Jaguars Notebook: Observations From Day 2 of Training Camp

What did we see at the second day of Jaguars training camp?

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) hands off to running back Travis Etienne Jr. (1) during the first day of an NFL football training camp practice Wednesday, July 24, 2024 at EverBank Stadium’s Miller Electric Center in Jacksonville, Fla. / Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA

Day 2 of Jacksonville Jaguars training camp is in the books, and it was a lopsided day.

For the second day in a row, the Jaguars' defense managed to have the edge over the offense and quarterback Trevor Lawrence.

"I don’t want to give too much away, but very physical. The intensity is super high over there, a lot of energy. The defensive staff have been great. Really detailed—the guys are harping over the details all the time," Lawrence said after the first practice on Wednesday.

"But I’d say the physicality is definitely the biggest difference. At the line, on the outside, wherever. Really everywhere I think that’s been a point of emphasis and you can see it. Every throw seems to be contested; it seems to be a little bit of traffic, which is if you’re a quarterback not good, but it’s good to see your defense doing that. It challenges us and it’s going to present some challenges this training camp that are going to make us better as an offense, too.”

So, what did we say on Day 2? We break it down below.

Andrew Wingard picks off Trevor Lawrence twice

If there is an MVP from Day 2 of Jaguars practice, it is safety Andrew Wingard. Wingard made life tough for the starting offense with the two biggest impact plays of the day -- two interceptions off of Lawrence. In each instance, Lawrence was trying to get the Jaguars' offense out of a funk and spurn some momentum. In each instance, Wingard denied him.

The first pass was an attempt to the left corner of the end-zone that was ill-advised to begin with. It came on a target to Christian Kirk, who was never really open, and was a clear interception once the ball left Lawrence's hand. It was a throw that shouldn't have been thrown. As for the second interception, there was an actual window this time but Wingard leapt in front of the pass -- which was intended for Engram in the same corner of the end zone -- and picked off Lawrence with an emphatic reaction. It was a pair of bad moments from Lawrence, and a pair of encouraging ones from Wingard.

.@deweywingard got 🆙@Dream_Finders | #DUUUVAL pic.twitter.com/mOAn7MrytY

— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) July 25, 2024

Defense completely suffocates the offense

If the defense won the first practice of camp against the Jaguars, then there has to be a different way to describe what they did on Thursday. The defense simply absolutely dominated the Jaguars' offense. The defense was energized, flew to the ball, made impact plays against the run and pass, and more or less appeared to be imposing their will. The offense, meanwhile, went from looking rusty on Wednesday to lethargic and ineffective on Thursday. It was hard to believe that one side of the ball was in their third year of the system while the other is only in its second full training camp practice.

It wasn't just the Lawrence picks, either. C.J. Beathard got "sacked" on back-to-back plays in 7-on-7 because nobody was open. Passes were dropped, with one coming from Brian Thomas Jr. that would have been a touchdown with Tyson Campbell in coverage. Tevaughn Campbell also dropped an interception on a pass from Mac Jones, while several other passes were disrupted at the catch point.

And while neither offensive or defensive line can be evaluated without pads, it was staggering how many running plays the Jaguars blew up. Jordan Jefferson and Jeremiah Ledbetter both made big tackles for loss, with no runs really breaking out for big gains.

There are no pads on and it is only Day 2, but the defense has beaten the offense clean once and dominated them a second time. Through two days of almost exclusively red-zone work, the defense has forced six turnovers (five interceptions, one fumble) and has simply contested the Jaguars at every turn. On Thursday, the results were as lopsided as they might be all year.

Kicker battle

The most important positional battle the Jaguars will see play out over the next several weeks is the one at kicker between veteran Riley Patterson and sixth-round rookie Cam Little. Patterson clearly has the experience advantage, while Little comes in with rookie draft pick hype. The two have taken equal reps since the offseason and this continued on Thursday, with each kicker getting five chances to knock down field goals in the early periods of practice. 

After the first major act or competition between the two during camp, the clear leader is Little. Little made all five of his kicks, including two long attempts, with ease. Patterson made four kicks but missed one of his two long attempts, with the ball bouncing off the left goalpost. Little clearly has a little more juice than Patterson in terms of leg strength, with the ball just coming off his foot differently. We still have a long way to go, but Little should be the leader in the clubhouse.

Ventrell Miller makes a statement

It is tough to evaluate some positions when pads are off, and linebacker is likely right behind the offensive and defensive lines when it comes to degree of difficulty. With that said, we have seen some strong linebacker play at times during the first two days. Caleb Johnson flew around the field on Wednesday, while second-year linebacker Ventrell Miller took the mantle on Thursday with some standout plays of his own.

On the first play, Miller had picture-perfect coverage on tight end Luke Farrell on a short pass in 7-on-7 drills. Farrell made a tough grab, but Miller had perfect positioning. Perfect enough to the point that when Farrell attempted to make a football move, he fumbled the ball and it was scooped up by Foye Oluokun. Even if Farrell didn't fumble, Miller's coverage was impressive. His second big play was in 11-on-11 drills at the end of practice, with Miller sniffing out a screen pass behind the line of scrimmage for a big loss, earning a loud reaction from the sideline.

Play of the day 

The best play of the day goes to a new face in Jacksonville: wide receiver Devin Duvernay. Duvernay caught two touchdowns on the day, but the first one was a beautiful catch in the corner of the end zone with rookie cornerback Deantre Prince in coverage. Duvernay high pointed the back-shoulder throw and got two feet in despite tight coverage, with the throw coming from C.J. Beathard.

---

• 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.