JACKSONVILLE – The Jaguars on Wednesday practiced at the Miller Electric Center.
The Jaguars (5-3) will play the Houston Texans (3-5) at NRG Stadium Houston, Tex., Sunday in a 2025 Week 10 game. A look at Wednesday around the Jaguars – with Head Coach Liam Coen speaking to the media before practice and quarterback Trevor Lawrence speaking to the media after practice:
He has earned more opportunity. Now, Parker Washington is getting it – and Lawrence said that's a positive.
"He really works his tail off, and as a quarterback that gives you a lot of confidence," Lawrence said.
Washington, a sixth-round selection in the 2023 NFL Draft, entered training camp as the Jaguars' fourth receiver. With rookie wide receiver/defensive back Travis Hunter on injured reserve with a knee injury, and with veteran wide receivers Dyami Brown and Brian Thomas Junior on the injury report this week, he could be a top option at receiver Sunday.
Washington, after catching 16 passes for 132 yards and two touchdowns as a rookie, caught 32 passes for 390 yards and three touchdowns last season. He at times has been the Jaguars' most reliable receiver this season, catching 25 passes for 297 passes and a touchdown.
"He has had to step up a lot of different times," Lawrence said. "He always has done a great job and I've always liked how he played. We always had a good chemistry and it definitely has grown, especially this year.
"He practices so hard. You see all his routes full speed and know exactly how he's going to run it. All these banked reps have stacked up to where our connection is growing stronger and stronger. You see it showing on Sundays."
While Jaguars' pass rush improved this past Sunday, Coen on Wednesday said "the flat-out bottom line is we've got to go affect the quarterback better."
The Jaguars through eight games rank last in the NFL with 10 sacks, with veteran defensive end Travon Walker on Wednesday saying the key to improving in that area is continuing to play strong in another area.
"We've got to stop the run," Walker said. "You want to win first down and get them behind the sticks to where you are able to rush the passer. That's the main thing. We've got to stop the run and we have to do better than we've been doing this year on the pass rush."
The Jaguars affected Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Geno Smith at times late in a 30-29 overtime victory this past Sunday and sacked him twice – with defensive end Josh Hines-Allen registering 1.5 sacks in the fourth quarter and overtime.
Coen said Las Vegas schemed to negate the pass rush with quick passes, with Smith passing in less than two seconds on 88 percent of attempts.
"Vegas did a pretty good job of attacking us that way," Coen said. "When it's in between quicks and drop back if we can't get home … alright, how can we affect the pocket or affect the play by getting our hands up like we obviously did on the two-point play (a pass defensed by defensive tackle DaVon Hamilton] to end the game, but we've got to affect the quarterback better."
Coen expected running back Travis Etienne Jr. to be good and productive. It's the way Etienne has been those things that Coen has found notable.
Etienne has rushed for 598 yards and two touchdowns this season, with Coen on Wednesday praising Etienne's physicality after he rushed for 84 yards on 20 carries and caught five passes for 31 yards against the Raiders.
"I'm not saying I didn't see it before; I've seen it," Coen, noting a fourth-and-two play late in the third quarter Sunday on which Etienne overpowered Raiders safety Isaiah Pola-Mao for a key first down. "It's impressive in person when you see a guy be met by the safety at the line to gain and just shoulder down, kept going forward.
"He falls forward a lot more for a guy people have maybe in his past called him a scat back or a back that's more in the pass game or outside on the perimeter.
"He has run between the tackles pretty well for us this year."
The Jaguars on Wednesday released the first of three injury reports for the week, with linebacker Devin Lloyd – the AFC's Defensive Player of the Month for September – practicing full after missing the last two games.
Thomas (ankle), tight end Hunter Long (hip/knee), guard Ezra Cleveland (knee/ankle) and cornerback Jourdan Lewis (neck) missed practice after sustaining injuries against the Raiders.
Brown practiced limited after sustaining a concussion Sunday, with the following Jaguars players also practicing limited Wednesday: linebacker Dennis Gardeck (chest), defensive tackle DaVon Hamilton (back) and linebacker Jack Kiser (quadriceps).
Wide receiver Tim Patrick and tight end Quintin Morris also practiced full Wednesday after missing the victory over the Raiders with groin injuries.
