One of the biggest storylines from the 35-6 win over the New England Patriots was that wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. saw his role decrease substantially just one game after having two costly drops. Heck, he wasn't even on the field for the Jacksonville Jaguars on their first offensive drive.
Although Thomas eventually stepped onto the field, he only logged 23 offensive snaps, which were nearly as many as Josh Cameron appeared on. But even with equal playing time, Thomas was only targeted once, a steep drop-off from the combined 12 he had the first two games of the season.
Meanwhile, Cameron already scored his second career touchdown and is quickly cementing himself as an integral piece of the Jacksonville offensive puzzle. But despite his increased snap tally, head coach Liam Coen vehemently denies that the team was trying to send a message to Thomas.
Liam Coen denies the Jaguars were trying to send a message to Brian Thomas Jr.
Liam Coen met with the local media one day after the win over the Patriots. He said that the Jags weren't trying to send a message to Brian Thomas Jr., simply stating that Josh Cameron was a better fit for what the team was trying to do on offense.
"We weren't necessarily extending any message. We were playing in a little bit more 12 [personnel], and also that some of the things that we had Josh on specifically were things that we felt good about him doing within a role that he has," Coen told reporters (20:20 mark). "We are 100 percent, we need all these guys."
Coen continued, "We need BT to continue to ascend, and there wasn't any real message. It was just, 'Hey, we all gotta do our part, and that's on us as coaches too.' But I think the response was more as a group, as a team."
Later in the exchange, Coen says that Jacksonville will eventually need Thomas to make plays, and he's confident he'll come through.
"We are 100% going to need BT to make plays down the field and continue to ascend and make contested catches and do the things that he does really well and that's on us as a staff to continue to put them in those positions and he's gonna make a ton of plays for us this year I have no doubt in my mind," Coen said.
While Coen makes some valid points, he also lays out an obvious reason Thomas had a decreased role: Camero is better suited to do what the Jaguars need.
And that's the thing: If the Jaguars trusted Thomas, they wouldn't take him off the field. On the other hand, you could make the case that he was targeted only once because he didn't have good matchups. But even that doesn't justify his decreased role.
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The Jaguars will give more opportunities to Josh Cameron if Brian Thomas Jr. falters
Working in Brian Thomas Jr.'s favor is that he's got more than enough time to put it all together. Having said that, this isn't the first time he's dealt with inconsistency and drops. Both issues have been recurrent, and unless No. 7 proves he's fixed them, he probably won't get many opportunities moving forward.
Maybe if the Jags didn't have anyone else, they would have no choice but to lean on Thomas. That's not the case. Jacksonville has a surplus at receiver, and Josh Cameron has already begun to take some of his opportunities away. If he keeps taking advantage of them, his role will only continue to increase, while Thomas keeps tumbling down the depth chart.
You have to give Liam Coen credit for not throwing Brian Thomas Jr. under the bus (something his predecessor did). However, the Jaguars can only give him so much patience, and time is running out for him to prove he deserves to have a featured role in Duval.
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