4 winners (and 1 loser) from fiery Jaguars joint practice with Dolphins

The Jacksonville Jaguars just wrapped up their only joint practice of the preseason, but it's fair to say that it was a productive one. Aside from showing feistiness after a brawl erupted, several players took advantage of the opportunities to make an impression.

On the other hand, a few players from the Jags sideline struggled. This begs the question: who were the biggest beneficiaries of the joint practice? With that in mind, here are the biggest winners from the affair, along with someone who left a bit to be desired.

Biggest Jaguars winners from the Jaguars' joint practice with the Dolphins

Ventrell Miller, linebacker

The Jaguars defense was all over the field in the joint practice. Sure, the Dolphins are dealing with injuries at running back, but that shouldn't take anything away from the massive effort several players showed.

Third-year linebacker Ventrell Miller showcased his ability to wreak havoc when he forced tight end Pharaoh Brown to fumble. While he isn't in danger of tumbling down the depth chart and may start the season behind Foyesade Oluokun and Devin Lloyd, he's proving that he'll be ready to go if called upon.

Brian Thomas Jr., receiver

Trevor Lawrence looked for Brian Thomas Jr. several times throughout the practice. He wasn't always successful, but No. 16 eventually found his No. 1 receiver for a 45-yard gain, reminding everyone just how much of a playmaker he is.

Lawrence wasted no time heaping praise on Thomas in the aftermath, pointing out that the former LSU Tiger is someone he can trust.

Head coach Liam Coen also had similar praise of Thomas after practice, pointing out that his ability to draw double-teams is huge.

Related: Biggest winners and losers from the Khalen Saunders trade

Travon Walker, defensive end

Travon Walker was unstoppable in training camp, and his dominance carried over into the joint practice. The former Georgia Bulldog didn't make a play that stood out in particular, but he showed just how fierce he can be when he dragged running back Jaylen Wright.

This is less about making a play and more about making a statement: Walker nor the rest of the defense will be bullied.

Arik Armstead, defensive tackle

Arik Armstead has been under scrutiny for missing most of training camp with a back injury. Sure, you cannot call out players for getting hurt, but he needed to be around and set the tone after an underwhelming 2024 season.

The good news is that Armstead is back in the fold and appears to be close to full strength, sacking Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa in the joint practice.

Armstead may still have his work cut out to prove he's 100 percent. That said, nobody will remember that he missed training camp if he keeps making plays like that.

And the biggest Jguars loser from the joint practice is...

Trevor Lawrence is the biggest Jaguars loser from the Jaguar practice

After showing progress in most of training camp and the preseason, Trevor Lawrence struggled against the Dolphins. He was picked off twice. One of them was seemingly the result of miscommunication with tight end Brenton Strange.

Of course, one bad practice will overshadow all the work Lawrence has put in, but his underwhelming outing against the Dolphins shows that he still has room for improvement. He acknowledged as much in the aftermath.

"Good, a little sloppy, you know?" Lawrence responded when asked how he thinks the offense fared (10:10 mark. "I think speaking individually, there's a couple couple throws I missed, and then just a couple miscommunications, you know, and it's good to go against a different defense.

Lawrence continued, "We're going against our defense all camp. So just to see different looks, different disguises, to have to really play each play as its own. And go back to some of our base rules, is good for us as an offense and kind of just a measuring signal, hey, this is where we're at. This is kind of what we showed today. Let's learn from it and get better. That's just an honest assessment of the day. There's some stuff to clean up, but I thought guys competed hard, flew around, just got to clean up some of the details."

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