The Jacksonville Jaguars will have a wide array of weapons next season. In what's a crowded group, Parker Washington could be the top option in the passing game. However, Brian Thomas Jr. is putting together a string of consistent practices and is trending toward being the electrifying deep threat that shook up the NFL in 2024.
Thomas has showcased his ability to stretch the field in practice, but not only that. He's seemingly put his drop issues behind him and has developed a much better rapport with Trevor Lawrence.
When you add it all up, the 2024 first-round pick is positioning himself to remind everyone just how electrifying he can be.
Brian Thomas Jr. has taken over Jaguars training camp
Liam Coen had an exchange with the local media. He said he's thrilled to see Brian Thomas Jr. build consistency and work on his rapport with Trevor Lawrence.
"The connection, man. The chemistry between not just he and Trevor, but us. Me as a coach, as a play caller, the rest of the group, the entire team's confidence and swagger that that brings," Coen told reporters (3:26 mark). When you can throw the ball over somebody's head, it's just a threat, man, and it's something that we need."
Coen continued, "We need not just him to be able to do that, but win on some of the other reps that I mean, he's run a lot of routes out here that maybe weren't getting targeted to him that he's won as well that I've been pleased with, so it's just I think it brings everybody up. It elevates everybody's game when BT is playing at his highest level."
The Jags have several talented wideouts, but none of them possesses Thomas' ability to stretch the field. This is why the Jaguars expect big things from him next season and why they didn't entertain the thought of trading him in the offseason in spite of the outside noise.
Once Thomas got healthy and the coaching staff adjusted his role in the second half of the 2025 season, he began to show flashes of the player he was in 2024, logging 259 yards on 28 catches and averaging 16.2 yards per reception over a five-game stretch.
It's also worth noting that Thomas dealt with ankle and hand injuries last year. That also played a role in his drop-off. If the Walker, Louisiana native can stay healthy, he should most definitely see an uptick in production next season.
Brian Thomas Jr. could become a No. 1 for the Jaguars once again next season
Since taking over, head coach Liam Coen has talked about the team embracing a "We over me" approach. This will be especially important for a crowded room of receivers who'll be vying for a limited amount of targets next season. But even if Brian Thomas Jr. doesn't get nearly as many targets as he would like, he'll still be able to put up good numbers.
An improved connection with Thomas will incentivize Trevor Lawrence to take more deep shots, and opposing defenses won't be able to devote nearly as many resources to containing him because they'll also have to account for Parker Washington, Jakobi Meyers, and Travis Hunter.
Brian Thomas could end up sniffing the 1,000-yard mark next season, but even if he doesn't cross it, the rest of the offense will beneit from his deep-threat capability.
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