4 winners (and 5 losers) at the Jaguars' bye as the race to the playoffs begins

Following their 34-31 loss to the Houston Texans in Week 6, the Jacksonville Jaguars will get to enjoy their BYE. They didn't really need a break but could most definitely use the time off to regroup and fix the issues that have been hurting them this season, including their questionable clock management.

That said, the Jags are far from a mess. Heck, they're 4-2 for a reason. Jacksonville is already a good team and will only get better as the year progresses. For the time being, here are the biggest winners and losers at this point in the season.

5 biggest Jaguars winners and 4 losers at the BYE

Winner: Parker Washington, wide receiver

Future favors the bold, and Parker Washington deserves plenty of praise for betting on himself. Back in the offseason, he was projected to sign a contract that paid him $16 million per year, but the former Penn State Nittany Lion has played well enough that nobody would bat an eye if he ends up getting an annual average of $30 million. That's how dominant he's been.

Washington has solidified his place as the team's unquestioned No. 1 receiver. Rightly, he wants to be paid as such.

Loser: Josh Hines-Allen, defensive end

Every year, Josh Hines-Allen talks about wanting to lead the league in sacks and win Defensive Player of the Year. He's come up short of his goals each of the past two seasons and is trending toward failing again in 2026.

Hines-Allen does a good job of pressuring the quarterback, but not to the point that he creates game-changing plays. Heck, he's only logged 1.5 sacks this season. That's not the kind of production that will earn him the DPOY award, and the 2019 first-round pick has got lots of catch-up to do if he wants to be the sack leader.

Winner: Trevor Lawrence, quarterback

Unlike past years, Trevor Lawrence hasn't been in a prove-it or make-or-break year. Heck, he's no longer the subject of silly comparisons or trade speculation. Instead, No. 16 is cementing his place as one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL.

Heading into Week 7, he leads the league with 14 passing touchdowns, the most he's had six games into a season. The fact that he's had continuity for the first time in a long time has most definitely helped.

Loser: Montaric Brown, cornerback

Montaric Brown parlayed his 2025 breakout season into a three-year, $31.8 million deal in free agency. However, Jacksonville has yet to get a return on its investment.

Brown wasn't particularly productive to start the season, allowing nine receptions for 188 yards on 144 targets. He then suffered a hamstring injury that forced him to miss the Week 4 win over the Cincinnati Bengals.

Although Brown returned in Week 5, he only played six snaps and once again didn't suit up against Houston. Maybe the fifth-year cornerback will play much better once he's healthy but has most definitely left much to be desired.

Winner: Ventrell Miller, linebacker

Although Ventrell Miller was the first in line to replace Devin Lloyd, who bolted for the Carolina Panthers in free agency, he had to compete with sophomore Branson Combs for the starting job next to Foyesade Oluokun.

In the end, neither Miller nor Combs truly won the job. They were expected to rotate, but Miller ultimately came out on top and is firmly entrenched as the starter. Not only that, the former Florida Gator is one of the highest-graded defenders in the NFL and one of the top linebackers heading into Week 7.

Miller is in the midst of a contract season, so it's fair to assume that he's going to get a substantial pay bump. Whether it comes from Jacksonville or somebody else remains to be seen.

Loser: Brian Thomas Jr., wide receiver

After a disappointing 2025 season, it looked like Brian Thomas Jr. was going to bounce back due to his strong showing in the offseason program. However, he came crashing down once the regular season started, with his recurring drops issue resurfacing once again.

Thomas has seen a steady drop-off in targets and playing time because he's failed to make the most of his chances. The straw that broke the camel's back might've come in the loss to the Texans when the former LSU Tiger had two drops in the first half. The coaching staff benched him in the second half.

All the trust the Jaguars had in Thomas may be gone. Trading him and giving him a fresh start somewhere else may be the best course of action.

Winner: Josh Cameron, wide receiver

Josh Cameron flashed in the offseason and training camp, but it was hard to tell whether that would carry over into the regular season. It has, with the rookie out of Baylor carving out a role on offense and special teams.

Cameron has wasted no time getting ahead of Brian Thomas Jr. on the depth chart and becoming one of Trevor Lawrence's trusted targets. The sky is the limit; expect him to keep seeing more playing time as the year progresses.

Loser: Jarrian Jones, cornerback

Montaric Brown isn't the only corner who made this list for the wrong reasons. Jarrian Jones got off to a shaky start last year but finished strong. The expectation was that he was going to make a leap this season but has instead struggled, giving up 445 passing yards on a completion rate of 63.5 percent.

Opposing teams have targeted Jones often because they know he's a liability. Once Brown is back in the fold, he may get benched and take on a backup role unless he turns things around.

Winner: Travis Hunter, two-way player

That's right, the biggest Jaguars winner ahead of the BYE is Travis Hunter. The Jaguars raised questions to start the season because they had No. 12 rotate at corner, and he barely played receiver. However, that was by design.

The team's brass wanted to bring Hunter along slowly after he suffered a knee injury that cut his season short. The strategy paid massive dividends as the former Heisman Trophy winner has seen an uptick in playing time on both sides of the ball and showcased his two-way potential, registering a touchdown and an interception in the same game against the Houston Texans in Week 6.

But as electrifying as Hunter was against the Texans, he's just scratching the surface of his massive potential.

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