Jaguars Training Camp, Day 1: 5 Observations on Robinson, Lawrence and More
Football is back in Jacksonville.
The Jaguars kicked off training camp practice Monday morning at Episcopal School of Jacksonville Knight Campus. As the twin busses of 91 players hit the parking lot, a new season officially began.
But during Monday's practice, which was more of an acclimation period for the Jaguars' roster following the offseason, we did get a chance to get several key updates and make several important observations.
So, what did we see Monday?
James Robinson takes a step forward as Jaguars avoid PUP list
The Jaguars got some welcome -- and to many even stunning -- news as they kicked off training camp. Despite several Jaguars nursing injuries this offseason, the Jaguars didn't start camp with a single player on the physically unable to perform list. This includes third-year running back James Robinson, whose rehab and return from a Week 16 Achilies tear on Dec. 26 is one of the biggest storylines of the camp so far.
“Going into training camp, we don’t have any PUP guys. James is doing extremely well. He’s going to be out here and over here. We’re just going to still take it slow with him and make sure he’s 100 percent or better before we put him out on the field," Pederson said.
Robinson didn't participate in any drills, but it was notable he was actually on the field in uniform, something that wasn't the case during OTAs or minicamp. He ran off to the side as running backs went through drills, looking more explosive than he did even just a few weeks ago when he first began running again.
Pederson didn't give a firm deadline on when Robinson should return for practice, but a Week 1 debut from Robinson doesn't seem out of the realm of possibility. Considering he sustained the injury in late December, this is nothing short of stunning.
“Says a lot. It’s a good sign. I know and I’ve seen how hard he’s worked to get himself back this spring and this summer," Pederson said.
"He was here all summer working with the guys and with (Vice President of Player Health and Performance Jeff Ferguson) Fergie on the medical team. He’s done a great job of putting himself in the position to where we don’t have to do that but still be cautious with him and make sure he’s ready when he’s ready.”
As for a return date, Pederson wouldn't give Robinson a specific timeframe, but mid-August seems to be the hope for now.
“Hopeful for that. Can’t put a timetable really and don’t want to put a timetable, but that’s probably the target," Pederson said.
Outside of Robinson, the Jaguars got good injury news on several other players. Cornerback Darious Williams sat out most of the spring with a shoulder injury, but he was on the field for portions of practice on Monday. Rayshawn Jenkins was also a full participant. The only player who was missing beside Robinson was rookie linebacker Devin Lloyd, who will miss some time with a hamstring injury sustained on Sunday.
"Darious Williams is another one doing extremely well. You’ll see him here doing some individual work and running around," Pederson said.
"I will just say this, we have two guys coming out of the conditioning test yesterday – Jamal Agnew is one that we’re going to ‘day by day’ with him. He’ll be out here working with some individual work, working with our medical team. Day to day with him. Devin Lloyd is the one that’s probably going to miss some time. He has a little hamstring that popped up yesterday on him. Nothing too significant, but we’re just going to be cautious with him and give him some time.”
State of the offensive line
The Jaguars' offensive line didn't quite look as expected on Monday. That could either be a simple start to what is set to be a long training camp as the Jaguars find starters at right tackle, center and left guard, or it could be a reflection of who the Jaguars really want on the first-team unit.
The Jaguars starting offensive line on Monday was: Cam Robinson (left tackle), Tyler Shatley (left guard), Luke Fortner (center), Brandon Scherff (right guard), and Jawaan Taylor (right tackle).
The two predetermined spots are clearly left tackle and right guard; Robinson and Scherff are two of the highest-paid players on the roster and are expected to be leaders on the offense from the jump. Left guard, center and right tackle are different, though.
We saw Ben Bartch take most of the starting reps at left guard this spring, with rookie third-round center Fortner running with the second-team offense at center while Shatley commanded the starting spot. The Jaguars said in the spring they would experiment with a Shatley/Fortner combo, though, and it appears so far the Jaguars are giving the No. 65 overall pick a chance to win the starting center job.
In this event, Bartch would likely be the swing lineman up front. He took second-team reps at left guard behind Shatley on Monday. The Jaguars seem to view Fortner as a center, Shatley as a dual-player who can play both guard and center, and Bartch as a guard. Right now, Shatley and Fortner seem to be the two starters.
Taylor got the nod at right tackle as Walker Little took reps with the second team. This was to be expected after Taylor started at tackle in the spring and spent the last three seasons starting there. He was always the expected Day 1 player as camp began. Expect for this battle to pick up more when pads come on.
