There's no doubt that Brian Thomas Jr. left much to be desired in 2025, but the Jacksonville Jaguars could watch him bounce back next season. Already, he's been making an effort to improve his connection with Trevor Lawrence and cut down on the drops that plagued him last year. The work appears to be paying off, as he's making a strong impression throughout Organized Activities.
Head coach Liam Coen has heaped praise on Thomas, pointing out that his effort is noticeable. On the other hand, John Shipley of Sports Illustrated said that the 2024 first-round pick has been unstoppable in practice.
But wait, there's more, Thomas is well aware that he came up short of expectations last year and isn't afraid to discuss it. Not only that, he's doing what he can to become the player who turned the NFL upside down as a rookie.
Brian Thomas Jr. talks about his progress during Jaguars OTAs
Brian Thomas Jr. met with the local media after a practice at Organized Team Activities. He stated that he's healthy after dealing with wrist and shoulder injuries last year, noting that it no longer hurts to run.
"Oh yeah, it doesn't hurt to run," Thomas said when asked how he's feeling. "First off, that's a big thing. There's a lot of little things I had going on, able to get them cleaned up again, just get back right, get my body back healthy. As close to 100% as possible, and just come out here ready to go. I'm out here with a great mindset, and just keep pushing forward, keep putting my best foot forward each and every day, just coming out here working hard."
Later in the exchange, Thomas said that he's been working to cut down on drops.
"Like I said, I just come out here and just try to be better than I was last year do like a lot of things, small things that I didn't do last year, try to come out here and correct this year, clean up a lot of the drops that I had, like, mindset wise, just like a lot of little things that I did. Just, I mean, just coming out here and correcting those things, and being better each and every day," Thomas said.
During the conversation with reporters, Thomas also stated that he didn't pay too much attention to the trade chatter, as everyone has opinions. For context, his future in Jacksonville was the subject of speculation dating back to 2025, but the Jaguars have made it abundantly clear that they're not moving him. But leaving aside the verbal assurances, the fact that he's still around shows that the organization is committed to him.
Thomas led the team in drops last year, which partly contributed to the Jaguars trading for Jakobi Meyers at the deadline. On top of that, he was seemingly unwilling to run routes in the middle of the field.
The silver lining is that the Walker, Louisiana native finished the season strong once the coaching staff adjusted his role on offense. Still, Jacksonville surely expected more than 48 catches for 707 yards with two touchdowns, after he hauled in 82 receptions for 1,282 yards with 10 touchdowns. Below's Thomas' full exchange with the press corps.
Brian Thomas Jr. could once again be a game-changer for the Jaguars
All things considered, it's refreshing to see Brian Thomas Jr. demonstrate that kind of self-awareness, as that was the first step he had to take if he wants to recapture his rookie form. On the other hand, it's also encouraging to see Liam Coen show him support.
Thomas is already making a strong impression at OTAs, and his promising showing should carry over into training camp and later the regular season. Perhaps he won't cross the 1,200 yards again, but he doesn't have to as long as he gets the most of his targets.
With all the headlines surrounding the Jaguars this offseason, it's sometimes easy to forget just how dominant can be, but if he keeps making strides, it will be a matter of time before everyone remembers just how electrifying he is.
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