The Jacksonville Jaguars have wrapped up their first two days of training camp under Doug Pederson after taking the field on Monday and Tuesday. Both of these days have been used more as an acclimation period after the team had several weeks off, but they’ve made the most of them and seem like they will be in good shape when the pads go on.
This year there has been a different feel to camp, and it isn’t just because of the Jags’ coaching change. The team has been practicing from a new location just a few miles away from their headquarters at Episcopal School of Jacksonville. Of course, the reason for that is because they are currently having construction done on their practice fields where a whole new football facility is being built. Still, the change hasn’t affected the team much, and it seems like they’ve adapted just fine in Days 1-2.
As for the specifics about how things have gone, here are a few takeaways we’ve gained from the first two days of Jags training camp:
Jaguars (70) faces off against fellow offensive linemen (61) Marcus Tatum and (64) Coy Cronk as (79) Luke Fortner looks on during Friday’s Rookie Minicamp session. The Jacksonville Jaguars held their first Rookie Minicamp on the turf of TIAA Bank Field Friday afternoon, May 13, 2022. Among those in attendance were the team’s 2022 draft picks. [Florida Times-Union]
During organized team activities, the Jags were using a combination of Ben Bartch and Tyler Shatley as their first-team center and guard, respectively. However, on Day 1 and Day 2, it was rookie third-round pick Luke Fortner who was getting reps as a first-team center, while Shatley was at left guard.
Same O-Line as it’s been, btw
(From L to R)
Cam
Shatley
Fortner
Scherff
Jawaan #Jaguars— Mia O’Brien (@MiaOBrienTV) July 26, 2022
With Trevor Lawrence taking many reps with Shatley dating back to last season, it’s interesting to see the Jags insert Fortner in as the No. 1 center, but not necessarily in a bad way. After all, he was the first player taken in the third round of April’s draft, has a high football IQ, played in the toughest college football division in football, and has good movement skills. All of those positives are signs that he has what it takes to replace Brandon Linder, and it will be interesting to see if he continues to run with the first-team from here on out.
Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) throws the ball as head coach Doug Pederson looks on during day 2 of the Jaguars Training Camp Tuesday, July 26, 2022 at the Knight Sports Complex at Episcopal School of Jacksonville. [Florida Times-Union]
Lawrence was the talk of Day 2’s session as he registered a perfect completion rate in 7-on-7s and 11-on-11s. By the end of both sessions, he was 18-of-18 on the day and many in attendance seem to feel it was his best practice as a Jaguar.
Here are just some of several reactions to how Lawrence looked on Tuesday:
Trevor Lawrence was outstanding in today’s practice. Sticking by my prediction of 4200 yards and 32 TDs
— Pete Prisco (@PriscoCBS) July 26, 2022
Trevor Lawrence, yall. Whew. I know it’s no pads, but today was unreal placement wise.
— Amp Wigg (@ShopTalkingWigg) July 26, 2022
Trevor Lawrence 7-of-7 in 7-on-7 drills right now
No drops
(I repeat)
NO. DROPS.
(Zay Jones and Evan Engram in particular were PUMPED and cheering on teammates for contested, tight catches) #Jaguars
— Mia O’Brien (@MiaOBrienTV) July 26, 2022
Lawrence’s best pass of the day was a deep pass to receiver Laquon Treadwell, who he had a good connection with last season. That said, it appears they’ve picked up where they left off, and if it continues, he should be able to make the final roster at the end of the preseason.
It’s important to remember that the pads haven’t gone on yet, so the defense is at a little disadvantage. Still, it’s good to see Lawrence come out of the pre-camp break looking sharp, as that momentum can trickle down throughout the preseason.
Jacksonville Jaguars running back James Robinson (25) was in uniform and doing light drills at Monday morning’s training camp session. The Jacksonville Jaguars held their first day of training camp Monday, July 25, 2022, at the Episcopal School of Jacksonville Knight Campus practice fields on Atlantic Blvd. [Florida Times-Union]
The Jaguars didn’t place a single player on the Physically Unable to Perform list, including running back James Robinson (Achilles). While he hasn’t been participating with the team in practice and the team is taking it slow with him, that’s still a good sign in terms of how close he is to being at 100%.
On Monday, Jags Pederson said he was pleased with where Robinson was with his recovery as he put in a lot of work to avoid going on the PUP list.
“It says a lot,” Pederson said when asked about Robinson’s dedication to his recovery process. “It’s a good sign. I know, and I’ve seen how hard he’s worked to get himself back this spring, this summer. He was her