Jaguars OTAs First Impressions: New Faces, New Speed, and New Energy

May 19, 2025 at 06:28 PM

by John Oehser, Brian Sexton & Kainani Stevens

JACKSONVILLE – The Jaguars held Day 1 of their 2025 organized team activities at the Miller Electric Center Monday.

Three Jaguars media members – senior writer John Oehser, senior correspondent Brian Sextonand team reporter/producer Kainani Stevens – shared an observation following practice. Here they are:

Senior Writer John Oehser: Day 1 2025 OTAs was a good, productive day at the MEC – and while you don't evaluate or gauge much with unpadded, noncontact work in May, one thing was very evident Monday: The '25 Jaguars almost certainly will be faster than the '24 version, particularly offensively. Perhaps the player who most stood out on this front Monday was veteran wide receiver Dyami Brown, who signed as an unrestricted free agent from Washington in March. He, along with rookie wide receiver/defensive back Travis Hunter and second-year veteran Brian Thomas Jr., figures to make this one of the Jaguars' most dynamic wide receiving corps in recent memory. Notable, too, on Monday was that quarterback Trevor Lawrence was throwing and working extensively in 11-on-11 work after surgery on his non-throwing (left) shoulder in December. What wasn't as notable: that the offense committed five turnovers and wasn't quite where Head Coach Liam Coen might have liked. This was May 19, the first day of OTAs. It's a time to work through mistakes, not for evaluating or worrying about some miscommunications or errant throws. No one's ahead of anyone yet. No jobs are being won or lost. We're talking about practice, and what we saw in Monday's work is a team that looks faster and more explosive offensively than what we've seen here in recent seasons.

Jacksonville, Fla. — Jaguars defensive end Josh Hines-Allen (41) during OTAs at the Miller Electric Center on May 19, 2025.

Senior Correspondent Brian Sexton:The only thing I am certain of after one day of OTAs is there isn't much certainty for anyone out there on the grass. Oh, sure, Lawrence, Thomas, defensive end Josh Hines-Allen, defensive end Travon Walker and cornerback Tyson Campbell and the specialists can all be sure of their roles, but it sure seems the Jaguars are going to mix it up everywhere and every practice this spring. From drill to drill –and even as Coen said it, "rep to rep" – they're going to move guys into and around the lineup. And why not? The new staff isn't married to the way things were done the last few seasons and were brought in to shake it up. It seems right that the entire offensive line group is listed as nothing more than OL on the roster instead of left guard or right guard. You might think you know what the offensive line group is going to look like but from the looks of it the coaches aren't taking that approach – and the same can be said on the other side of the ball. If nothing else, it made an otherwise unremarkable OTA interesting to see who was lining up where, then where they were in the next period. Say what you want, but this group was brought in to create a different outcome and they're going about it in a different manner.

Jacksonville, Fla. — Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) during OTAs at the Miller Electric Center on May 19, 2025.

Team Reporter/Producer Kainani Stevens: The first day of OTAs served as the unofficial beginning to the offseason program. While OTAs are voluntary, the Jaguars saw a very high turnout as players look to learn the new system under Coen. It's fair to say we saw some rust from Lawrence, who missed some marks throughout the two-hour practice. Lawrence spent the bulk of his offseason rehabbing his surgically repaired throwing shoulder and said he feels no limitations at this point in the offseason. We also saw some flashes between Lawrence and the new speedy wide receiver corps. Brown stood out to me today for his speed and accuracy running routes. While the focus of many will remain on Hunter and Thomas, I think Brown will end up being a critical cog in the Jaguars'offense this season.

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Jacksonville, Fla. — Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) and long snapper Ross Matiscik (46) during OTAs at the Miller Electric Center on May 19, 2025.