Liam Coen gives Jaguars rookie a fascinating comparison before cutdown day

The Jacksonville Jaguars outright dominated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in their 19-0 shutout win in Week 3 of the preseason. The cherry on top came near the end of the game.

Leading 13-0, wide receiver Michael Wortham was handling return duties, and what appeared to be a routine return at first turned into an electrifying trip to the end zone.

But as stunning as his touchdown was, Wortham may not make the 53-man roster. That said, head coach Liam is pleased with the growth the undrafted rookie has shown the past few weeks.

Michael Wortham has similar play style to Jaguars star Parker Washington

Liam Coen met with the local media after the win over the Buccaneers. He talked about Michael Wortham's impressive outing in the finale, noting that he began to flash in the joint practice with the Carolina Panthers.

"I would say I thought Michael started to show up a little bit more in my eyes in the Carolina joint, where he had to get some meaningful reps with the second offense, and he had taken a bubble in practice down the sidelines," Coen told reporters (3:41 mark). "And you saw some of what we saw here tonight on that play. He's got a phenomenal forward lean about the way that he runs. He's a football player at heart, and he's kind of built a little bit. Don't want to say like Parker [Washington], but in some ways there's some similar play styles there."

Coen continued, "And he definitely made it challenging tonight, and that's overall what we were hunting up. I mean, you're continuing to try to raise the level of competition in the building. You're trying to make these decisions hard on us. That's the goal, and hopefully you've improved as a team, and you can continue to build the roster and raise the floor, as you mentioned."

"So, yeah, I think in some ways mission accomplished for sure. In some other positions, we need to continue that and continue to find and elevate the level of performance."

All things considered, Thomas had a strong preseason. Aside from his touchdown return, he hauled in seven receptions on eight targets for 97 yards.

Related: Bryan Thomas J.r just became impossible to ignore in the roster conversation

Why the Jaguars will want to keep Michael Wortham (on the practice squad)

The Parker Washington comparison is most definitely enticing since the former Penn State Nittany Lion has gone on to become one of the team's star players. Of course, Liam Coen didn't say Michael Wortham will have a similar career path, but rather that he has a similar play style.

That said, Wortham was a long shot to make the roster, and even after his strong showing in the finale, he probably won't make the team. Not because he's bad, but because Jacksonville is stacked at receiver. Jakobi Meyers, Brian Thomas Jr., Washington, CJ Williams, and Josh Cameron are locks to make the team. Travis Hunter is also in the mix, even though he'll play cornerback full-time.

The Jaguars can't allocate a roster spot at receiver to keep Wortham when they'll need it on the offensive line or the defensive trenches.

Of course, the Jaguars will be running the risk of losing Michael Wortham on the waiver wire. But if he goes unclaimed, he'll most definitely be a talent worth developing.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow