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Jaguars training camp notebook: Offense has plenty of ‘potential’

Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Gabe Davis (0) makes a reception during a drill at the teams NFL football training camp, Wednesday, July 24, 2024, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux) (John Raoux, Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

JACKSONVILLE, Fla.“We just got to get together and keep working these are the first couple of days so we are going to look a little rusty.”

That quote from receiver Gabe Davis about sums it up for the Jaguars offense. The first few camp days and it’s obvious that the rust has been real. But some of that is expected when there are so many new pieces around the offense. Two of the Jaguars top three receivers are going through their first training camp in Jacksonville. That includes free agent signee Davis.

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He’s a big addition to the Jaguars offense, a big field-stretching target a type of receiver that Jacksonville has lacked for years. Coming to town was an easy decision for Davis. His mom is from Jacksonville, so he says hearing the Duuuval’s from fans is sort of a full-circle moment for him.

“She definitely was biased on where I should be,” said Davis.

Through the first few days, the defense has looked ahead of the offense, coming up with interceptions each day. But that is nothing to be overly concerned about.

“We got a lot of potential, just got to put it all together,” Davis said.

To reach that potential, Davis has to get on the same page with his new quarterback, Trevor Lawrence. That can take time but Davis said all it takes is “just overcommunication.”

Lawrence is going to be doing a lot of communication this year because he is trying to get on the same page as Davis and Brian Thomas Jr. Davis described BTJ as a “young guy that has a whole bunch of potential.”

I’m seeing a theme here for the potential on the Jags offense. The key is figuring out how to unlock that potential for everyone, including Lawrence who still has massive room to grow to reach his potential. That word gets thrown around, and in my opinion, it is good and bad. It’s great when guys reach that potential but at some point, you have to see it materialize or it is just blind hope.

Trevor tracker

We charted how quarterback Trevor Lawrence did in camp on Friday in team drills, 7 on 7 and 1 on 1′s: Lawrence was 55 of 65 (84 %). He also threw one interceptions. That came during 1 on 1′s when Lawrence was targeting Brian Thomas Jr. Ronald Darby came away with the pick.

📖Notebook📖

  • Tyson Campbell didn’t participate in team drills.
  • Jarrian Jones and Seth Williams both went down briefly with injuries but returned to finish practice.
  • Trevor Lawrence had an improved day from earlier in the week but still not what I would call crisp.
  • Jalen Jackson looks twitchy. Not sure if that will mean much but he looks explosive out on the field.
  • Devin Duvernay has looked better than I expected as a receiver. In back-to-back practices, Duvernay has gotten loose deep for a touchdown.
  • Jerimiah Ledbetter is a name that gets lost in the shuffle sometimes. He shouldn’t he is a consistent guy who makes plays. Led came up with a pick 6 off a tipped pass from Mac Jones. The whole sideline, Doug Pederson included, was jumping up and down celebrating with Led.
  • Tank Bigsby and Travis Etienne both had stand-out days. The Jaguars offense and defense clearly focused on the run game on Friday and Tank and Travis both showed some nice vision and moves to find space.
  • Travon Walker was active. He came up with a would-be sack during Team drills along with tipping a pass and making a few stops in the run game. This is year three for Travon and I still watch him and say people that big should not be able to move that fast.
  • Josh Hines-Allen looks big. I have covered the Jags since Hines-Allen’s rookie season. He has been listed at 255lbs each year. There is no way that man is 255. Josh looks much bigger than he was even just last season. He has clearly spent a lot of time working during the offseason.
  • Myles Cole is another big guy. He was the Jags final draft pick. Cole is raw but he came up with a sack during team drills on Friday. We talked about Potential earlier and Cole is a guy whose potential is through the roof.
  • Tim Jones is a guy who gets lost in the shuffle of the receiver room but he shouldn’t. Jones just keeps finding his way onto the Jags roster and he might do it again today. Jones had a good rep beating Tre Flowers down the field for a big gain.
  • Christian Braswell was singled out as the player they wanted to cover Evan Engram during the 1-on-1 drill. This could be nothing or it could be something. Last year the coaching staff did the same thing with Antonio Johnson.

About the Author

Jamal St. Cyr is an award-winning sports anchor who joined the News4Jax sports team in 2019.

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