Jaguars legend chimes in on Brian Thomas Jr.’s perplexing lack of effort

The Jacksonville Jaguars are having an interesting first few weeks of their season. They're seeing stellar play from some expected and unexpected players, but they've also noticed a distinct drop in production from some of the previous season's standouts.

We already touched on some winners and losers from the heartbreaking Week 2 loss to the Bengals. Add to that a few massive drops in stock among some veterans that fans were hoping to see take big steps in 2025, and it's turned into quite the roller coaster already.

Wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. is likely suffering the most from this drop-off. His sophomore slump seems real. With what was supposed to be an improved Trevor Lawrence, fans were hoping for a dominant, or at the very least effective, passing attack centered around Thomas and rookie Travis Hunter. Instead, neither has been able to make an impact, with players like wide receiver Parker Washington and tight end Brenton Strange leading the way.

Related: 5 Jaguars whose stock has soared despite the Week 2 loss to Bengals

Jaguars legend Jimmy Smith isn't impressed with Brian Thomas Jr.'s effort

Something is going on with wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. Maybe it's early-season communication that just needs to solidify—especially since he was catching passes from a different quarterback most of last year. However, in the post-game presser, a reporter asked head coach Liam Coen if he thought Thomas was dropping passes because he was "shying away from contact."

"I gotta go watch it," Coen replied, somewhat diplomatically, as he seemed to be avoiding criticising a top player (2:00 mark). "We'll figure out what that was all about and what it looked like. Ummm...yeah. I gotta go take a look at that."

He said a bit more with his pauses than he did with his words, and quarterback Trevor Lawrence did much of the same.

"He's a great player," Lawrence said (1:45 mark). "So it's always going to be part of our plan to get him the ball...We have a lot of guys that are dynamic and can do things with the ball, so we feel like we can move people around...and the ball kind of finds who's open...My job is to find the guy that's open and try to get him the ball. And obviously there's a big plan for that to be [Thomas] because he can win his one-on-ones."

Legendary Jaguar receiver Jimmy Smith was less caged than either of them. The should-be Hall of Famer (it's an injustice, really) said on X, "Stop being scared of getting hit! Catch the damn ball!" As an all-time Jaguar great and fan favorite (he gets my vote), Smith's words carry a weight to them. He's the franchise's leading receiver with over 12,000 yards—placing him number 27 overall in the league.

I'd listen to the man.

Final thoughts

Wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. has already proved himself a playmaker, earning a Pro Bowl nod in his first year with a backup quarterback throwing him the ball. Whether he's shying away from hits or just struggling in his early-season communication with Lawrence, I expect him to improve as the season goes on.

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