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BOUNCE BACK FOR BTJ?! · Duval Daily: A Jacksonville Jaguars Podcast

• 0:00
  [SPEAKER_00]: Jacksonville Jack Wars fans welcome in to do wall daily presented by jing Jack.com.
• 0:03
  [SPEAKER_00]: I'm Jordan allure thanks so much for being here Tuesday February 24th right now we're talking more about Brian Thomas Jr. he's been a hot topic you know this off season and really
• 0:14
  [SPEAKER_00]: Ever since things just started not going very well for him in 2025, all the way back into training camp, I mean, it was a slow start in training camp.
• 0:24
  [SPEAKER_00]: I kind of was just riding that off as, you know, he didn't do great in training camp the year before until they got the joint practices going with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, everybody kind of realized how much of freaked this guy is.
• 0:40
  [SPEAKER_00]: I just said, I'm not worried about it, but it did carry over, it carried over into preseason and the regular season and things just weren't going as well for Brian Thomas Jr. is anyone expected including the Jaguar's coaching staff and Brian Thomas Jr.
• 0:53
  [SPEAKER_00]: But I think there was a number of things that kind of led to that.
• 0:58
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think that similar to a lot of the players on the Jaguar's offense,
• 1:03
  [SPEAKER_00]: He was challenged in a way mentally and physically that he just hasn't been in the past.
• 1:09
  [SPEAKER_00]: This is a more complex offense than he has been in.
• 1:14
  [SPEAKER_00]: And an offense that was asking him to do more from a physical standpoint, blocking going over the middle
• 1:22
  [SPEAKER_00]: and things of that nature that it just did not start well.
• 1:26
  [SPEAKER_00]: And then you also had the fact that he's dealing with different little injuries here and there.
• 1:30
  [SPEAKER_00]: And it's all leading to a disappointing beginning to the 2025 season for Brian Thomas Jr.
• 1:38
  [SPEAKER_00]: But I think the upside is still absolutely there.
• 1:42
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think that the Jaguar's belief in him is still there.
• 1:53
  [SPEAKER_00]: More so by the lack of effort at times early in the season, specifically going back to that Cincinnati Bengals game, where it looked like he just was not giving Trevor Lawrence the effort that the quarterback needs to succeed and costing the Jaguars a football game.
• 2:12
  [SPEAKER_00]: But...
• 2:13
  [SPEAKER_00]: After he came back from his injury, he was out for several weeks with an injury.
• 2:18
  [SPEAKER_00]: After he came back, week 13, week 13, through 18, his play seemed more comfortable, more confident.
• 2:26
  [SPEAKER_00]: And even during the stretch earlier in the season when he was playing and not playing it as best, there were still moments, there were still games where you're like, okay, that's your guy.
• 2:34
  [SPEAKER_00]: I mean, he had the huge slant that picked up a massive first down the health of Jaguar as beat the Texans.
• 2:41
  [SPEAKER_00]: Big play down the field against the Kansas City Chiefs late in the game to help the Jaguars win that game.
• 2:46
  [SPEAKER_00]: He had a big receiving day against the Seattle Seahawks as well.
• 2:50
  [SPEAKER_00]: They didn't win that game, but he had a big game.
• 2:52
  [SPEAKER_00]: So there was these moments that you still felt like, okay, it's still there for Brian Thomas Jr.
• 2:58
  [SPEAKER_00]: But...
• 2:59
  [SPEAKER_00]: Overall it just was a disappointing start to the season.
• 3:03
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think he finished the season much stronger I really do weeks 13 through 18.
• 3:08
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think that you saw a player who was operating more on the vertical plane on the outside Jaguar's using him in a way that suited his skill set a little bit better and
• 3:21
  [SPEAKER_00]: They were able to do that because of the emergence of Parker Washington, the addition of Jacobi Myers, Britain's strange also coming back and being fully healthy, and so you're able to use BTJ as this vertical threat, and I think that that is the path for BTJ and for the Jaguar is moving forward.
• 3:38
  [SPEAKER_00]: And I don't think he's gonna be traded.
• 3:40
  [SPEAKER_00]: I don't think the Jaguar is gonna trade him, even though every article you look at like the bold prediction for the Jaguar's off season, it's trading Brian Thomas Jr. No matter where you look, I've seen it on like every big website.
• 3:51
  [SPEAKER_00]: Everybody's talking about the Jaguar's trading BTJ.
• 3:54
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think they keep BTJ and they have a potential star vertical threat receiver on their hands.
• 4:00
  [SPEAKER_00]: If he can get more comfortable mentally in this offense,
• 4:04
  [SPEAKER_00]: While the Jaguars continue to utilize him much more on the vertical plane, I think they're in good shape.
• 4:12
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think there's certain crossing routes that you can start getting back into his game.
• 4:17
  [SPEAKER_00]: You know, a shallow cross, I think, you know, you can execute a little bit there.
• 4:23
  [SPEAKER_00]: He's just got to understand like if he's playing against man or his own coverage there and how where he needs to sit down, where he needs to be comfortable.
• 4:34
  [SPEAKER_00]: the deep overs can be there.
• 4:36
  [SPEAKER_00]: I'd be a little bit more cautious about the digs because you're just a lot of times you're going to get hit.
• 4:42
  [SPEAKER_00]: I mean, the ones where you are throwing him into contact is what I would try to avoid.
• 4:47
  [SPEAKER_00]: And I think you can avoid that a little bit because, again, his role in the offense can be as that primary vertical receiver and you can have Jacoby Myers.
