JACKSONVILLE – The heat returned and the pads stayed on.

The Jaguars on Wednesday morning practiced for the seventh time in 2024 Training Camp at the Miller Electric Center, and this day continued the more intense feel of recent days.

This was the second consecutive day in pads – and all that entails.

"It amps it up a little bit," offensive coordinator Press Taylor said.

Taylor, in his third season as the Jaguars' offensive coordinator, spoke to the media before Day 7 practice Wednesday. It was a two-hour, 45-minute practice in pads a day after the official end of the NFL's acclimation period to start '24 training camp.

Running back Travis Etienne Jr. spoke after the session, which took place in 89-degree temperatures and featured team, lineman-on-lineman, one-on-one pass rush and red-zone work.

"I feel like it's a lot better because I feel like the defense is always physical," Etienne said. "They're over-physical whenever you don't have pads. When you do have pads, it's able to just define a lot more for you.

"I maybe like to deliver a little blow, and it not even just a tag on me and say I'm down. They really have got to kind of wrap up and really just try to bring me to the ground."

Taylor said the reality remains that in the modern NFL, practices – even full-contact training camp practices – aren't quite "game intensity."

"I wouldn't say 'real,'" he said. "'Real' is full-go, tackle to the ground, everything's in play. That's not necessarily something we're going to do. Even when we have our live periods, it's still Jags on Jags. We tell our guys, 'It's competitive, but it's not combative.' We're not going to take blowup shots on our guys. They're not going to do it to our guys.

"There's still an element - that's what's going to happen come September Week 1 when it all it all starts up, but there's certainly another intensity and that's what you want to see from both sides as it gets going with pads on."

Taylor, too, discussed the value of the coming weeks – weeks that represent the first padded work for all players since the end of the previous season – for the offensive line.

"I think you gain more information," Taylor said. "You're starting to establish an identity at least of who you want to be and what you hope to see. All we hope throughout camp is that every day, we're improving on the things we try to try to put our intentions towards. There's a goal every single day, whether it's the type of period we had, the situations we script in it, the plays we're trying to run, the looks we're trying to see from the defense, anything like that.

"We just want to continue to grow in that, then you see your individual period carry over to, you know, the half-pod groups to the team reps and see if that grows every day."

Here's a look at Wednesday's practice:

PLAY OF THE DAY

Second-year wide receiver Elijah Cooks had a strong catch over cornerback Montaric Brown in one-on-one work, then followed that with a touchdown reception from backup quarterback Mac Jones in 11-on-11 red-zone work later in practice. Cooks continues a strong few days in padded practice.

STANDING OUT

• Quarterback Trevor Lawrence continued a strong week of practice Tuesday, completing 14 of 17 passes across 11-on-11 and seven-on-seven work. He had a touchdown pass to Etienne in seven on seven and a touchdown pass to running back Tank Bigsby in 11-on-11. Lawrence for the week has not thrown an interception and has completed 42 of 52 passes for eight touchdowns, with six of those touchdowns coming in Tuesday's practice.
• Wednesday was the longest day of camp to day. It also featured the first "skirmishes" of '24 camp, with fourth-year tackle Walker Little and linebacker D.J. Coleman engaging in an early 11-on-11 drills, and rookie defensive lineman Maason Smith and veteran left tackle Cam Robinson getting involved a few plays later. This was comparatively low-key, with no after effects and quick resolution.

INJURY WATCH

Seven players missed Day 7 Jaguars '24 camp practice:

• Running back Keilan Robinson (toe)
• Offensive lineman Cooper Hodges (back)
• Rookie offensive lineman Steven Jones (calf)
• Defensive lineman Adam Gotsis (stinger, precautionary)
• Rookie defensive lineman Jordan Jefferson (ankle)
• Safety Andrew Wingard (knee)

Defensive lineman Arik Armstead (knee) remains on the physically unable to perform list to start camp.