Training camp notebook: Pass rush still developing; Tyson Campbell leaves with injury

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – So far through training camp, it has been mostly sunshine and rainbows. As it should be. The Jaguars are officially one week away from game day and it may be time to press the panic button.

Saturday, the Jaguars held practice at EverBank Stadium, just over 10,000 tickets were given out to fans. It was a nice crowd for the event. There were some highlights, like a Calvin Ridley touchdown catch during 1 on 1′s but there were far more lowlights.

The highlight of the day for me was the chance to get a good look at the offensive line against the defensive line in 1 on 1′s. So far through camp, those drills have been in a location without a great vantage point. But the eye in the sky tells no lies. After watching from the press box, I wished it was in a location where I couldn’t see.

Either the offensive line is dominant from top to bottom, or it is time to press the panic button. This is just one day of drills, but it was a bad day for the D-line. After watching drills, by far I am the most impressed with DaVon Hamilton who just looked flat-out disruptive.

Travon Walker and Josh Allen both had solid reps, but there was not much else outside of those three. Before practice started, Doug Pederson said, “being able to stop the run and all of that is really our defense’s strong suit.”

That was clear on the field during team drills. The big guys were able to control the line of scrimmage. But when asked to get after the quarterback — outside of blitzes — there just isn’t much there.

Last year the Jaguars had 35 sacks. Not exactly Sacksonville-type numbers, but what if they have fewer sacks than that this year? That 35 might be a high bar for this group.

The Jaguars let Devin Lloyd rush the passer group. Lloyd was the only linebacker to participate in the 1 on 1′s and Coy Cronk erased him effortlessly. Not closing the book on the idea, but it’s not as simple of a solution as some may believe.

There was always the expectation that the pass rush needed some help, but the coaching staff wanted to wait and see what young player made progress. Well, they may have waited a little too long because the free-agent market has mostly dried up. Maybe Melvin Ingram could provide some juice, but this looks like a group that will be heavily dependent on Allen and Walker to be dominant. I have gone on record before saying I think Walker could take a Khalil Mack-type jump in his second year and the Jags are clearly banking on that.

The second-year jump may be the theme for the Jaguars as a team this year. It is the second year in the system for most of the Jaguars players. Doug Pederson has been bullish on the second year being a place where players feel more comfortable and are able to play faster.

Evan Engram echoed those statements, saying it is “night and day” from a year ago. Engram had a career year for the Jaguars last season and the team rewarded him with a big deal just before training camp. Now with Engram back in the fold the Jaguars offense looks stacked and poised to score a bunch of points this season.

When asked about the firepower the Jaguars will put on the field this year Engram said, “I don’t want to take this opportunity for granted.”

The Jaguars do have an opportunity in front of them a big opportunity. It is a tough AFC, but over the last few years, teams have made big leaps and pushed themselves to the front of the pecking order.

The Jaguars are a team that could make a similar jump this year.

“We want to be the team to build big leads,” said Engram.

That was the missing piece for the Jaguars a year ago. The big comebacks and late-game heroics are fun and memorable but many of those happened because the team got off to slow starts game after game. If the Jaguars are going to be a team that starts faster, Engram said that work starts right now.

“It starts in training camp how we start practice. We have to build those habits right now,” Engram said.

The Jaguars have all the tools to be a top five offense in the NFL this season.

“If we are not shooting to be the best, then we are wasting our time,” Engram said.

📓Notebook📓

• Tyson Campbell left practice with a concussion. Christian Kirk made a great catch on the play that excitement quickly went away when Campbell stayed down on the ground after the contact. Campbell will have to go through the concussion protocol before he returns to practice.
• Brandon McManus was not at practice on Saturday. McManus was in Canton, Ohio to celebrate his former teammate DeMarcus Ware who is being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
• Tyler Shatley had an irregular heartbeat after practice earlier this week. The team is keeping an eye on him he did participate in some drills on Saturday.
• Anton Harrison has been dealing with a shoulder injury. He was wearing a brace on the shoulder during practice.

• Ventrell Miller spent most of the day running off to the side with the trainers.
• Sammis Reyes was not dressed for practice.
• Walker Little has looked great. This is by far the best Camp of Little career. During team drills, he was moving people. This guy is ready to play at a high level.
• Cooper Hodges also known as “Tug Boat” is moving his way up the depth chart. Hodges has worked his way into the second team O-line group. It was an up-and-down kind of day for him. Hodges had some solid reps during 1 on 1′s. He also showed that he has a solid right hook. During those 1 on 1′s, Hodges and Michael Dogbe got into a fight. Somehow, Dogbe lost his helmet and Hodges caught him with a right hand. Not the sort of attention the rookie wants, but he was right back to work afterwards.
• Derek Parish is officially listed as a tight end on the Jaguars roster. Parish has not had a good camp to this point. Fullback season looks like it has ended early in Duuuval. Parish will need to make a complete 180 is he is going to even be in the running for a practice squad spot.
• Calvin Ridley was in his bag. Ridley beat Darious Williams and Tyson Campbell during red zone 1 on 1′s. Campbell had good coverage but couldn’t stop the back shoulder throw to Ridley.