The Jacksonville Jaguars have one of the best wide receiver corps in the NFL, but the group could be even better if wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. bounces back from a disappointing 2025 campaign. The good news is that he's trending toward pulling it off based on his strong performance throughout the offseason program.
Already, Thomas turned heads at Organized Team Activities, while head coach Liam Coen has heaped praise on him for the work he's put in the past few months. When you add it all up, it wasn't particularly shocking to see an NFL analyst include the 2024 first-round pick in his list of breakout candidates.
Brian Thomas Jr. is projected to take off for the Jaguars in 2026
Tyler Sullivan of CBS Sports drew up a list of breakout candidates for each AFC team. For the Jaguars, he chose Brian Thomas Jr., pointing out that he's coming off a disappointing season but has the talent to bounce back in 2026.
"Sure, the sophomore slump hit Thomas hard, but let's not write him off entirely just yet," Sullivan wrote. "The talent is there for him to be one of the top wideouts in the league, and he is a major bounce-back candidate that most folks are paying enough attention to."
The only criticism you could lay on Sullivan's assessment of Thomas is that the third-year wideout has already shown that he can play at a high level, hauling in 82 receptions for 1,282 yards with 10 touchdowns as a rookie. Thus, you cannot truly say that he's poised to break out.
And even in a down year, Thomas managed to catch 48 receptions for 707 yards with two touchdowns. This begs the question: what exactly held the Walker, Louisiana native back in 2025? He struggled with drops and was seemingly unwilling to run routes in the middle of the field.
On top of that, Thomas dealt with hand and ankle injuries. The good news is that he's healthy and has been working to cut down on the drops and everything that hindered his performance last year. When you add it all up, No. 7 is in a position to reclaim his spot as one of the scariest deep threats in the league.
Brian Thomas Jr. is poised to be a playmaker for the Jaguars next season
All signs point to Brian Thomas Jr. having a comeback season. That said, it's hard to see him crossing the 1,200-yard receiver in 2026. As Liam Coen noted, the Jacksonville offense focuses on spreading the ball. That doesn't mean that Thomas will not be a focal point of the offense, but rather that he may not get nearly as many targets as he did as a rookie, with Jakobi Meyers, Parker Washington, and Travis Hunter also in the mix.
But even if Thomas doesn't see many targets his way, he'll still be a valuable offensive piece, as his deep threat capabilities will draw coverage away from his teammates and will prevent opposing defenses from loading up the box, which will, in turn, present more favorable matchups for the running game.
In the end, it may not matter whether Brian Thomas Jr. racks up 1,000 receiving yards. As long as he recaptures his rookie season form, he'll be one of the most dynamic receivers in the NFL, and the Jaguars will have one of the scariest offenses in the league.
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