How Trevor Lawrence fared
Monday was a big day for Trevor Lawrence. The 2021 No. 1 overall pick kicked off his time in Pederson's offense earlier this spring, but Monday was the first time Lawrence has entered an NFL training camp as the unquestioned starter. Everyone knew last year that Lawrence would start in Week 1, but he still oddly split first-team reps with Gardner Minshew. That wasn't the case on Monday as Lawrence took every single first-team rep.
So, how did Lawrence look? It was hard to really give a firm stance since Day One is always a rather basic day, but Lawrence still had some highlights. He completed 3-of-5 passes in 7-on-7 drills, though the only two incompletions were due to a Marvin Jones drop on an accurate pass and a well-defended play by Tre Herndon on Christian Kirk.
Lawrence then completed his next three passes before moving onto team drills, where he made a few easy completions and also made a wow-level throw to Kirk. Lawrence will clearly have more eyes on him and even more reps as camp progresses, especially past the first few days.
One thing we will say we noted, though, is that Lawrence looked to be on the move a lot. Lawrence is arguably at his best when on the move, and the Jaguars clearly made it a big emphasis when putting together the plan for Lawrence's second season considering how often we saw him rollout on Monday.
"That’s the goal: to make a significant jump in year two. I think building off of last year, the fact that he played the entire season, we can build off that and really expect a sky’s the limit mentality with him," Pederson said before practice.
"He’s in the same frame of mind as well. He wants to take that next step, not only in his growth but leading this football team. Today’s day one of that, and we’re just excited to be on the grass with him and the rest of the team.”
New faces on both sides of the ball acclimate to starting lineups quickly
We saw most of the Jaguars' big offseason additions do exactly what you would expect on Monday, which is to quickly put themselves in positions to start. No starting roles are won on the first day of training camp, but the Jaguars had plenty of new faces playing big roles on Monday.
Kirk took first-team reps, as did wide receiver Zay Jones, tight end Evan Engram, and Scherff. On defense, we saw Foyesade Oluokun, Darious Williams, Foley Fatukasi, Travon Walker, and Chad Muma all take some starting reps as well. If Lloyd was practicing, it is clear he would have been in a starting role.
In short, the Jaguars are expecting all of their new additions to play big roles from the jump. If the Jaguars paid a player big money or took him within the first few rounds, it is obvious they did so with the intentions of those players being core pieces in 2022 and beyond. The Jaguars didn't exactly have this same strategy during last year's camp, so seeing both the signings and young faces already get key reps is a big shift.
Plays of the day
It is worth noting the Jaguars weren't in pads on Monday and used the practice more like an OTA-type practice, but there were still a few plays that raised eyebrows. Each came from the offense as the defense wasn't able to go full-speed and really make contact, but that doesn't make either play any less impressive.
The best play of the day came from Lawrence and Kirk. Rolling to his left, Lawrence threw a pass about 25 yards downfield to Kirk, who caught it on the sidelines with outstretched hands, barely keeping both feet inbounds. There was a debate on the sidelines if he caught it with two feet in, but the toe marks left by Kirk on the field proved it was a catch. Lawrence lifted the pass above the hands and heads of several defenders and put it right on the money to Kirk, who came up big on his own end.
The second play was a catch from undrafted rookie receiver Lujuan Winningham, who was able to contort his body and make a diving catch in front of several defenders on a Kyle Sloter pass. Winningham had a good spring and his hands earned him some extended attention on Monday.
Other notes
- Andre Cisco took all first-team reps at safety alongside Rayshawn Jenkins, with Daniel Thomas and Andrew Wingard running with the second team.
- Darious Williams, Tre Herndon and Xavier Crawford all got some looks at nickel back on defense.
- C.J. Beathard took part in individual drills but he didn't throw a pass during any team or offense/defense drills, with the Jaguars instead looking to Jake Luton as the second quarterback and Sloter as the third.
- Laviska Shenault had a good day. He caught everything that came near him and looked genuinely explosive, as well as clearly the most physically imposing receiver on the field.
- Shaquille Quarterman and Chad Muma took turns with the starting defense with Devin Lloyd not practicing, a reflection of the depth the Jaguars have at inside linebacker.
- Josh Allen, Travon Walker, Rashod Berry, and DeShaan Dixon all got some extra work after practice, working on their hand moves and hand speed.
