4 Winners (and 3 losers) from the Jaguars' 1st joint practice with the Buccaneers

Joint practices allow players to sharpen their skills against opposing teams while coaches get the opportunity to assess the personnel. That's why the Jacksonville Jaguars wasted no time jumping at the opportunity to hold joint practices with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on the days preceding their Preseason Week 2 matchup.

Overall, the Jags had several strong performances, with several players turning heads. On the other hand, a few of them were in for a rough practice. With that in mind, here are four winners and three losers from the first joint practice with the Bucs.

Trevor Lawrence, quarterback

Early in training camp, Trevor Lawrence was under scrutiny for turning the ball over. He was so bad in one practice that he was even compared to Blake "the BOAT" Bortles. Fast forward to the joint practice and chatter about the fourth-year quarterback has waned.

Lawrence went 3-of-4 with one touchdown in the preseason opener. His outstanding play has carried over against the Buccaneers, having no trouble connecting with his receivers. That said, he was sacked three sacks, which brings back flashbacks of the team's inability to protect him last season.

If the Jaguars want to avoid a repeat of 2023, they'll need to fix things up on the offensive line. They'll have two preseason games to work out the kinks.

Brian Thomas Jr., wide receiver

Wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. was the talk of the town after reeling in a 41-yard catch against the Chiefs in Week 1 of the preseason. Against the Bucs, he showed it wasn't a one-thing deal, reeling in two passes. One in the red zone, and another one deep.

Here's the other one.

This connection is slowly (but surely) becoming a common norm. At this pace, expect Lawrence to look for Thomas in 2024 often.

Tyson Campbell, cornerback

It's easy to forget it now, but Tyson Campbell was in the discussion about the top 10 cornerbacks in the NFL in 2022. That year, he had three interceptions, gave up a 58.5 percent completion rate, and less than 10.0 yards per reception. During joint practice with Tampa Bay, the former Clemson Tiger showed that he's still that player.

Campbell had to cover Pro Bowl receiver Mike Evans and more than held his own. It's true that it was only one play but he showed that he's on his way to bounce back from an injury-marred 2023 season.

Tank Bisgby, running back

The Jaguars didn't lose their confidence in running back Tank Bigsby despite the fact that he had an underwhelming rookie season. He's trying to repay that trust. The former Auburn Tiger had a strong training camp and rushed for 29 yards on three carries. He followed that up with an encouraging outing against Tampa Bay.

Despite the fact that the Jaguars O-Line had trouble paving holes, Bigsby was able to thrive. Hopefully, they'll be able to fix their issues up front, but if they don't the sophomore running back is proving that he can be counted on to gain tough yards next season.

And here are the losers...

Mitch Morse, center

The Jaguars signed Mitch Morse in free agency because they wanted to bolster the center position. He'll replace incumbent Luke Fortner, who struggled mightily last year. While the former Mizzou Tiger has never made the Pro Bowl, he's been dependable throughout his career, so the expectation is that Jacksonville will do a much better job of blocking up front.

Unfortunately, Morse had a rough day in joint practice. It may not be a sign of things to come but the veteran had trouble containing Vita Vea. Sure, he's one of the best defensive tackles in the league but a veteran like himself should be able to hold his own.

For the time being, though, you can shrug it off as a bad day of practice. Morse is savvy enough to recover from not-so-great performances.

Ezra Cleveland, offensive guard

Like Mitch Morse, left guard Ezra Cleveland got manhandled in the first joint practice, but there's a key difference. The latter is working his way back from a heel injury he suffered in training camp, which isn't great news when you take into account that he struggled to stay healthy last year.

The good news is that Cleveland is getting healthier and getting reps before the regular season should help him hit his stride.

Travis Etienne, running back

While Tank Bigsby shined against Tampa Bay, Travis Etienne was unremarkable. He even got stymied behind the line of scrimmage. In his defense, his struggles were mostly the result of the interior line failing to open holes. That said, this will be a practice the former Clemson Tiger will surely want to forget.

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