4 Jaguars whose stock has gone up at the midpoint of 2024 training camp

The Jacksonville Jaguars are halfway through training camp. Days away from their first preseason game, they've addressed a handful of issues but a few others popped up. One of the biggest ones is that injuries have begun to pile up.

After enjoying a relatively clean bill of health to start training camp, the Jags have suffered a handful of key injuries in recent days. Among the most notable ones, safety Andrew Wingard will miss significant time with a knee injury while tight end Patrick Murtagh, from the league's International Pathway Program, needed to be assisted to leave the field. Left tackle Cam Robinson, on the other hand, left practice with a shoulder injury.

Fortunately for the Jags, they have players in place ready to step up. Although there's no joy in seeing someone go down with an injury, a handful of players will get the chance they've been waiting for.

This begs the question, which players have seen their stock go up in training camp because others suffered injuries? Which others have turned heads because of their performance in recent days? These four fit one category or the other.

Brian Thomas Jr., wide receiver

You could make the case that Trevor Lawrence should have made the cut because he's bounced back after a rough start to training camp. The star quarterback threw an interception in nearly every practice but he's now hit stride, connecting his receiver and making all types of throws with ease.

But as productive as Lawrence has been, there's another player who also needed a bit of time but found his footing in recent days: Brian Thoma Jr. A first-round pick in this year's draft, the Louisiana struggle with drops and his route-running in the early stages of practice but has since turned the corner.

He's connected deep with Lawrence and is showing signs of the playmaker he was at LSU. Here's one for 40+ yards facing Jarrian Jones in coverage during a padded practice.

Early in training, fans were warned to temper expectations for Thomas in 2024. If he keeps making this kind of play, they'll need to adjust them again.

Tank Bigsby, running back

If you brought up Tank Bigsby in a conversation after the 2023 season, Jaguars fans would've probably rolled their eyes or given you a shrug. And can you blame them? The former Auburn Tiger was projected to form a dynamic backfield tandem alongside Travis Etienne — the proverbial lightning and thunder — but that's not how things played out.

Etienne saw a big workload and saw his yard-per-carry average decrease while Bigsby struggled to acclimate to the NFL. Some of his mistakes led to turnovers and his paltry 2.8 yards-per-carry average left much to be desired. By the end of his rookie season, he got minimal playing time on offense and was mostly relegated to special teams.

Despite his struggles, the team's confidence in Bigsby didn't waver. In fact, they said they expected him to take on a bigger role. This decision didn't look great at first because the 2023 third-round pick didn't do much of note during offseason activities. But it's paid off based on how he's performed in training camp.

Walker Little, offensive tackle

Walker Little was battling incumbent Cam Robinson for the starting job at left tackle. However, the latter sustained a shoulder injury, and the competition may need to be put on hold.

Robinson has been the starting left tackle for the Jags since they drafted him in the second round of the 2017 draft. He's now entering a contract year and the team's brass could free up $17 million if they release him or trade him. Little, on the other hand, has flashed potential but hasn't been able to seize a starting job. That could change if Robinson has to miss time due to the shoulder.

Little, the 45th overall in 2021, has fared well in relief of Robinson and has had a solid training camp. He reportedly showed up bigger and stronger than he was last year and fared well in a 1-on-1 matchup against defensive Josh Hines-Allen while Robinson struggled.

Availability is the best ability on the football field, and if Robinson is out for an extended period of time, he might get wally pipped while Little gets promoted to the starting lineup.

Josiah Deguara, tight end

Like Walker Little, Josiah Deguara could benefit from the injury fellow tight end Patrick Murtagh suffered. Is it harsh? You bet, but that's the nature of the NFL, which jokingly stands for Not For Long. Unless you're Patrick Mahomes, you're not irreplaceable. Murtagh may've carved a niche and made the roster as a non-kicker on special teams.

Unfortunately, it looks like he's going to be out for a while. This could help Josiah Deguara clinch a roster spot. Evan Engram returns as the starter. Brenton Strange will make a push for TE2 and Luke Farrell will also be in the mix. That leaves one spot open, and it should be Deguara's for the taking.

Make no mistake, Deguara is a better bet to make the team now but would've still had a shot with Murtagh in the fold. He's a solid blocker and can line up anywhere across the line of scrimmage. As a matter of fact, he can line up at fullback, which could come in handy in short and red-zone situations.

The only thing now preventing Deguara from seizing a roster spot is if the Jaguars choose to carry seven receivers like they did last year. Because of that decision, they only carried three tight ends to start the season.

In spite of having a strong training camp, tight end Gerrit Prince didn't make the cut and was waived, partly because Jacksonville didn't want to lose then-rookie Elijah Cooks to another team. Maybe something similar will happen this year with Joshua Cephus but if the front office decides to carry six receivers, Deguara should be a lock to make the team.

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