After an electrifying rookie season, the Jacksonville Jaguars expected big things from Brian Thomas Jr. in 2025. However, he regressed to the point that questions about his future with the Jags surfaced. The good news is that his struggles appear to be in the rearview mirror.
Thomas was a standout at Organized Team Activities, and his performance carried over into mandatory minicamp. This has led a handful of analysts to believe that the 2024 first-round pick has recaptured his rookie form. However, Benjamin Solak of ESPN is pumping the brakes on the hype (a bit).
The Jaguars can get the most out of Brian Thomas Jr. in a deep-threat role
Benjamin Solak caught wind of the Brian Thomas Jr. hype at mandatory minicamp. He acknowledges that the third-year wideout is coming off a down year but also showed that he can excel as a deep threat.
"Thomas did not have the spectacular sophomore performance that many, myself included, were hoping for and expecting off an incredible rookie year," Solak said. "But he did get to a decent place in the offense last season, especially when the Jaguars stopped trying to use him as a three-level, all-around threat and primarily used him as a field-stretching downfield target."
Solak continued, "Thomas averaged 12.8 air yards per target pre-injury to start the season. After he came back from injury, at which point Parker Washington had established himself in the offense, Jacoby Myers had been acquired from the Raiders. He averaged 17.5 air yards per target. He was being used much further downfield."
On the other hand, Solak notes that Thomas struggled with drops and running routes in the middle of the field.
"Now, Thomas is obviously well-suited to a deep threat role. He's 6'3", 210 [pounds], 4.33 40 [yard dash], like this makes sense. But it's also about not asking him to do what he doesn't do well. Thomas really struggled toward the middle of the field last season, and we look at throws between the numbers. Thomas had a catch rate of 48.4%, the worst among all the Jaguars targets, in fact, fifth worst among all league receivers at a decently high volume, and his drop rate led the league, Solak said.
Still, Solak points out that Thomas is suited for a field-stretched role, but if he wants to develop into a bona fide No. 1, he'll need to improve in the middle and become a complete receiver. Pete Prisco of CBS Sports said something similar back at OTA, noting that the Walker, Louisiana native looks like a different player.
The Jaguars are confident Brian Thomas Jr. can bounce back
Liam Coen has gone to bat for Brian Thomas Jr. and heaped praise on him, arguing that he's putting in the work to improve. For this part, the third-year receiver said he's focused on cutting down the drops and taking care of everything that held him back last year. The fact that he's healthy after dealing with wrist and ankle injuries last year should also help.
That said, Thomas will be part of a crowded receiver room that includes Jakobi Meyers, Travis Hunter, and Parker Washington, so he may not be able to rack up over 1,200 yards as he did as a rookie. In spite of that, the Walker, Louisiana native will put up better numbers than he did in 2025 (48 receptions, 707 yards, 2 TDs) if he's truly back.
The truth is that it's perfectly fine to show skepticism until Brian Thomas shows out on the football field. However, he's done enough throughout the offseason to make you think that he's truly going to pull it off.
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