The Jaguars’ offense came out firing in Jacksonville’s second and final joint practice with Tampa Bay on Thursday.
Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence uncorked a pair of deep passes to starting Jacksonville pass-catchers, rookie wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. and tight end Evan Engram, in the early session of team drills against the Buccaneers defense.
Jaguars Wire caught both pitch-and-catches on camera. Watch those clips below.
Trevor Lawrence goes DEEP to #Jaguars rookie WR Brian Thomas Jr. for a touchdown in team drills. Thomas burned #Bucs safety Tykee Smith. pic.twitter.com/Kr8Mnc3yrV
— Zach Goodall (@zach_goodall) August 15, 2024
Operating from the slot, Thomas released inside into a seam route and burned rookie Buccaneers defensive back Tykee Smith immediately upon shifting north.
Lawrence threw Thomas open by placing the pass inside and away from the defenders trailing the receiver, trusting the rookie would maintain his separation. Thomas did, and he tracked the ball in perfectly while between the hashes. He jogged into the end zone untouched from there.
Before the practice, Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson praised Thomas for his development throughout his debut training camp and preseason with the club.
In a fashion similar to his big practice catch Thursday, Thomas hauled in a deep pass from backup quarterback C.J. Beathard for the first in-game (albeit preseason) reception of his NFL career on Saturday, a 41-yard gain against Kansas City.
“He’s been doing a really nice job. It showed up a couple of plays in the game last week and then this week in practice,” Pederson said.
“He continues to grow, and just he and Trevor keep talking and working. That’s what’s going to take, you’re not going to be a finished product right away, but if he continues to improve and just learn with the offense, grow with the offense. But he’s been doing a really good job.”
Engram’s reception did not go as long as Thomas’, but he similarly had green grass ahead of him after finding an opening between Buccaneers safety Kaevon Merriweather and linebacker Lavonte David up the seam.
Lawrence dropped the pass right over David’s head and into Engram’s hands, about 30 yards down the field.
Here’s Lawrence’s seam shot to #Jaguars TE Evan Engram. Ball went over #Bucs LB Lavonte David’s head. pic.twitter.com/LqPIYpAbXP
— Zach Goodall (@zach_goodall) August 15, 2024
Kickoff between the Jaguars and Buccaneers is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, at Everbank Stadium in Jacksonville.
