The Jacksonville Jaguars weren't good in 2024. They went 4-13 and fired general manager Trent Baalke and head coach Doug Pederson in the aftermath. Having said that, not everything was doom and gloom. There were a few bright spots. Several players showed out in spite of the team's record. One in particular, wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr., proved that he was the real deal.
That year, Thomas took the league by storm, registering 82 receptions for 1,282 yards with 10 touchdowns. On top of that, he gave the Jacksonville offense an element of verticality it had been missing for nearly a decade. Understandably, the former LSU Tiger was expected to join the upper echelon of receivers in 2025. He didn't and instead struggled with drops and inconsistency.
But even after failing short of expectations, the Jaguars have stood behind Thomas. Now, he'll get a golden opportunity to repay their trust at Organized Team Activities.
The Jaguars are giving Brian Thomas a chance to bounce back at OTAs
Dating back to the 2025 deadline, Brian Thomas Jr. has been the subject of trade chatter. The speculation has somewhat waned. Nevertheless, there are rumors that the Jaguars could include him in a package to acquire three-time Pro Bowl receiver A.J. Brown.
Whether Jacksonville trades Thomas remains to be seen, but he's still on the roster, and until further notice, he'll be part of the team's plans. This means that he'll attend Organized Team Activities, which will, in turn, give him his first opportunity to bounce back from an underwhelming 2025.
Granted, Thomas wasn't outright bad, and he finished the year with a solid 48 catches for 707 yards with two touchdowns. Having said that, he came up short of expectations, and his alarming rate of drops was one of the reasons the Jags traded for Jakobi Meyers midseason.
Now, Thomas will need to earn a role on an offense that also includes Meyer, Washington, and Travis Hunter.
The Jaguars need Brian Thomas Jr. to make an impression at OTAs
Brian Thomas Jr. had trouble building a strong rapport with Trevor Lawrence during the offseason program. That might have been a sign that he would struggle in the regular season. The 2024 first-round pick will need to buck a trend and get off to a strong start at Organized Team Activities.
If Thomas fails to make an impression, the noise will once again go up, and it will be hard to justify the team's confidence in him. Similarly, the trade chatter will once again ramp up. Of course, there's a chance the Walker, Louisiana native bounces back and proves last year was an outlier.
If that's what ends up happening, and Brian Thomas Jr. is once again the receiver who sent shockwaves across the league in 2024, the Jaguars will be virtually unstoppable next season. And they should have an early idea of whether that'll be the case at OTAs.
Add us as a preferred source on Google