The Jacksonville Jaguars just had their first padded practice of training camp. Liam Coen was pleased with the overall effort, noting that the team put up some quality work. On the other hand, he said the Jags need to clean up the protection, but that's most definitely something they can fix before the regular season.
Jacksonville will next take three days off before returning to practice. That will give the team more than enough time to rest and keep working on their preparation for the preseason. For the time being, here are a handful of players who turned heads in the first week of practice and a few others who failed to stand out.
Winners from the first week of Jacksonville Jaguars training camp
Winner No. 1: Brian Thomas Jr., Jaguars wide receiver
After an electrifying rookie campaign, Brian Thomas was expected to join the top echelon of NFL receivers in 2025 but instead struggled with consistency and drops. His underwhelming sophomore campaign put him at the center of trade chatter. But despite the speculation, Jacksonville made it clear that the former LSU Tiger wasn't going anywhere. That's quickly proving to be the right call.
Thomas built off a strong offseason and has been one of the highlights of training camp. His connection with Trevor Lawrence has improved substantially and has once again showcased his ability to stretch the field. At this pace, he'll reclaim his place as one of the top deep threats in the league.
Winner No. 2: Branson Combs, Jaguars linebacker
It stung to lose Devin Lloyd in free agency, but the Jaguars were confident that Ventrell Miller could step into his place. That appeared to be the case throughout the offseason, but Branson Combs is quickly forcing the Jags to change the plan.
While Miller has had a fine training camp, Combs has arguably been better and has progressively narrowed down the gap between the two.
Even if Combs' bid for the starting job next to Foye Oluokun ultimately comes up short, he'll take the battle down to the wire.
Winner No. 3: Bhayshul Tuten: Jaguars running back
Chris Rodriguez turned heads in the padded practice, but it was the Bhayshhul Tuten show. Dating back to the offseason program, Tuten has displayed his capability to break off big runs and has wasted no time picking up where he left off.
If there were any doubts about the sophomore running back's ability to replace Travis Etienne, he's quickly putting them to rest.
Winner No. 4: Trevor Larwence, Jaugars quarterback
Trevor Lawrence hasn't gotten nearly as much attention as some of his teammates, but that's because he already made a leap last year and is instead working on building consistency and being a good quarterback in practice. He's checked off both boxes thus far.
Although Lawrence has been off at times, he's looked sharp more often than not, completing passes to all his receivers with ease.
Winner No. 5: Wyatt Milum, Jaguars offensive lineman
Wyatt Milum showed promise in last year's training camp, but a knee injury halted all his momentum. He was back for the regular season but barely got any playing time. That's quickly changing in Year 2.
Milum was slated to challenge Patrick Mekari for the starting job at right guard, but Mekari has missed time with injuries, so Milum has gotten all the reps with the first team.
Even if Mekari returns at some point of training camp, Milum should have built a favorable lead by then.
Losers from the first week of Jacksonville Jaguars training camp
Loser No. 1: Patrick Mekari, Jaguars right guard
While Wyatt Milum's odds of winning the right tackle battle are going up, Patrick Mekari is losing ground because he hasn't been able to suit up. As the saying goes, availability is the best ability, and the longer he's absent, the higher his chances of losing his job will be.
Coen has stated that the team just wants to be smart with Mekari, and understandably so. Why expose him to further injury risk? That said, he's dealt with injuries since the offseason program, so there's clearly an issue. That will be worth monitoring the remainder of camp.
Loser No. 2: Jack Kiser, Jaguars linebacker
Injuries suck. You can agree that it's never pleasant to see a player go down with injuries and miss time. But that's an inherent part of the sport, and the show must go on. That's the case for sophomore Jack Kiser, who'll miss time in training camp after sustaining a knee injury. During his absence, Yasir Abdullah and Parker Washington will get more betting reps.
Before getting hurt, Kiser was seemingly in competition for the top backup job behind Foye Oluokun, but either Washington or Abdullah could get ahead of him on the depth chart during his absence.
Loser No. 3: Christian Braswell, Jaguars running back
By now you have noticed a trend. All the players on this list whose stock has gone down have been hampered by injuries. Christian Braswell is no exception. The fourth-year cornerback struggled in the offseason but could have bounced back (and still can) with a strong outing in training camp.
The issue is that Braswell has been held out with injuries. That's allowed Jabbar Muhammad to make an impression and solidify his chances of making the roster.
Maybe Braswell can get on the field on time to fend off Muhammad. If he doesn't, he could be at risk of getting a visit from the Turk on cutdown day.
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