After an impressive rookie campaign, the Jacksonville Jaguars expected Brian Thomas Jr. to be even better in 2025. However, he's off to a slow start, and his perceived lack of effort was one of the biggest storylines following the 31-27 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.
But despite his struggles, the Jags are fully behind Thomas, and head coach Liam Coen's latest remarks just confirmed it.
The Jaguars want to see Brian Thomas Jr. bounce back
Liam Coen met with the local media ahead before the Week 3 game against the Houston Texans. He had previously said he was going to talk to Brian Thomas Jr. about what transpired the week prior and outcome of their conversation.
"Yeah. I mean, just like anybody on this team, nobody was pleased with the outcome, right?" Coen told the media (0:21 mark). "And we had some good conversations, really good conversations, and everybody was frustrated, but at the end of the day, he's got a great opportunity to bounce back, as does the rest of our team, and feel really confident about that."
Coen goes on to say that getting Thomas on the right track is paramount.
"Yes, huge. I mean, you've got a very talented player that we want to continue to try to get the most out of and put him in a position to continue to be successful and stay and continue to have his back," Coen said."
Thomas hauled four catches for 49 yards in Week 2. That's not necessarily a bad statline without context. The issue is that he was targeted 11 times, and he was only able to come down with the ball in five occasions. Sure, not all of Trevor Lawrence's passes were accurate, but it looked like the sophomore wideout wasn't making an attempt to catch the ball. If he had he might've ended the game with more receptions.
Following the game, Coen said that Thomas was dealing with an undisclosed wrist injury. But regardless of the severity of the injury, the first-year head coach made it clear that he wanted the receiver to be in the rigth space.
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The Jaguars need Brian Thomas Jr. to bounce back
As noted before, Brian Thomas Jr. failed to come through in the loss to the Bengals. But that's in the rearview mirror, and if he bounces back and goes on to have a banner season, his rough start to start the year will be just a footnote.
Circling back to Coen, he's quickly showing he's the rigth coach to steer the ship in the right direction. He's not afraid to show his intensity on the field, but he also has genuine care for his players.
The bottom line is that Liam Coen could've easily thrown Thomas into the bus but instead opted to stand up for him. Now, it's time for him to show that the Jaguars' confidence in him wasn't misplaced.