The only bummer of the day for Jaguars head coach Liam Coen was Brian Thomas Jr. going down. Other than that, Sunday was as good as it gets for Jacksonville as they steamrolled the Cleveland Browns for a 34-10 victory.
Brian Thomas Jr. re-aggravating his shoulder injury had Jacksonville holding its breath on Sunday. It appeared to be a flare-up in his existing shoulder issue, which he suffered previously during joint practice sessions with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Thomas Jr. is Trevor Lawrence’s top go-to this season. After having a perfect start to its season, the Jaguars’ offense couldn’t afford to slow down its momentum with a Thomas Jr. injury in Week 2. The Denver Broncos are a much more dangerous team than their Week 1 opponent, the Browns.
Liam Coen Confirms Brian Thomas Jr.’s Availability
Head coach Liam Coen had a promising update, though, easing the tensions. The Jaguars head coach confirmed that Thomas Jr.’s injury wasn’t that serious, and that he would be available vs. the Broncos.
“I fully imagine him being able to play this game,” Coen said on Monday. “No issues, just might not be able to get hit throughout the week or something.”
Although he might be limited in practice, Jacksonville will still have Thomas ready as Lawrence’s go-to target when they need him the most this Sunday.
Thomas Jr. returning for the final drive on Sunday kind of gave away the severity of his injury. Thomas Jr. had gone out after catching three receptions for 40 yards.
Lawrence still managed a few more touchdowns without Thomas Jr. as he finished the game with 4 total touchdowns.
Thomas Jr.’s injury wasn’t a major concern for Coen from a depth perspective, per se. The receiving corps might be the richest depth position the Jaguars have. Parker Washington and Jakobi Meyers are enough to handle the catches themselves in case Thomas Jr’s injury would have been serious.
Brian Thomas Jr. and Trevor Lawrence’s Chemistry
However, it is the chemistry that Thomas Jr. has built with Lawrence the entire offseason that makes him such a can’t-miss weapon on the field with Lawrence. Even Coen confirmed that, saying it takes all 11 players to run an offense.
“The guys came out and tried to do what we asked them to do in terms of starting fast, played some complementary football,” Coen said at the Miller Electric Center on Monday.
“It truly takes all 11 in this offense to run the football, and I think our guys did a nice job,” Coen said.
“The trust between us, because we’ve communicated so much, has just grown a lot,” Lawrence said, via Jaguars.com. “Certain routes, I know exactly what he’s going to do. He’s really consistent in his approach and what he does. He tells you something and how he’s going to run a route, and then he goes, and he does it like that.”
Lawrence continued, “It sounds simple, but not everyone’s like that. I’ve played with a lot of guys that are really good receivers, but you say you’re going to run it one way, then you get in the game or the live period and the route looks completely different. He’s not one of those guys.”
Between Meyers, Parker Washington, Brian Thomas Jr., and 2025 No. 2 pick Travis Hunter pulling double duty as a cornerback and offensive weapon, touches are bound to be spread thin.
“That makes this offense unique, and we’ve just been trying to fine-tune and really hone in on what each guy is great at,” Washington said.
Jaguars Get Exciting Brian Thomas Jr. Injury Update Before Week 2 vs. Broncos