JACKSONVILLE – The pads came on, at last.
That was the major story on Day 6 of Jaguars 2021 Training Camp – and little else came close as the team worked for about two hours, twenty minutes on a cloud-covered morning at the Dream Finders Homes Practice Complex.
It was the first padded practice of Jaguars '21 training camp.
"It was good," wide receiver Marvin Jones Jr. said. "We got after it. It was physical. We got after it before, but it's always good to have pads to see who really has it or not."
The Jaguars went heavy on special teams – "special forces" as it is known under Head Coach Urban Meyer – with multiple periods devoted there Tuesday. The team broke off early into tackling drills and also held a session of 9-on-7 work – a tackling-based, run-oriented drill not run in non-padded work.
"Just get that first hit out of the way," Jaguars linebacker Damien Wilson said. "Just run in there, smack something and get that first hit out of the way – see how it feels. Just get back to it and get acclimated to it.
"We had some hitting, but I think guys are finding their sea legs and getting back into the flow of things."
Said Jones, "A lot of times, once you have pads there's an adjustment period. There are different things you have to do as a receiver to get adjusted. Once you get a couple of reps, you get adjusted. I think that's the same for every position."
Temperatures reached just 79 degrees Tuesday, making it the coolest of the six days of camp thus far.
After fans attended practice last Thursday through Saturday, Tuesday was the second of three consecutive days to be closed to fans. The Jaguars will hold the final three open practices of '21 camp Friday-Sunday.
Jaguars offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell spoke to the media Tuesday following practice, as did Jones Jr. and Wilson. Coverage of those availabilities can be seen on Jaguas Media channels and jaguars.com later Tuesday.
The Jaguars are scheduled to practice Wednesday at 9:45 a.m.
Here's a look at Tuesday's practice:
PLAY OF THE DAY
Rookie quarterback Trevor Lawrence, a day after throwing two interceptions early in practice, had a solid day Tuesday – a day that appeared to feature more run-oriented and special teams work and a bit less pass-oriented work than some of the earlier, non-padded practices. Lawrence had the most memorable play of the day – a beautiful 25-yard throw down the seam to wide receiver Marvin Jones, who beat safeties Andrew Wingard and Josh Jones on the play for what would have been a long touchdown. Lawrence also had a nice touch throw on a 25-yard pass to wide receiver Laviska Shenault Jr. just before the pass to Jones. …
STANDING OUT
*Lawrence avoided pressure and found wide receiver Laquon Treadwell for long gain in team work midway through the hitting portion of practice. …
*Kicker Josh Lambo converted five of five field goals from long range late in practice. …
*Running back Travis Etienne turned a screen pass into a long gain in team work. …
*Quarterback Gardner Minshew II had a nice 18-yard pass to Shenault in early team work. …
*Defensive lineman Daniel Ross had a pass defensed off a pass by Minshew in team work. …
*Defensive linemen Roy Robertson-Harris and Jay Tufele and linebacker/defensive end K'Lavon Chaisson all had line-of-scrimmage tackles on running backs in 9-on-7. …
*Chaisson and rookie tackle Walker Little had some good matchups in pass-rush, with Chaisson beating Little early in the drill with a nice inside move. Chaisson also beat left tackle Cam Robinson early in the drill. …
*Center/guard Tyler Shatley was solid throughout the day in one-on-one pass rush …
*Defensive end Josh Allen looked good and got consistent pressure in one-on-one pass rush. …
*Running backs Nathan Cottrell and Devine Ozigbo both had nice runs late in 9-on-7. …
*Running back James Robinson got loose for a long run in a team drill late in practice. …
*Wide receiver Collin Johnson caught a 15-yard pass from quarterback Jake Luton and second-year safety Daniel Thomas defended a pass from Minshew to tight end Tyler Davis midway through practice. …
NOTABLE
*Clemson Head Coach Dabo Swinney attended Jaguars practice Tuesday morning. Swinney coached Lawrence and Etienne in college. …
*Defensive tackle Taven Bryan and linebacker Dylan Moses remained on the active non-football injury list.
*The Jaguars removed cornerback Chris Claybrooks and safety Jarrod Wilson from the COVID-19 reserve list. Cornerback CJ Henderson and quarterback C.J. Beathard remain on the list. …
