Good morning!
Here is today’s roundup of the latest news, rumors, and analysis on your Jacksonville Jaguars.
Jaguars Training Camp 2024: Dates, Tickets, FAQ (Big Cat Country)
Similar to past training camps, be sure to reserve your free tickets with parking passes for each of your preferred dates, as the MEC stadiums hold approximately 2,000 attendees. The practice reservations are free but limited to four tickets per family. Anyone planning to attend any of the practices should be sure to reserve their tickets while they can, as practices have historically sold out quickly. Tickets are available here.
They’re here! Jaguars officially drop throwback uniforms (Big Cat Country)
“Everywhere I go and from every comment I read, it’s apparent our fans are longing to see Jaguars’ players in throwback uniforms,” Jaguars President Mark Lamping said in a statement. “That persistence paid off and our uniforms reminiscent of the team’s early years are back by popular demand – just in time for the 30th season and, in particular, the Pride of the Jaguars induction of our inaugural head coach, Tom Coughlin.”
Jaguars Announce New Additions and Promotions to Personnel Staff Ahead of 2024 Season (Jaguars.com)
Tom Gamble was hired as senior personnel executive; Chris Ash as a pro scout; Corey Peters and Josh Scobey as college scouts; Mimi Bolden-Morris, Austin Leake and Max Rosenthal as scouting assistants; Tara Goolsby as player finance and football administration assistant; and Savannah Reier as manager of player and personnel relations.
Health and Consistency Are Top of Mind for Jaguars Improving in the 2024 Season (Jaguars.com)
The key to improving in 2024 could simply be staying healthy, but I’m going to say be better at home. I think how disappointing the Jaguars played in front of the home crowd is a forgotten part of 2023. The formula to winning in the NFL is play well at home and play well against your division. The Jags lost home games in primetime in December against Cincy and Baltimore. Good teams don’t do that. The Jaguars need to be better in the 904 if they want to make the playoffs.
New Orleans Saints Sign Former Jacksonville Jaguars WR Kevin Austin (Jaguars on SI)
Austin, who flashed big play ability during training camp practices and preseason games with the Jaguars in 2022 and 2023, could end up being an undrafted success story yet, for both the Jaguars, the Saints and the UFL. Now, Austin will have a chance to enter training camp and fight for a spot.
Ex-Jacksonville Defender Yannick Ngakoue Tries Out For Jaguars’ Week 1 Opponent (Jaguars on SI)
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Ngakoue is one of two pass-rushers trying out for the Dolphins after Barrett’s announcement. Emmanuel Ogbah is the other.
Jacksonville Jaguars storylines: Trevor Lawrence among hot topics before training camp (Times-Union)
Last season, Lawrence completed 65.6% of his passes for 4,016 yards, 21 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. He played 16 games, missing one game due to injury while playing through several other injuries to end the year. His health will be an afterthought after rehabbing at the start of the offseason, but it’ll be something to monitor as camp and the season progresses.
Lawrence led the way with inconsistency at times, completing less than 60% of his passes in five games, most of which came during the tail end of the year when he played through various injuries. Still, the blame can’t be placed squarely on his shoulders with injuries to the offensive line and skill positions creating an off-balance approach to the game.
2024 NFL record projections: Chiefs rule regular season, but is three-peat ahead? (USA Today)
They [Jacksonville] spent big bucks in free agency and might’ve gotten a gem in first-round WR Brian Thomas Jr. But if newly minted QB Trevor Lawrence and WR Christian Kirk are fully healthy, and key youngsters (Lawrence, LB Devin Lloyd, OLB Travon Walker and OT Anton Harrison among them) continue to develop, a club coming off dissimilar 9-8 campaigns – ending with a surge in 2022 and flameout in 2023 – could be back in the playoff mix.
They seemed so, so close to establishing themselves as a conference power early in 2023, but a rash of missteps coincided with the Texans’ rapid ascension. Are they still a team that makes too many unforced errors on offense, or was that just a sign of a group that wasn’t truly ready to make the leap? Or was it as simple as Trevor Lawrence’s inability to lift his supporting cast while trying to play through a handful of challenging injuries? If Lawrence stays healthy and the defensive changes yield improvements, the Jaguars should challenge the Texans for the division title. Otherwise, ceding AFC South control after a brief taste of success will be tough to swallow for a fan base that’s been starved for annual consistency. More than that, the wild-card chase in the AFC is expected to be brutal, so a drop into that pool makes it challenging to return to the playoffs.
NFL training camp 2024: One player to watch for every team (PFF)
The 22-year-old [Anton Harrison] ended his first season with a mediocre 53.0 PFF overall grade, including a 45.8 run-blocking grade — the second-worst mark among tackles with 1,000 or more snaps. There were some encouraging signs, though, especially in pass protection. Harrison’s 81.4 pass-blocking grade over his final three games ranked eighth at the position.
2024 NFL Future Power Rankings: Projections for all 32 teams (ESPN)
Rookie wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. ranked second in my Playmaker Score projections before this year’s draft. He scored 17 touchdowns last season, giving him scores on 4.1% of his team pass attempts. No other receiver in the class was above 3.5%. And Thomas did this despite having to share the targets with Malik Nabers at LSU.
Jacksonville Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence cracks NFL Top 100 for 2024 season (Times-Union)
On Monday, the NFL revealed players ranked between 100-81, with Lawrence coming in at No. 94 after being placed two spots lower at No. 96 last year. It is Lawrence’s second time making the NFL Top 100 list since being drafted first overall in the 2021 NFL Draft.
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