Several players took advantage of the opportunities they got in the offseason program. Right tackle Anton Harrison wasn't one of them. A first-round pick in 2023, the former Oklahoma Sooner flashed as a rookie but left a bit to be desired in his sophomore campaign. Things didn't get much for him in mandatory camp, but a switch has since flipped, and the Jacksonville Jaguars are now pleased with the strides he's made in training camp.
Following an uneven performance offseason, Harrison has looked much better in training camp. Head coach Liam Coen told the local media that the third-year offensive tackle has been more consistent and has challenged him to continue to play like that.
"We have definitely, for the first few weeks, I've been very pleased with Anton," Coen responded when asked if Harrison has been more consistent in training camp (9:45 mark). "We've mentioned that to him, and I asked him the other day in the hall, I said, 'Hey, is this going to be every day? Is this how it's going to be every single day?' And you know, he was very adamantly yes. So that's what we've seen."
Coen continued, "So for him to take a step in the right direction in our eyes, for sure, I think it's going to help us moving forward, because he's so talented, and when he plays locked in, he plays with great effort and he strains through the end of the echo of the whistle."
Of course, Harrison still has work to do. Garry Smith of the Florida Times-Union reported on Day 1 of camp that Trevor Lawrence had to spike the ball because Josh Hines-Allen beat Harrison for a would-be sack. Then again, the fact that Coen praised him is proof that he's trending in the right direction.
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The Jaguars must keep pushing Anton Harrison
Back in the offseason program, the Jacksonville Jaguars made Anton Harrison split reps with Chuma Edoga at right tackle. While the former is the better of the two by a wide margin, it looks like the prospect of getting demoted was the wake-up call Harrison needed. Now, he can go back to being the player he was late in his rookie season and at one point got praised by defensive tackle Chris Jones.
If Anton Harrison does bounce back, he and Walker Little could give the Jaguars a pretty good pair of bookend offensive tackles. That would be great news for Trevor Lawrence and the team's renewed emphasis on establishing the run.