JACKSONVILLE – The Jaguars held Day 7 of 2022 Organized Team Activities Monday.
The team is scheduled to hold three more such non-padded, non-contact practices inside TIAA Bank Field this week followed by a three-day mandatory minicamp next week. The minicamp will conclude Phase 3 of the offseason program, with teams able to hold 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills.
Here are Monday's "campservations" from three members of Jaguars Media – senior writer John Oehser, senior reporter/editor J.P. Shadrick and team reporter Ashlyn Sullivan:
Jaguars Senior Writer John Oehser…
Jaguars OTAs Day 7 was notable for the wrong reasons, with second-year defensive end/linebacker Jordan Smith and backup quarterback C.J. Beathard leaving practice after sustaining injuries. Smith appeared to sustain a knee injury midway through practice. Beathard, a sixth-year veteran, sustained an injury on what became the final play of practice and left the field on a cart. Aside from those plays, the practice – held under gray skies with occasional rain – had a similar feel to the other two open OTA practice in recent weeks with the defensive front pressuring quarterback Trevor Lawrence – pressure Lawrence said is expected given the non-contact, unpadded nature of offseason practice. Veteran cornerback Shaq Griffin intercepted Lawrence late in practice, a play on which Lawrence threw short after what he said may have been a sack had the play been live. Lawrence also on Monday appeared to continue to develop good chemistry with veteran tight end Evan Engram, with the two connecting multiple times throughout practice – including a nice touchdown in traffic in red-zone session late in practice.
"He runs like a receiver," Lawrence said. "Just having that matchup is going to be great for us. Safety, linebacker … whoever's going to have to cover him, it's going to be tough."
Jaguars Senior Reporter/Editor J.P. Shadrick…
It looked at first glance like the defense held its own Monday in team drills. Still, this offense is going to be fun to watch once it gets everything in control. The matchup options with wide receiver Christian Kirk and Engram – the ability for them and others to line up in different spots in the formation – will come in handy. It's up to the quarterback to execute those matchups and keep the offense moving. An NFL officiating crew was at practice Monday led by referee Alex Kemp, giving players a feel of what could be called in game situations – especially in the secondary and on the edges. Unfortunately, we saw a couple players go down with injuries Monday; Smith was assisted off the field midway through practice and Beathard was carted off during goal-line drills near the end of practice. Pederson wrapped practice after the Beathard injury. The team is not expected to provide any more official statements about the status of either player.
Jaguars Team Reporter Ashlyn Sullivan…
Sadly, the biggest highlight from Monday's OTA were the injuries – both Smith and Beathard going down with what appeared to be knee injuries. You hate to see that this time of year, especially when there is no contact and no pads; it's just the unfortunate part of this game. The defensive line had another great day. I have written that in every Campservation in recent weeks, but that shows how much improved this front seven is. Defensive lineman Roy Robertson-Harris is having a fantastic offseason; his pressure is noticeable on every play. Lawrence has noticed that as well, with Robertson-Harris in his face multiple plays.
"He's had a great offseason," Lawrence said of Robertson-Harris. "He's huge and he looks really good. I thought he started to pick it up a lot. Toward the end of the year (last season), I thought he started to play well. This whole spring, he has played really well." While I am hesitant to continue to applaud the defense with no pads on, there is something to be said about how fast the unit has played during OTAs.
