WATCH: Star Jaguars Rookie Sounds Off on Monday After Bye

What did Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. have to say on Monday?

Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. (7) on the field between drills on the fifth day of the NFL football training camp practice session Monday, July 29, 2024 at EverBank Stadium's Miller Electric Center in Jacksonville, Fla.. [Bob Self/Florida Times-Union] / Bob Self/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK

Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Brian Thomas spoke from the locker room on Monday, and we were there for it all.

To watch his interview, view above.

Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson spoke on Monday. Below is a transcript.

Q: On QB Trevor Lawrence’s status this week?

Pederson: “Trevor's going to practice today and then we'll see where he's at from there.”

Q: On whether Lawrence’s availability will be based on how much he is able to participate throughout the week?

Pederson: “Yeah, it’ll just be a toleration thing with him, yeah.”

Q: On what he learned about the team during the bye week?

Pederson: “We took a dive into that schematically just to see where we were and see what we're doing and see what we do well. There are some things that, I'm not going to get into the whole details of things, but there are things in the run game that we’ve got to get back to. Even in the passing game, tweaking some things there and some things that we can hopefully help our production in the next six weeks, and then ultimately just have some time away. As I said last week, we needed some rest and get refreshed and see where these next six weeks go.”

Q: On if he decided on changes to be made during the bye week?

Pederson: “Yes.”

Q: On if he would share those changes?

Pederson: “Nothing that I'll share at this time. I personally think that, just to be a little bit more clear on that, I say that to say this, a lot of these are in-house and these are things that we focus on as a staff and as a team. I just don't think they need to be in the open right now.”

Q: On what he can do to get the offense off to a fast start?

Pederson: “We’ve got to keep working. We’ve got to keep trying to, as a staff, put our players in position to make plays on the field. Ultimately, the players execute the game plan. Again, last week was about trying to find ways to do that. We're going to implement some things and really kind of get back to some things that I think were successful, have been successful for us. Whether it's rhythm, tempo, whatever, to try to get things going. Ultimately, we’ve got to focus as a staff, as players, and just continue to do our jobs.”

Q: On his assessment of Houston’s offense and Texans QB C.J. Stroud?

Pederson: “Well, listen, this league, this business, playing the quarterback position is hard, right? Playing any position is hard. He's an exceptional quarterback. A good young quarterback in this league that the league needs. He's an exciting player. I don't know everything that goes on down there. I'm sure there's been injury, guys have missed. He's missed his playmakers from time to time. And then there's the film. There's the film out there. There are ways to—what he's put on film, the explosive plays, things of that nature, defenses have time to scheme that, to play defense against it. So, it's the natural progression. He's going to continue to make his plays and lead that football team and continue to be a great player. He's just going to continue to get better each and every game, each and every season. I think one thing, and I don't know C.J. personally other than just talking to him when we play, but he knows that he's a piece of that offense, right? He's a piece of that team and he's going to continue to improve and get better to help his team win just like Trevor is here or [DE] Josh [Hines-]Allen is here. They’re one piece to the big picture, to the whole pie.”

Q: On how difficult it is for a quarterback to have success without a strong running game?

Pederson: “I mean, it's a challenge. I just think it's rare that you can just load up your entire offense on one person, right? It's just hard for that person to go out and make plays if the other 10 guys aren't doing their job, right? Or there's injury within that unit. So, it just does make it a little more challenging, and the run game is a big piece. If you’re not successful running the ball, now they're going to force you to throw it and they're going to put more guys in the box. They're going to pressure more, they're going to get the ball out of your hand and then it becomes hard. So, you need that piece, you need that element. To me, that opens up your play-action game, right? It opens up the naked boot game, the movement game, the screen game. All that stuff just becomes, I think, a little bit better pieces of your offense.”

Q: On his message to the team coming back from the bye?

Pederson: “Again, I'm going to keep all that messaging within house. I just don't think that's something that needs to be out there. It's just between me and the players. But yeah, I appreciate the question.”

Q: On if he saw a freshness among the team coming back from the bye?

Pederson: “Yes.”

Q: On if that was encouraging to him? Pederson: “Yes.”

Q: On why it was encouraging to him?

Pederson: “It just was.”

Q: On if he identified things within the scheme that he is going to switch up?

Pederson: “We did.”

Q: On if he identified these tendencies on both sides of the ball?

Pederson: “Yes.”

Q: On when he will make a decision on who will start at quarterback on Sunday vs. Houston?

Pederson: “Well, we'll find out today. We'll see where Trevor's at today. Then he's got tomorrow off, come in, get treatment, and see where he's at on Wednesday. See how he feels. He's feeling better today, so that's positive.”

Q: On if any players will not practice today?

Pederson: “Probably Yasir [LB Yasir Abdullah] is the only one still that’s out. Everybody else should practice.”

Q: On how RB Tank Bigsby is progressing?

Pederson: “Great.”

Q: On how big of a challenge it is to keep the team focused?

Pederson: “It can be a challenge if you let it. Each day I walk into this building, I choose not to let it get me down. I choose to be energetic around the football team. I choose a message each week that I feel is important that the guys need to hear. Then, of course, that applies to keys to victory and different things that we do throughout the course and things we talk about as a team as the week progresses. I know there's a lot of negativity around us and rightfully so. We understand that. Around me, I understand that. But I choose not to listen to it, and I choose to go the other way and be positive because you only get so many days and so many opportunities in this league, and then your days are done. And when they're done, you look back and you go, hey, I gave everything that I had to these players, to this team, to this league. That’s what I choose. I choose to go out every single day and try to make a difference for this team.”

Q: On how WR Brian Thomas Jr. is doing and if he’s trying to get Thomas Jr. more involved this week?

Pederson: “Yes, we are. Yeah, he's doing well.”

Ensure you follow on X (Twitter) @JaguarsOnSI and @_John_Shipley and never miss another breaking news story again.

Please let us know your thoughts when you like our Facebook page WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.