After failing to live up to expectations last year, it looks like Brian Thomas Jr. is doing his best to bounce back. He's been putting in the work throughout the offseason, and head coach Liam Coen has made it clear that he wants the Jacksonville Jaguars to dial up more deep shots in 2026.
Coupled with the fact that the trade chatter that surrounded Thomas will decrease considerably after the A.J. Brown trade to the New England Patriots, and he's in a position to have a bounce-back year in 2026.
Brian Thomas Jr. is stealing the spotlight at Jaguars OTAs
Brian Thomas Jr. stood out on Day 1 of Jaguars OTAs and followed that up with yet another strong outing on Day 4. John Shipley of Sports Illustrated wrote that the 2024 first-round selection showed flashes of the player who turned heads during joint practices with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in his rookie campaign.
"Thomas' practice on Monday was reminiscent of his rookie year joint practice against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers," Shipley wrote. "Over and over and over, cornerbacks tried to keep up with his speed, and they just couldn't. Jarrian Jones fell victim to a deep touchdown early in practice in which Thomas created separation with ease, and Lawrence simply dropped the ball right into his hands. That was not their only deep connection on the day, either."
Demetrius Harvey of The Florida Times-Union echoed the sentiment, arguing that Thomas has excelled in his role as a deep threat thus far. But wait, there's more! Pete Prisco of CBS Sports has seen enough from the Walker, Louisiana native to believe he's back on track after his disappointing 2025.
Brian Thomas Jr. has at last embraced his role with the Jaguars
Leaving aside that external praise, head coach Liam Coen heaped praise on Brian Thomas Jr.'s effort after Day 4 of OTAs, pointing out that he's done a better job adjusting to his role on a spread offense.
"I'm sure if you're a competitor, you want your stats and your contributions to be at an all-time high, and yes, that is a part of this," Coen responded when asked what he's learned about Thomas and his makeup. "It's a part of the puzzle, but the ball gets spread out in this offense to multiple different players. It doesn't really just feed through one person, so I think that that's something that he had to work through.
Coen continued, "We all had to work through, and I've been very pleased with the way that he has attacked this offseason, the way that he takes the meeting room to the practice, and how that's looked. We're being a little bit more intentional about usage and chemistry with him this spring and trying to get a true connection that we didn't quite have last spring or last training camp, if you will."
Later in the exchange, Coen stated that he's been pleased with the way Thomas has approached this offseason.
"So I've been very pleased with how he's taken the things that we asked him to do to get better at and to be intentional about those reps, but you know, I know everybody's, it's down year and fantasy, and this, that, and the third. I mean, when you're on a good team, I think that typically matters a little bit more," Coen said.
Below is Coen's full conversation with the press corps. His remarks about Thomas start at the 2:59 mark.
It's refreshing to hear that Brian Thomas Jr. is on board with the Jaguars program. And if he keeps putting in the work and doesn't focus on his individual stats, it will be a matter of time before he once again becomes the receiver who took the NFL by storm as a rookie.
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