try new things of concepts and fit some throws into maybe windows you would otherwise take a check down in …

"While balancing that, I thought he did a really nice job taking care of the football, running the whole operation, managing the protections and some of the concepts on the field."

Coen on Thursday for a second consecutive day praised the defensive secondary, saying the "defensive coverage has improved" and adding that defensive backs are "getting a little bit more confident to come up and challenge people."

Meyers on the secondary's improvement: "I felt it, honestly. They are around when I'm trying to get open, but it's pushed us to be better in our room, so hopefully we just keep having that iron sharpening iron."

Coen, too, praised defensive end Travon Walker who has participated fully throughout the offseason after playing through wrist and knee injuries last season. Coen before the offseason program began spoke of having challenged Walker – the No. 1 overall selection in the 2022 NFL Draft who signed a contract extension this offseason – "to dominate."

"The rush is very difficult to examine during this time, but I think Travon Walker showed up in a big way, especially when we got into some competitive situations, doing what I challenged him with," Coen said. "Through the first two days of minicamp, he didn't lose many reps.

"So I think we got better."

NOTABLE

• Thomas has emerged as the story of the Jaguars' '26 offseason, with Meyers – the roster's most veteran receiver – saying of the third-year veteran, "He has been locked in. He's a smart dude. I don't think he gets enough credit for how smart he is, but he's a smart individual. I just think the longer he's around the game, the more he's in this offense, the older he gets as a man, he's going to continue to get better and better. I think when it really all the way clicks for him, I really don't see how you stop him, but good luck to whoever is trying." Thomas, after setting Jaguars rookie records with 87 receptions for 1,282 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2024, caught 48 passes for 707 yards and two touchdowns last season. "We were talking about it yesterday: Whenever B.T. has a good day, the whole team has a good day – like, the whole team," Meyers said. "We all just want to keep putting that belief into him, so he knows how great we think he is. If you're just half of that, we'll be okay."