Training camp notebook: Second-year players making strides

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The first week of Jaguars training camp is in the books. The theme for the first week had to be ‘surprised.’ Who doesn’t love a good surprise, right?

The Jaguars saved perhaps their biggest surprise of the week for Saturday. This one was for some local youth football teams. Before practice started, Doug Pederson spoke to the crowd over the mic and surprised young football players with new helmets. The Jaguars gave away 215 helmets and let the players test out their new gear inside on the Flex Field after watching practice.

Out on the field this week the biggest surprises have been from a pair of players who spent most of last season on the Jaguars practice squad — tight end Gerrit Prince and cornerback Gregory Junior. Both players have been the early stars of camp.

Prince had a huge day on the field on Friday, then kept the hype train going with another big day Saturday. Prince made a toe-tap touchdown during team drills. Pederson is a big proponent of players in their second seasons being able to take big jumps. Prince has been very impressive, but he still has an uphill battle to earn a role in the Jaguars offense.

Junior is already starting to get looks with the first-team defense. He was a sixth-round pick last year and didn’t make the final roster. Instead, the Jaguars stashed him on their practice squad for most of the year. Junior clearly spent that time in the gym because physically he looks much different than he did as a rookie. The Jaguars have taken notice of his growth and are giving him a chance to compete with Tre Herndon for the nickel corner job.

Another surprise last year was when the Jaguars trimmed their roster down to the final 53 and kept De’Shaan Dixon on it. An undrafted free agent out of Norfolk State, Dixon was on the Jaguars active roster for all of last year. He was only active on game day three times. Keeping him around all season through some of the roster shuffling shows the Jaguars clearly liked him as a player.

This offseason, Dixon made the switch from an outside linebacker to an interior defensive lineman. He bulked up about 20 pounds and said he will play inside and outside. Dixon said he feels much better right now than he did a year ago.

“Last year, I came in, I was really nervous. I didn’t know what to expect,” he said.

That reiterates what Pederson has been saying about second-year players being able to feel more confident with the material. The position switch has changed things a bit for Dixon, but he has a good perspective on it

“Football is football,” he said.

Dixon said he played some D-line in college but knows he has a lot to learn.

“I like it. It is new for me. I’m enjoying the process and I think I’m getting better at it every day,” Dixon said.

After being a surprise on the final roster a year ago, I’m not sure if he would qualify as a surprise again this year, but Dixon is a name to keep an eye on because position versatility is never a bad thing to have.

📓Notebook 📓

• The first interception of camp went to rookie Antonio Johnson. He picked off CJ Beathard during team drills late in practice. Johnson is a player that Pederson mentioned as being in the competition for the nickel spot. I was told last year that the Jaguars would love to have a big nickel and a little nickel. If they stick with that philosophy, Johnson looks like a perfect fit for the big nickel spot.
• The defense didn’t have to wait long for their second interception of camp. Chad Muma got the pick off a pass from Trevor Lawrence. It was a bad decision by Lawrence. He targeted Calvin Ridley but Muma was lurking and came up with the INT. Muma is off to a good start to camp.
• Last season Kevin Austin Jr. was a fan favorite as an undrafted free agent to possibly make the roster. That didn’t happen. But maybe the hype was just a year early. Austin has put it all together and after a good offseason program, he is off to a good start to camp. On Saturday, he beat Tyson Campbell deep for a touchdown from Lawrence. There is a lot of competition for the final wide receiver roster spots keep an eye out for Austin to push for one of them.
• Calvin Ridley is good. Enough said.

• Brenton Stange is off to a good start. Strange looks poised to move into the inline job that was vacated by Chris Manhartz’s departure. He will 100% be an upgrade in the passing game for two tight-end sets. His run blocking will get put to the test next week.
• I’m happy to report the kicking situation is solved. Last year, kicker was a hot topic during training camp. Not so much this year. Brandon McManus is as advertised.
• Next week, the team will go full pads on Tuesday.