Jacksonville Jaguars Notebook: Observations From Day 15 of Training Camp

What did we see from Day 15 of the Jacksonville Jaguars training camp at the Miller Electric Center?

Jacksonville Jaguars offensive guard Ezra Cleveland pushes a blocking sled during a training camp practice on Aug. 12 at the Miller Electric Center. / Garry Smits/The Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Jacksonville Jaguars had their last day of training camp practice ahead of joint practices with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, marking Day 15 of camp at the Miller Electric Center on Tuesday.

So, what did we see in practice No. 15? We break it down below.

Brian Thomas Jr. continues to stack days

Maybe the most consistent receiver over the last several practices has been rookie wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr., which says something since Christian Kirk and Gabe Davis have both performed well in their own rights. But you can almost see Thomas Jr's confidence rise with each catch over the last week. On top of that, you see Trevor Lawrence becoming more comfortable with his newest target, attempting passes to him that he wasn't even considering earlier in camp.

Thomas Jr. made one of the best plays of the day on Saturday with a leaping catch on the left sidelines over Tre Flowers, while also hauling in a decent-sized gain over the middle of the field on a pass from C.J. Beathard. Compared to the start of camp, Thomas Jr. might be one of the Jaguars most improved players.

Anton Harrison, Ezra Cleveland take first-team reps

It is hardly a surprise to see Anton Harrison back at first-team right tackle, but it is still positive news after Harrison returned to practice on Monday. Harrison is set to be a huge piece of the Jaguars offense and needs all of the reps he can get in live action after missing a week-plus due to the concussion protocol. This is good news for the rest of the Jaguars' offensive line, too, because it means Walker Little can be at his natural spot at left tackle.

Left guard Ezra Cleveland was also back with the starting offense in team drills after missing a week due to a heel injury. Left guard was a low spot during Saturday's game against the Chiefs, showing the dropoff from Cleveland to backup Blake Hance is even steeper than many may have assumed it already was.

Defensive backs have a day

Tuesday saw a heavy emphasis on the passing game, and the general feeling after the practice is that the defense came out on top largely due to the play of their secondary. Several Jaguars defensive backs got their hands on footballs on Tuesday, with Tevaughn Campbell breaking up two passes, Tre Flowers and De'Antre Prince recording one breakup apiece, and Buster Brown drawing a lot of praise from the coaching staff and sideline after one rep against Elijah Cooks.

To top off the day, the Jaguars' secondary closed on a window on an underneath throw to Brevin Easton. The ball was knocked out of his hands and landed in the hands of Erick Hallett II for the interception, a solid ending to what was a reflection of the Jaguars' improved depth. The secondary has been one of the best units in camp and that continued today.

Looking ahead to joint practices

The Jaguars will have the Buccaneers entering camp on Wednesday, marking the first time the Jaguars have ever hosted a joint practice at their new facilities. The Jaguars have done joint practices in each of the last two years with the Atlanta Falcons and Detroit Lions, but now the Jaguars will be defending their home turf. After a light day on Tuesday and then plenty of team drills and one-on-one drills, the Jaguars looked prime to play hosts.

"I think a big part of it is for us, we want our guys to see guys that they haven't played against a lot. You start to get a Darby against Brian Thomas so many times, they have a good feel for each other. There's less risk involved from both sides of what we're trying to do here," Jaguars offensive coordinator Press Taylor said on Tuesday.

"They know it, we know it, we're trying something different. You tend to play a little bit differently. So, it amps up the competitiveness, it amps up kind of the unknown, which is the cool part—that's football for us. But there's still a protected environment, which is a good thing. But I think for us too, as an offensive staff, there's a lot of things we want to see if they're good, see if we're good at these certain things. Maybe we need to see a new scheme to test some of them. We're trying to build tapes and learn about it and teach it for our guys as we get into this stuff. There's a lot to learn. I really enjoy it. I think we get a lot out of it. Again, it's who you're working with and the environment they have on their staff, and the way they work and what you're getting out of it. I think it will be a great experience.”

Play of the Day

Jalen Jackson made a fantastic one-handed catch downfield on a route out of the backfield. It was maybe the most impressive catch of the entire training camp. He has been arguably the team's top undrafted free agent in camp.

Other notes

• If Jalen Jackson hadn't made an amazing catch earlier in practice, backup running back Gary Brightwell would have had the catch of the day on a similar looking play.

• Maason Smith and Ventrell Miller both recorded sacks during team periods.

• Javon Foster took snaps at right tackle during the day. He looks primed to be developed into the swing tackle of the future.

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