There is a lot of optimism surrounding the Jacksonville Jaguars‘ offense this year and for good reason. Hopefully, quarterback Trevor Lawrence returns healthy and can finally show why the team selected him with the first-overall pick in 2021. Rookie phenom Travis Hunter is supposed to bring a ton of excitement regardless of which side of the field he lines up on. And second-year wide receiver Brian Thomas might be the most talented of the trio.
Every offseason players suffer injuries in offseason practices whether it’s OTAs, minicamps and/or training camp. The Jaguars think they avoided a big one today when Thomas went down hard and left the field.
“Jaguars WR Brian Thomas Jr. was down on the ground after landing hand after a pass play that was broken up by Tyson Campbell,” ESPN’s Michael DiRocco tweeted on X. “He’s heading off the field and going inside.” (we think he meant “landed hard,” not “landed hand).
Not long after, DiRocco said that Thomas was back on the sideline wearing his helmet.
Ian Rapoport followed that up with a post that said head coach Liam Coen thinks Thomas is fine.
“Jaguars coach Liam Coen told reporters that WR Brian Thomas Jr., who landed hard on his shoulder, is fine and could’ve gone back out. “Just precautionary,”” Rapoport tweeted on X.
Liam Coen says he’s “fine”
After practice, Coen seemed genuine in saying “oh yeah he’s fine,” and completely dismissed the incident. That’s excellent news for Jaguars fans. While all of the hype (and perhaps rightfully so) is on Hunter this offseason, right now Thomas is the better player.
“He’s fine. Absolutely could have gone out and played,” Coen told reporters after practice Wednesday. “Just bruised it a little bit. Great range of motion, strength, he’s all good.”
Coen then said that Thomas had been “completely cleared to play.”
Jags can’t afford to have Thomas miss time
It seems like the initial reports on Thomas are that it was just a scare. That’s great news because if the Jaguars have any hopes of making the playoffs, they are going to need another big season from Thomas.
Thomas was the No. 23-overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft and caught 87 prolate spheroids for 1,282 yards and 10 touchdowns as a rookie. He led the team in all of those categories and there weren’t even any close seconds.
John Oehser, senior writer for Jaguars.com outlines more of Thomas’ rookie achievements.
“Thomas in 2024 set Jaguars rookie records for receptions (87), yards (1,282) and touchdowns (10), ranking first among NFL rookies and third overall in receiving yards,” Oehser writes. “He also ranked first among rookies and tied for sixth overall in receiving touchdowns.
“He led all NFL rookies in 2024 and tied for first overall with five touchdowns of 50 or more yards, and became the fourth rookie since 1970 with at least 1,200 receiving yards and 10 receiving touchdowns.”
With all of the well-earned hype around Hunter, he’d have to have to go bananas just to sniff what Thomas did last year. And, if he doesn’t, that’s not a slight on him, it just goes to show how dominant Thomas was in 2024.
Jacksonville Jaguars Get Major Injury Scare at Minicamp