Takeaways from Jags’ third day of padded practices: D.J. Chark flourishes, again

D.J. Chark has been playing out of his mind at training camp and once again couldn’t be stopped at practice Thursday.

After having Wednesday off, the Jacksonville Jaguars returned to the field Thursday for another padded practice. With a few members atop the secondary depth chart missing, the Jags’ offense had themselves a day working a lot on red-zone drills.

Here are some takeaways from Thursday’s practice:

D.J. Chark continues to be lights out

D.J. Chark’s name has been unavoidable at camp and that was especially the case Thursday though the secondary was missing starters Ronnie Harrison and C.J. Henderson. Several media members praised the third-year receiver for the day he had and it sounds like he’s veering towards a Camp MVP Award.

Chark found himself on the receiving end of multiple Gardner Minshew II touchdown passes Thursday, further strengthening their connection which seems to be getting stronger by the day. Below are two clips showcasing the day Chark had as he snagged a one-hander and caught a few touchdown passes Thursday.

There was another noteworthy clip that surfaced of Chark as he was running up the sideline with veteran Tramaine Brock tight in coverage. However, at the last moment Chark was able to showcase a burst of speed for separation, bringing the ball down for a touchdown. This is one of the many plays where his development has been on display this summer as the Pro Bowler has clearly put in a lot of offseason work.

Tight ends fared well, even without Josh Oliver

For the fans who are nervous about the loss of Josh Oliver, Thursday’s session provided some encouraging signs for the tight end position. During red-zone drills, Minshew utilized Tyler Eifert and his big frame well as News4Jax’s Jamal St. Cyr caught two touchdown connections between him and Minshew.

James O’Shaughnessy’s connection with Minshew also seemed to be re-establishing in Thursday’s practice as the two connected for a pair of touchdowns on the day.

Jags get a key pass-rusher back

After sustaining a hamstring injury earlier in the month, K’Lavon Chaisson returned to the field, and with the hits the Jags’ depth on the defensive line has taken, he was a welcomed addition.

With Yannick Ngakoue remaining out, Chaisson will be a key player to watch heading forward, because as we all know, having a pass-rush is everything for a defense.

Other notes and tidbits

  • As mentioned, both Henderson (illness, non-COVID-19 related) and Harrison (concussion protocol) were missing from the Jags’ secondary Thursday, which gave the team’s young defensive backs a good look.
  • Linebacker Myles Jack missed his second consecutive day as he also continues to deal with a non-COVID-19 related illness.
  • Sirius NFL Radio was in attendance (well, virtually) at Jags camp and spoke to several members of the organization, including Dave Caldwell, Josh Allen, and Gardner Minshew among notables.

  • The Jags activated two players from their Reserve/COVID-19 list Thursday in running back Ryquell Armstead and guard Tre’Vour Wallace-Simms. They now only have one player on the list in offensive tackle Ryan Pope.