JACKSONVILLE — Defensive end Bryan Thomas Jr., the lone undrafted free agent on the Jacksonville Jaguars’ initial 2026 53-player roster, earned his spot after posting 3.5 sacks — second-most in the NFL — and six quarterback pressures, tied for most in the league, across three preseason games.

Thomas, out of the University of South Carolina, punctuated his case in the Jaguars’ 19-0 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at EverBank Stadium on Friday, registering 2.5 sacks and four quarterback hits in the Preseason Week 3 finale. Head Coach Liam Coen said the performance was no surprise.

“When you have a gift of rushing the passer, man, it’s something that you can’t ignore,” Coen said. “He has had that skill set, that’s something we really appreciated about his game, and he has just continued to do it on this stage.”

Coen called Thomas’ approach a reflection of the defending AFC South champions’ identity. “(Bryan’s) playstyle is the right way,” Coen said. “It fits a lot of the things that we preach and that we’re about as a team.”

Thomas credited his father, defensive end and linebacker Bryan Thomas Sr., who played 157 games across 11 NFL seasons with the New York Jets after being selected in Round 1 of the 2002 NFL Draft. “I always play with effort,” the younger Thomas said. “I learned that from my pops. He played in the league for a lot of years. I learned that from him, running to the ball, having a lot of effort and creating plays.”

The rookie said he leaned on veterans already on the roster who traveled a similar undrafted path, including defensive end B.J. Green II, linebacker Branson Combs and defensive end Danny Striggow — all undrafted free agents who made the 53-player roster in 2025 under Coen, General Manager James Gladstone and Executive Vice President of Football Operations Tony Boselli. Thomas called his parallel with Green “kind of like déjà vu.”

“Almost the same stature or whatever, same situation, undrafted free agent,” Thomas said. “I definitely picked his brain a lot and asked him what he did and didn’t do and just put that into my own routine, lifestyle.”

Thomas said his growth since arriving in May has come through film work and mentorship. “Just little tweaks, weaknesses and stuff I can learn that they saw and told me about, just put in the extra hours when practice is over with,” he said. “I always play with a sense of urgency.”

The Jaguars open the regular season as defending AFC South champions, with Thomas expected to contribute as a pass-rush option off the edge.