JACKSONVILLE – He's in a good place – his best NFL place yet.

But while Evan Engram said that's true as Jaguars 2024 Training Camp moves into its first weekend at the Miller Electric Center, something else is just as true – and perhaps more important.

"There’s still room for improvement," he said.

Engram, the Jaguars' veteran tight end, spoke to the media Friday following a Day 3 practice at '24 camp. Among the topics: How the eighth-year veteran can improve on what was close to a franchise-record season and what by any measure was a career-best season.

His answer:

Add to an already productive game, which to Engram means becoming a more consistent downfield threat after emerging in recent seasons as one of the most reliable short- and medium-range receivers in the NFL.

"I definitely would love to get more opportunities that way," Engram said. "Honestly, it's a lot of work that needs to be done on my part. I have to show that I can do it. I have to prove that I can do it in practice and get on the same page with [quarterback] Trevor [Lawrence].

"There are some things that we have to work on there, so I have to go earn that. I think the way I work, the way I commit and with the great coaches and teammates I have, and the great offense that we're building, we're all going to get those opportunities."

Engram, who signed with the Jaguars as an unrestricted free agent in the 2022 offseason, caught 73 passes for 766 yards and four touchdowns in 2022 then signed a long-term extension the following offseason. He talked throughout the '24 offseason about wanting to make more plays downfield, reiterating that thought when speaking to the media Friday.

"I've been really having a lot of success underneath in the past couple of years," Engram said. "There's still room for improvement there and I'm going to continue to search for that as well. But I obviously hope, this year, for some more opportunities downfield, get more vertical. Really whatever this team needs me to do, I want to maximize that role as best as I can.

"We're all going to be able to eat off those opportunities. As long as I continue to put the work in and seek improvement in there, I think the opportunities will come, and I have to cash in."

Engram's 114 receptions last season were two shy of wide receiver Jimmy Smith's 116 yards in 1999. Engram finished that season with 963 yards and four touchdowns receiving, continuing to emerge as a leader after spending his first five seasons with the New York Giants.

"To be one of the leaders and a guy looked to for leadership, accountability, setting an example … I don't take it lightly," he said. "I don't take it for granted. It's a great situation to be in."

Added Engram, "We see ourselves as a really, really good team. The way we work and the way we see ourselves is a team that should not be slept on, but we've got to go prove that. At the end of the day, we're going to get an opportunity every Sunday, we're going to go out there and compete, and we've got to cash in on those ops. Our success is going to be determined on how we work this camp, and how we better each other this camp, how we attack every single day."

NOTABLE MOMENTS FROM JAGUARS TRAINING CAMP - DAY 3

• Jaguars offensive coordinator Press Taylor on Friday discussed rookie wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr., the No. 23 overall selection in the 2024 NFL Draft. Taylor praised how Thomas has adjusted early in camp. "He's handled things really well," Taylor said. "He has retained a lot of information that we talked through the summer, through the offseason and carried over very well. The value he's going to bring, we expect it to show up in the red zone. We expect him to show up in all aspects of our offense as well."
• Taylor on Friday also praised two second-year veterans, tight end Brenton Strange and running back Tank Bigsby, for their progress early in training camp. Strange, a second-round selection in the 2023 NFL Draft, caught five passes for 35 yards and one touchdown last season. Bigsby, a '23 third-round selection, rushed for 132 yards and one touchdown on 50 carries last season. "There's just a confidence with those guys of understanding what's being asked of them every single day, what meetings look like, what individual periods look like, what each scheme looks like as we go," Taylor said. "Now they know, 'Hey, why'd you do this?' 'I did this because I saw this.' They give you great feedback in why they make the decisions they make."