JACKSONVILLE – Let's get to it …
Cristiano from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
JP! NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
This is a tough one. Longtime Jaguars Media member J.P. Shadrick, my friend and longtime colleague, indeed is leaving the Jaguars after 14 seasons to become the play-by-play voice of the Arizona Cardinals – a well-deserved, well-earned opportunity. For myself, and for those who follow the Jaguars closely – a group that includes many, many O-Zone readers – Shadrick is far more than a Jaguars employee. He's more, even, than a "longtime Jaguars media member." When Shadrick joined the organization in 2012, "Jaguars Media" essentially was Shadrick, myself and current Vice President of Content and Production Patrick Kavanagh. I had been here for about a year, mostly writing stories and producing whatever you call this column. With Kavanagh producing, Shadrick began hosting a slew of video shows on the site with me providing my version of analysis. With Shadrick's professionalism and on-air experience providing the backbone of the video content – and with me doing whatever I did – the department began growing and continued to grow. We traveled to countless Senior Bowls and NFL Scouting Combines and London games, conducting countless interviews and producing countless iterations of countless forms of content. He good-naturedly smiled through a summer of "Shadrick Sightings" in this column and patiently tolerated my "schtick" on still more countless shows. Through it all, on and off the air, we analyzed road-graters, power runners, speed merchants and warhorses. Unbeknownst to many, he also edited and posted the O-Zone daily, which means the O-Zone "streak" for whatever it's worth is very much his accomplishment as much as mine. Shadrick notably and significantly became an ambassador for the team and a connection to Jaguars fans – quick with a handshake and a smile, more than willing to speak with fans of all ages. I expect many fans will remember fondly meeting him – and I expect many fans felt a connection with the franchise through these meetings. Fourteen years is a long time to work with someone, and I expect I always will count Shadrick as one of my closest and most-valued colleagues. I also expect I speak for many Jaguars fans when I say he will be missed and fondly remembered. Here's wishing him the best. The Jaguars' loss is the Cardinals' gain. One fer Shadrick. No doubt.
Paul from St. Augustine, FL
Best wishes to JP Shadrick as he heads to Phoenix! I met J.P. briefly last year in a pub right outside Wembley after the game. I guess it will be a while before my next #ShadrickSighting.
You'll always have London. Or something like that.
Kenneth from Jacksonville
Who's the best player in Jaguars history to wear No. 93?
Possibilities here include defensive lineman Tyson Alualu (2010-2016), defensive tackle Taven Bryan (2021), defensive lineman Calais Campbell (2017-2019), defensive tackle Matt Dickerson (2025-present), defensive tackle Tyler Lacy (2023-2024), defensive tackle Ernie Logan (1995-1996) and defensive end Bobby McCray (2004-2007). Mayor of Sacksonville. Pretty easy selection, although Alualu is a very underrated possibility.
Michael from World Golf
I respectfully submit for unanimous consent that the Honorable Calais Campbell, Mayor of Sacksonville, is the best player to wear No. 93 in Jacksonville Jaguar history.
Yes.
Brad from The Avenues
So … Clowney, should we be worried? I'm a little worried.
Veteran defensive lineman Jadeveon Clowney on Monday signed a contract to rejoin the Houston Texans, the team that selected him No. 1 overall in the 2014 NFL Draft and the team for which he played his first five NFL seasons. I suppose you can worry if you like. The Texans were a good team with a good defense before Monday, and I suspect they are still a good team with a good defense. I expected the Jaguars and Texans to both with at least 10 games and push for the AFC South title before Monday, and I absolutely still expect that. Monday's signing doesn't make me think the Texans will be all that much tougher than I thought they already were. Loyal O-Zone readers – and he knows who he is – know I pay less attention to the Jaguars' opponents than I do about the Jaguars. The Jaguars are a good team, and good teams in the NFL find a way to beat other good teams even when those other good teams add good players.
Marcus from Jax
What do you say to fans who are concerned about the depth at pass rusher, especially after the best defense in the league (Houston) just added two defensive lineman free agents that many fans would have loved to see in Jax?
Stay tuned.
Josh from Atlanta, GA
Forgive me for reminiscing: "The days of yore when teams blitzed into full-contact, two-a-day practices on the first or second day of camp and kept hitting – sometimes twice a day – throughout." What a cool time to be alive. Some might even say "sweaty," with memorable temps day in and out. I know there were some fairly famous moments, but any particular from your training camp days of yore that stand out the most?
Training camps were mostly two-a-day practices and hitting during my first 16 seasons covering the NFL – 1995-2010. The 2011 Collective Bargaining Agreement banned two a days. How cool a time it was to be alive depends largely upon how often you had to be on a field in Jacksonville at 3:20 on an August afternoon - and whether you remembered your hat, water and sunscreen. I don't know that any particular training camp "moment" from those days stood out from the others, though Jaguars training camps under then Head Coach Tom Coughlin in the late 1990s were a special kind of intense. Memories, like the corners of my mind. Sweaty, sunburned memories.
Jadon from NC State
The biggest question I have coming into this week is will Jaguars wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. still look awesome when the pads are on, or will he continue being sheepish when there is a possibility of being hit? Also, ready to see defensive ends Travon Walker or B.J. Green] get thrown out of practice.
Thomas has looked very good to start camp, and it's fair to wonder how he will look once there is a real threat of violent collisions downfield. Considering hitting in training camp practices is controlled and limited, we realistically will not know this for sure until the regular season. As for Walker … he has looked very good thus far. Will he be disruptive enough to force Coen to dismiss him from practice? That is lofty stuff. We shall see.
Keith from Stuart's Draft, VA
Is my UVA alum J'mari Taylor getting any reps and, if so, how has he looked? Think the Jags might carry four running backs?
Taylor, a running back from the University of Virginia who signed with the Jaguars as a collegiate free agent shortly after the 2026 NFL Draft, is getting extensive reps in 2026 Training Camp. He has looked fast and good at times. I expect there's a good chance Taylor will be on the practice squad this season, with an equally good chance he will contribute on the active roster at times throughout the season. That last sentence comes with the caveat that you don't know much about running backs until we get a little more into the hitting portion of training camp. We're getting into that in the coming days and weeks.
Ken from St. Augustine
Hi, John. This is a two-part question. First, I would like to see the Jaguars sign both Parker Washington and BTJ to long extensions, but do you think they can afford it? Meyers is going to earn over $22 then $24 million in the next two seasons. If they sign both Parker and BTJ, would that be too much for them to have invested in the wide receiver position? Then, if Antonio Johnson has another good season, will we be able to afford him as well? What say you, KOAF?
The dynamics of the salary cap can change year by year, and who a team prioritizes paying can shift accordingly. The well-run teams always stay flexible in this area. I expect the Jaguars will sign Washington to a long-term extension before the start of the 2027 NFL League Year, when he is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent. They have more time flexibility with Thomas, because he isn't eligible for a contract extension until next offseason – and because they can have the fifth-year option available if they so desire and that would keep him under contract through the 2028 season. The Jaguars really like Johnson. Depending on how he plays this season, I could see them trying to figure a way to retain him for the long-term. Remember: Johnson emerged rapidly last season. If he keeps emerging rapidly, the urgency to retain him will only increase.
Zack from Trevor
No more Shadrick? This sucks. First loss of the year before games are even played. We'll miss you, JP!
No doubt. #Shadricksighting.
