Julius Thomas makes his Jaguars debut today against Tampa Bay. (Getty)
It’s time. After signing a fancy new contract this offseason, Julius Thomas is ready to make his Jaguars debut.
After missing first four games with thumb injury, Jacksonville TE Julius Thomas will make Jaguars’ debut today; not expected to be limited.
Thomas broke a bone in his hand after the first preseason game, and hasn’t played since. Thomas ran routes with the team in practice, but wasn’t officially activated until Sunday morning.
This was only the first week that Thomas was allowed to catch passes, so it’s surprising to see him activated so soon. The plan may be to get Thomas some light work, and bring him up to game speed. That way he could be fully prepared to play the entire game Week 6 against Houston.
It is still unknown what kind of impact Thomas will have on the Jaguars offense. The Jags have been surprisingly explosive, and Allen Robinson and Allen Hurns have been fantasy-relevant Jaguars. Adding Thomas to the passing dynamic will open up the deep game even more, because safeties have to come up and cover Thomas instead of playing deep. Look for the Jaguars to open it up against the Buccaneers, who have already given up eight passing TDs this season.