Jaguars Notebook: 5 Observations From the Offseason Workout Program

With OTAs and minicamp wrapped up, what are our biggest takeaways from the Jacksonville Jaguars' offseason workout program?

Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson, left, talks with offensive coordinator Press Taylor during the second day of a mandatory minicamp Tuesday, June 11, 2024 at EverBank Stadium’s Miller Electric Center in Jacksonville, Fla. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] / Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA

The Jacksonville Jaguars won't hit the practice field again until the end of July. Until then, all we have to truly judge the 2024 Jaguars roster is the offseason workout program.

From rookie minicamp to organized team activities to mandatory minicamp, the Jaguars held a plethora of offseason practices to prepare their team for July. But what were our biggest takeaways from the offseason workout program? We break it down below.

Doug Pederson, Press Taylor still in lockstep

The biggest question for the Jaguars ahead of Week 1 is simple: who is calling plays? So far, the offseason program hasn't done anything to reveal the answer. Offensive coordinator Press Taylor called some games in 2022 before doing so full-time in 2023, but there is also the argument that head coach Doug Pederson was hired in large part due to his play-calling ability.

To this point, Pederson and Taylor still seem in complete lockstep. They stay close to one another throughout team drills and each clearly has their fingerprints all over the scheme. There might even be a question of whether it actually matters if Taylor or Pederson calls plays considering how closely the two have always worked together. For anyone hoping the offseason was a clear sign of Pederson taking the reigns away from Taylor, it didn't quite appear that way.

Cornerback will be a tough position to make

The Jaguars should still have questions about their cornerback depth entering training camp, even with a highlight-reel program from third-round cornerback Jarrian Jones. With that said, it does appear the cornerback spots past the top three (Jones, Tyson Campbell, Ronald Darby) are wide open to a plethora of young cornerbacks.

Deantre Prince, Gregory Junior, Christian Braswell, Tre Flowers, and Montaric Brown are all bound to duke it out for spots on the Jaguars' depth chart and it is hard to pick any favorites. Prince is a rookie draft pick with a high special teams ceiling so he may be safe, but the others have some fierce competition for what could amount to just two spots. Anyone who feels confident in projecting this group today likely shouldn't.

2023 draft class still has a ways to go

The Jaguars' 2023 draft class was much-maligned during their rookie season, largely because only one of their 13 draft picks was an every-week starter with right tackle Anton Harrison. The Jaguars' two Day 2 picks -- second-round tight end Brenton Strange and third-round running back Tank Bigsby -- drew the most criticism, with neither rookie finding the field enough to make an impact.

Through the 2024 offseason workout program, there is still some trajectory to be found. The arrow is pointing up for Day 3 picks like Parker Washington, Tyler Lacy, Ventrell Miller, Cooper Hodges and Christian Braswell. Fifth-round safety Antonio Johnson could join Harrison as a starter in the lineup in 2024.

But when it comes to Strange and Bigsby, it didn't feel as if the offseason was eye-popping for either. Simply based on reviews from non-padded practices, they likely fall behind the six Day 3 picks we just mentioned. Bigsby had some issues with drops during the summer and didn't have the standout offseason program that he had last year. Strange hasn't done anything poor, but it has also been tough for him to stand out in a crowded tight end room to this point.

Jaguars fulfilled their pledge of becoming bigger, stronger, faster

Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke said at his end-of-season press conference that he wanted the Jaguars to become bigger, faster, stronger and more physical. It remains to be seen just how much more physical the Jaguars are than the team that got pushed around at the end of the 2023 season. We won't know the answer to that until the pads come on.

As for the other parts of the equation, those can be established and reviewed now. And from what we saw, the Jaguars checked each box. Additions like Arik Armstead, Gabe Davis, Brian Thomas Jr., and Mitch Morse certainly made the Jaguars a bigger team. Adding three more trench players in the draft in Maason Smith, Javon Foster and Jordan Jefferson could be the keys to becoming more physical, as have offseason transformations from Devin Lloyd, Tyler Lacy, and others.

And as for the faster component, there is no question that additions like Thomas, Ronald Darby, Darnell Savage, Jarrian Jones, Keilan Robinson, Deantre Prince, and even seventh-rounder Myles Cole shouldn't fulfill that. It remains to be seen if the Jaguars' roster has truly improved form last year, but it does seem like a more athletic team on paper and on the practice field.

Winners of the offseason

If there is one winner of the offseason on each side of the ball, it has to be wide receiver Parker Washington and linebacker Devin Lloyd. Each are recent draft picks at key positions who entered the offseason with legitimate pressure to perform, and each hit it out of the park during the offseason workout program.

Washington entered the offseason outside of the top-four wide receivers on the depth chart, but he has done enough up to this point to not assume he is on the outside looking in. He has lined up both inside and outside and looked substantially more explosive and dynamic than he did in practices during his rookie season, when he was battling injuries throughout multiple points.

As for Lloyd, he looked like he got noticeably bigger in terms of muscle mass. The light linebacker who entered the NFL in 2022 looked like a physically imposing inside linebacker this summer, which was maybe not always the case. Lloyd looked and sounded significantly more confident and aggressive as well, which could be the key to him having a breakout season.

---

• Follow and like us on Facebook.
• Submit your questions for our mailbag.
• Subscribe to the Jaguars On SI Podcast on Apple and Spotify.
• Check out the Jaguars On SI YouTube Channel.