Week 1 of Jaguars OTAs: Sharpness, Competition and Speed Catch Reporters' Eyes

May 22, 2025 at 04:50 PM

John Oehser

Jaguars Senior Writer

JACKSONVILLE – Senior writer John Oehser wraps up Week 1 of Jaguars 2025 organized team activities at the Miller Electric Center, with an eye on the receiving corps of rookie wide receiver/defensive back Travis Hunter, second-year wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. and fifth-year wide receiver Dyami Brown

Speed, speed, speed. Among the key Jaguars offseason storylines: Increased speed at the offensive skill positions, with Head Coach Liam Coen saying after the 2025 NFL Draft that the team had more of a quick-strike element than had been the case before the offseason. That speed was evident in Monday's first OTA practice – with rookie Travis Hunter, second-year veteran Brian Thomas Jr. and unrestricted free agent signee Dyami Brown impressing and rookie running back Bhayshul Tuten showing the speed that made him the fastest running back at this offseason's NFL Scouting Combine. "It's probably too early to say right now how special it can be or where that metric is to measure that truly," Jaguars offensive coordinator Grant Udinski said of the speed at receiver. "I know that it will be a weapon for those guys individually and for us as a unit to do the things that we want to implement from a scheme standpoint or from an individual, attacking routes, building route trees, those types of aspects for those guys."
Sharper and sharper. With Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence rehabilitating from surgery on his non-throwing shoulder for the first three months of the offseason, he said Monday he feels as if his arm is "back in shape." Lawrence: "I feel really good now." While his rehabilitation prevented him from much offseason work with Thomas, Lawrence said he likes what he has seen from the second-year veteran. "I feel like we were just starting to get that [timing] last season, then I went down, and we didn't finish the year together," said Lawrence, who missed seven of the last eight games with various injuries last season. "Just being able to watch him even though I wasn't playing, watching his one-on-one reps, the stuff we were doing with him last year, the situations he was put in, how he was able to adapt, play the slot and move outside and really take advantage of every matchup – that also gave me a ton of confidence. This is a guy that you can move anywhere, you can do anything, and he is going to find a way to get the ball because he is just that good."
High confidence. The Jaguars' defense drew praise from Coen after forcing multiple takeaways on Monday’s Day 1 of OTAs. A particular defensive storyline is veteran cornerback Tyson Campbell, who enters his fifth NFL season as the longest-tenured Jaguars starter in the secondary after missing 11 games over the last two seasons with injuries. "He has done a nice job so far," Coen said of Campbell. "He has those fluid movements, long range, I thought he had a nice day (Monday). He has done a nice job stacking blocks, he's got good vision on the quarterback right now, playing a little bit of a different scheme than he's been playing over the last year and being a little bit more vision on the quarterback, patience, playing a little bit of off-man. That's where he's going to be able to excel. He's got confidence right now, which is always good from a corner. I've been really pleased with Tyson thus far."
Competitive balance. A notable change as the Jaguars open OTAs: All offensive linemen are now listed as "offensive linemen" on the roster rather than specific positions such as tackle, guard or center. This is in line with the team's approach that training-camp competition at all positions – including offensive line – will be real with no starting positions predetermined. "It's rep-to-rep, honestly." Coen said. "It's rack-to-rack is really kind of what we talk about. Getting guys in with the ones in the first rack and then slide them in with the twos with the next rack, and try to give guys opportunities, knowing they're not truly getting judged and graded on the competition right now. We always want to compete in everything that we're doing, but ultimately, it's about trying to create that continuity at times within the system, within the offense and defense, and the calls. There's really no, 'Hey, these are the starters that are going to be out there first game against Carolina [in Week 1].' Do you have some ideas [about who will start]? Sure, but ultimately, there is a lot of competition that will occur, especially throughout this offseason and as we get into training camp."

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Jacksonville, Fla. — Jaguars long snapper Ross Matiscik (46) during OTAs at the Miller Electric Center on May 22, 2025.