Jags Day 14 training camp practice takeaways

The Jags’ first practice after their Week 1 preseason game was an interesting one as Gardner Minshew II still got to see snaps with the first team.

With their first preseason game against the Cleveland Browns behind them, the Jacksonville Jaguars re-took the field Monday to continue their path towards improvement. Saturday’s game proved that the team has significant strides to make on all three sides of the ball before taking the field Week 1 against the Houston Texans.

During Day 14’s session, the Jags let their quarterback competition continue between Trevor Lawrence and Gardner Minshew II, though many felt the rookie outshined the veteran on Saturday. However, it appears Jags coach Urban Meyer may not be ready to show his hand, or has a great deal of respect for Minshew.

Regardless, Monday marked another interesting day of practice, and here are some takeaways that the media was able to garner in addition to the continuation of the Jags’ quarterback competition:

Meyer not ready to name a QB1 yet

With the Jags continuing to switch out Minshew and Lawrence with the first-team, the Mississippi Mustache got to take a majority of the reps with the starters to the displeasure of many fans. According to Jamal St. Cyr of News4Jax, this didn’t stop Lawrence from outshining Minshew once again as the rookie pushed the ball down the field better.

Lawrence was able to link up with receiver Pharoh Cooper twice for a deep connection, which occurred once in 7-on-7s (for a touchdown) then later in 11-on-11s. He also was able to hit Cooper for a back-shoulder throw for a touchdown in 11-on-11s, too. Lawrence, unfortunately, ended practice by throwing a pick where there were four defenders in the area, but overall he distributed the ball well.

In 11-on-11’s, Minshew was able to hit Laviska Shenault Jr. up the sideline for a nice pass and also hit Collin Johnson for a touchdown where the young receiver made a nice adjustment. Minshew nearly threw a pick to Jarrod Wilson early in practice, but the veteran safety couldn’t hang on to it.

It’s unknown as to when the Jags could name a starter at quarterback, but Meyer did say there is a decent chance that Lawrence could start next Monday night against the New Orleans Saints.

Staff starts to take notice of young DB standouts

The Jags’ first selection in the 2020 NFL Draft, CJ Henderson, had an excellent game against the Browns. He was ultimately targeted four times but allowed just two catches for 15 yards while also registering a pass breakup and a tackle.

On Monday, he was given some reps with the first team, which is a good sign after he missed the start of camp and had to recover from labrum surgery this offseason. If he can continue his play throughout the preseason, he undoubtedly will be inserted into the starting lineup again where he will likely join Shaq Griffin and Tyson Campbell as the team’s top-3 corners.

The staff also gave rookie safety Andre Cisco some first-team reps after the solid game he had. Many have long believed he has the skills to be a starter as a first-year player, and he displayed it Saturday accumulating four tackles and a pass breakup.

Hopefully, this is the combination fans will get to see starting against the Saints as they could give teams a lot of issues. Of course, a lot will depend on the pass-rush but the combination of Henderson, Griffin, Cisco, Campbell, and Rayshawn Jenkins does feel like the most talented grouping on the roster.

Other tidbits

  • WR DJ Chark appears to be on his way back from finger surgery as he was spotted on the field with pads. He wasn’t catching passes, but seeing him working his way back is encouraging as the receiving corps missed him on Saturday.
  • Meyer met with the media before practice and spoke about the positives he saw Saturday. While he admitted he was disappointed with the tempo and vanilla play-calling, he said things are going to ramp up a bit heading forward.
  • Defensive coordinator Joe Cullen also met with the media to discuss what his thoughts were on the defense’s performance against the Browns. Shaq Quarterman, Chappelle Russell, Henderson, Cisco, and Campbell were some of the players he discussed directly.
  • Defensive lineman and outside linebacker Jihad Ward also met with the media. He discussed what Cullen is looking for in his scheme and elaborated on what has caused him to have such a positive mindset as a player.