![Jacksonville Jaguars Wide Receiver Brian Thomas Jr. (7) walks off the field after the Jacksonville Jaguars eighth day of NFL Training Camp at the Miller Electric Center in Jacksonville, Fla., Friday, August 7, 2026. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union]](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,x_0,y_197,w_3747,h_2107/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ReutersImages/mmsport/55/01m30nkhfg5cbrrt1j5c.jpg "Jacksonville Jaguars Wide Receiver Brian Thomas Jr. (7) walks off the field after the Jacksonville Jaguars eighth day of NFL Training Camp at the Miller Electric Center in Jacksonville, Fla., Friday, August 7, 2026. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union]")
The Jacksonville Jaguars had a realistic chance to earn their second win of the season when they played the Denver Broncos in Week 2. They got off to a strong start and were even leading at the midpoint of the game. However, they couldn't finish the job and ultimately lost 20-13.
Looking back, there were many reasons the Jags lost, and wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. most definitely played a role. Although the 2024 first-round pick reeled in three catches for 40 yards, he also had three costly drops.
This was a bit surprising when you take into account that Thomas had seemingly cut down on his drops from last year but had seemingly fixed the issue. However, Week 2 proved that he hasn't, at least not fully.
Liam Coen explains the reason for Brian Thomas Jr.'s drops in the Jaguars' loss
Liam Coen met with the local media after the loss to Denver. He said that Brian Thomas Jr.'s drops were critical, noting that the Jags needed their players to step up, but he also needs to put them in a better position to succeed.
"Those are all critical plays. I mean, when you're struggling specifically to create and make a play, we need some of our guys to step up, and I got to be better in terms of putting them in a better position to be successful as well," Coen told reporters (4:21 mark). "It just felt like we were a little off sync, a little out of sync in the second half in terms of like just the ball getting on maybe it was on the outcut, like where it's on them a little quick, or we didn't see it, whatever it is."
Coen continued, "So maybe some of the rush was getting to us, and the ball is having to come out a little bit earlier, and we just weren't in sync enough, especially in the second half."
You could make the case that Coen could have called a better game, especially in the second half. And he deserves praise for taking some of the blame. That said, Thomas needed to come through and came up short. Had he caught those passes, there's a chance we could be talking not only about how much of a game-changer he is but also about Jacksonville's second win of the year.
Instead, Thomas proved that he's yet to put his struggles from last year fully behind him.
Related: Biggest winners and losers from the Jags' loss to the Broncos
The Jaguars will continue to trust Brian Thomas Jr. in the foreseeable future
Even the best players are bound to have bad games, so it's easy to see why Liam Coen went to bat for Brian Thomas Jr. On the other hand, this isn't an outlier. Dating back to last year, No. 7 dealt with drops and inconsistency. He also appeared to be afraid of being hit when attempting to reel in contested catches. All those issues re-emerged in the loss to the Broncos.
Sure, Thomas showed substantial progress in the offseason, and his rapport with Trevor Lawrence has improved a lot. However, he undid all that work when he failed to come through for the Jaguars.
The good news is that Brian Thomas Jr. has enough time to put it all together. On the other hand, he'd better put his Week 2 struggles in the rearview mirror as soon as possible. Otherwise, he'll once again be the subject of speculation.
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