• 4:57
  [SPEAKER_00]: doing the dirty work routes because he's all about it.
• 4:59
  [SPEAKER_00]: You're gonna have Parker Washington doing the dirty work routes because he's all about it.
• 5:02
  [SPEAKER_00]: Britain's strange, et cetera, right?
• 5:05
  [SPEAKER_00]: You've got to utilize this skill set that you have that can be game-changing.
• 5:09
  [SPEAKER_00]: And even when he wasn't operating at his best, he was still a game-changer because of the attention that he commands.
• 5:16
  [SPEAKER_00]: Teams, even though he was not operating at his best last year, were still respecting him as the number one receiver for the Jaguars putting their top corner on him and he spreads the field for you and opens up things for everybody else, even when he's not operating at his best.
• 5:30
  [SPEAKER_00]: But again, I think
• 5:32
  [SPEAKER_00]: down the stretch weeks 13 through 18 when he was healthy and and playing for the Jaguars.
• 5:37
  [SPEAKER_00]: It wasn't like unbelievable, but it was good.
• 5:41
  [SPEAKER_00]: It was better.
• 5:42
  [SPEAKER_00]: He caught 62 percent of his targets.
• 5:44
  [SPEAKER_00]: He only had one drop during that time period.
• 5:48
  [SPEAKER_00]: His drop rate, you know, dramatically improved.
• 5:51
  [SPEAKER_00]: 18 catches on 29 targets.
• 5:52
  [SPEAKER_00]: That's 62 percent.
• 5:53
  [SPEAKER_00]: Is that great?
• 5:54
  [SPEAKER_00]: No.
• 5:55
  [SPEAKER_00]: But he was averaging 15.9 yards per catch over that span.
• 6:00
  [SPEAKER_00]: Like the numbers were up.
• 6:02
  [SPEAKER_00]: The efficiency was up.
• 6:05
  [SPEAKER_00]: The efficiency and the explosiveness were both up.
• 6:08
  [SPEAKER_00]: So I think that you have a potential receiver here that could be like a 50 to 60 catch guy for you in 20, 20, 26 here.
• 6:18
  [SPEAKER_00]: Maybe even more than that.
• 6:20
  [SPEAKER_00]: 800 to 1,000 yards, 800 and 900 yards.
• 6:24
  [SPEAKER_00]: Several touchdowns.
• 6:25
  [SPEAKER_00]: I mean, Brian Thomas Jr. in Trevor Lawrence
• 6:30
  [SPEAKER_00]: at least three or four, maybe five deep, deep place that like Trevor just missed or BTJ just missed.
• 6:39
  [SPEAKER_00]: There's an opportunity there for, you know, we talk about variance, we talk about regression to the mean.
• 6:47
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think on average, they probably hit two or three more of those on a given year and some things look different, right?
• 6:55
  [SPEAKER_00]: Some things like there's more touchdowns, there's more big plays, the average yards per catch is up there.
• 7:00
  [SPEAKER_00]: So I think that there really is an opportunity.
• 7:04
  [SPEAKER_00]: for him to be a much more impactful player.
• 7:08
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think he knows that, I think the Jaguars know that.
• 7:11
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think they know that their best path forward is having him being that explosive vertical threat receiver, Parker Washington and Jacobi Myers being doing all receivers and Britain strange as well.
• 7:24
  [SPEAKER_00]: That's what I see.
• 7:26
  [SPEAKER_00]: I can be totally wrong, right?
• 7:28
  [SPEAKER_00]: I can be totally wrong on that.
• 7:29
  [SPEAKER_00]: But he was one of the more explosive receivers down the stretch in terms of average yards per catch in the NFL.
• 7:40
  [SPEAKER_00]: He was top 15 in yards per catch over the final week 13 through 18, 15.9 yards per catch.
• 7:49
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think rolling with him, getting him confident, is the best possible outcome for the highest
• 7:58
  [SPEAKER_00]: ceiling possible outcome is getting him comfortable getting him going because if you have four receivers, which that's basically what they had at the end of the season that four receivers they can get excited about with again Jacobi Parker Washington, B.T.J.
• 8:14
  [SPEAKER_00]: and Britain Strange and then if you
• 8:16
  [SPEAKER_00]: Add maybe one more guy who you feel really good about at tight end, which is what I would like to see the Jaguars be able to go to that 12 and 13 personnel more and be more dangerous out of those looks.
• 8:28
  [SPEAKER_00]: I would love to see that.
• 8:30
  [SPEAKER_00]: Add somebody like that in the draft.
• 8:34
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think you could be cooking.
• 8:35
  [SPEAKER_00]: I really do.
• 8:35
  [SPEAKER_00]: And then you combine that with everybody's more comfortable having more time together, more time within this offense, especially for Trevor Lawrence.
• 8:45
  [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
• 8:46
  [SPEAKER_00]: That's where I'm at.
• 8:47
  [SPEAKER_00]: Let me know what you're thinking about BTJ in the comment section below again.
• 8:51
  [SPEAKER_00]: I just bring this up because it seems like every week there's a new article about the Jaguar's potentially trading brand Thomas Jr. Everything the Jaguar's have said about BTJ kind of makes me feel the same way as I felt last year with everybody talking about the Jaguar's trading travesty TN last year.
• 9:09
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think they're going to make the most of BTJ in 2026 having the understanding of what his skill set is more now and him having a better understanding both mentally and physically of the offense.
• 9:24
  [SPEAKER_00]: I really appreciate y'all tuning in.
• 9:25
  [SPEAKER_00]: If you enjoy the content, please like and subscribe, y'all have a good one.