Jaguars Training Camp: The Good, The Bad and The Great After Day 2

After two days of practice, what so far has qualified as the good, the bad and the great?

Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Tyson Campbell (32) walks on the field 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

The Jacksonville Jaguars are in the infancy stages of training camp, with just two pad-less practices under their belt. That is context that should be remembered at the start of every training camp, with each year being a unique opportunity for every team to grow.

"Our staff, spending time with the guys, it's been really important. We have good guys. I love to be around our players, they're really cool guys, they care so much, and you just hope that comes across to them. That you really care about them on and off the field. That's what it's about," Jaguars defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen said ahead of Thursday's practice.

"One of the players said it, this team will only be one year together. Some of the staff will leave. You want it to be so good for these guys this one year. Win, play the best that you can, and so hopefully that comes across to the guys."

So with this in mind, what have the early days of the 2024 Jaguars shown us so far and how much stock should we put into it? We break it down below with the good, the bad, and the great from the first two practices.

The Good

Cam Little: It is completely fair to say that one of the most consistent performances of any Jaguars player on Thursday was rookie kicker Cam Little. Veteran kicker Riley Patterson had a good day, too, making 5-of-6 kicks and nailing two of his three long attempts if you include his final attempt in team drills. But the sixth-round rookie matched Patterson kick for kick outside of his long attempts, with Little going 6-of-6 and making every kick. Not only was he making the kicks, but his were going a few yards deeper than his veteran competition's.

The Bad

Red-zone offense: This has to lead the discussion of the first two days of camp, as long as you don't go overboard in either direction. Yes, the Jaguars' offense has struggled in two practices, both of which have been almost exclusively red-zone work. They have turned it over six times, with all three quarterbacks throwing at least one interception so far. No, this doesn't mean much for the 2024 Jaguars on the surface. Training camp is a marathon, so it will be much more important how the Jaguars look a few weeks from now. But for a team that has struggled in the red-zone in the regular-season, the passing game still looks like a struggle in the condensed area of the field.

The Great

Tyson Campbell: If there is one player I can say has been on their absolute A-game through the first two practices, it is cornerback Tyson Campbell. Mind you, it is hard to factor front seven and offensive line players in this equation without pads on. But there has seemingly been only a small handful target against Campbell in the first two days that would have maybe been a completion. Campbell has tightly contested everything else, finding success against Brian Thomas Jr., Gabe Davis, and other outside receivers on the roster. Campbell has looked like a legit No. 1 corner early on.

Red-zone defense: The red-zone offense has had its issues during the first days of camp, which has partly been due to some self-inflicted wounds (Lawrence's two interceptions on Thursday, a Luke Farrell fumble). But you also have to cosider that maybe the Jaguars' red-zone defense has also been that good? It goes beyond the starters, too, with Mac Jones and C.J. Beathard taking multiple "sacks" over the last two days. Sacks, in this case, is when the quarterback holds onto the ball too long and a whistle blows the play dead. There have been a lot of instances of there just not being anyone open.

 

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