JACKSONVILLE – The energy is real. Really, really real.
If there is a theme to Christian Kirk's 2024 preseason, that's it. And as Jaguars 2024 Training Camp moves into Week 2 at the Miller Electric Center, the wide receiver said the theme isn't exclusively about him.
There's a different feeling to Kirk this season, and he says it's a good feeling.
"I've got a little more bite to me this year," he said.
Kirk, entering his third season with the Jaguars, spoke to the media following Day 5 of Jaguars '24 camp Monday. He discussed multiple storylines, with Head Coach Doug Pederson speaking before practice and praising how Kirk has started camp after missing the last five games of last regular season.
"Christian came back healthy," Pederson said of Kirk, who sustained a season-ending abdominal injury early in a Week 13 overtime loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. "He's been doing some really good things. It's been a good four days for him. Feels good, feels strong.
"Christian has done a nice job."
Kirk's return is a key storyline the Jaguars in '24 camp, just as his late-season absence helped define the '23 season. The Jaguars were 8-3 when Kirk sustained a first-quarter injury against the Bengals. With quarterback Trevor Lawrence also dealing with injuries through the final month and a half, the Jaguars lost five of their final six games and missed the postseason with a Week 18 loss at Tennessee.
The late-season absence and late-season collapse are defining Kirk's urgency as he prepares for his seventh NFL season, the first four of which he spent with the Arizona Cardinals.
"We can't wait," he said. "We can't wait for the opportunity to come to us. We've got to go take it. It's just coming out every single day with the vision of what we have for ourselves in mind and also what happened to us last year, having that bad taste in our mouth because what happened last year is unacceptable and it's not what we want to do here as a team and as an organization.
"It's really just having that chip on our shoulder and just taking that and using it in our day-to-day practice."
Kirk, after catching 84 passes for a team-leading 1,108 yards and eight touchdowns in 2022, caught 57 passes for 787 yards and three touchdowns in 2023 – and he said the injury-shortened nature of '23 has influenced his approach this season.
"I just appreciate being out on the field," he said. "I'm cherishing it even more the older I get. Every single rep that I'm out there, I try to make it my best because I just love the game so much and every time I get to step out there and play, it's always a dream come true to be able to do this."
The Jaguars this past offseason released wide receiver Zay Jones and allowed Calvin Ridley to sign with the Tennessee Titans as an unrestricted free agent, signing veteran wide receiver Gabe Davis as UFA and selecting wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. No. 23 overall in the 2024 Draft.
The speed and big-play ability of Thomas and Davis is expected to add a downfield element to the offense, with Kirk on Monday saying their size should help across the middle and on intermediate routes.
"When it comes to bringing in different wide receivers, especially for this system, everybody has to play everywhere," Kirk said. "I have to be able to go in the backfield, play outside as well, play inside, and same goes for Brian and Gabe. They'll be inside as well. They're both really smart players and I think that's the one thing that kind of sticks out.
"You can kind of put them everywhere and they're very diverse. I think our games complement each other well and we're just excited to keep developing them and their relationship with Trevor."
NOTABLE MOMENTS FROM JAGUARS TRAINING CAMP - DAY 5
Look for the running game to emerge as a focus of '24 camp this week with the first practice in pads scheduled for Tuesday. The Jaguars finished 30th in the NFL in rushing yards per carry in 2023, and improving as a short-yardage offense was an offseason priority. "We know we can improve there," Pederson said. "Once we get the pads on and we really start buckling down in that part of it, we'll see where we are. I like where we're headed, what I've seen so far in the first four days. Right now being in shorts, you can't get a lot done." Pederson said he expects second-year running back Tank Bigsby to have an expanded role compared to last season. "We definitely know we have to take a little bit off [starting running back] Travis [Etienne Jr.] and keep him healthy for the entire season. Tank's role can definitely increase, especially in short-yardage situations."
