JACKSONVILLE — Wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. beat cornerback Montaric Brown off the line and hauled in a one-handed catch from Trevor Lawrence in a steady rain during the Jaguars’ first padded practice of 2026 training camp, a play head coach Liam Coen’s staff called the most impressive of camp so far.
The Jaguars practiced for close to an hour and a half at the Miller Electric Center on Day 5 of camp, with the session heavy on “best on best” periods pitting starters against starters. The middle portion featured what the team calls “mamba” periods, giving the offensive and defensive lines and the secondary their best chance to date to simulate regular-season conditions.
“We did obviously one on ones for the first time today with the pads on,” Coen said. “I thought those guys did a nice job of getting some work in while protecting each other. Good to see some of those guys make some plays one on one in those situations.”
The pads shifted the practice emphasis squarely to the running game after a spring offseason program that leaned on the passing attack. Running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. practiced in team drills for a second consecutive day after offseason left foot surgery and ripped off several long runs, including multiple in which he absorbed and ran through contact.
“He did kind of what you think he’s going to do in a way,” Coen said. “He showed up, which is kind of what you’re hoping. I think he was feeling better. He’s continuously getting better, and we’re just trying to be smart with getting him to work, getting him acclimated while not trying to aggravate it, knowing that we’re so early on. I know he was excited about getting the pads on.”
Coen acknowledged the shift in workload for a receiver group featuring Thomas, Parker Washington, Travis Hunter and Jakobi Meyers. “I told them, ‘Man, there are going to be a little bit less targets to go around in training camp,’” Coen said, “because, like, in team run, we’re going to run it three out of four plays. So, you’re just limiting the amount of reps. I think what they’ve done is maximize the reps that they’re getting and being very intentional about the connection and chemistry that they have.”
On the defensive side, tackle Ruke Orhorhoro recorded two would-be sacks in team drills and was a tough assignment for guards Ezra Cleveland and Wyatt Milum in pass-rush drills, according to Coen. Offensive tackle Anton Harrison went four for four in one-on-one pass-protection reps with several dominant wins against the Jaguars’ edge rushers.
Coen embraced the rain-soaked conditions. “It’s football, right? It has to be an edge for us here in Florida. These guys, they don’t care. They want to just play, and they’d prefer to stay outside on the grass than go inside.”
Second-year linebacker Jack Kiser remained out after sustaining a knee injury during Day 1 of camp. Left tackle Cole Van Lanen and offensive lineman Garrett DiGiorgio remain on the Physically Unable to Perform list, while guard Patrick Mekari and cornerback Christian Braswell stayed out of team drills. The Jaguars are scheduled to continue padded practices this week as they build toward their preseason opener.