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Expectations are high for Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. as he looks to bounce back from a down sophomore season.
Thomas had an incredible rookie season, racking up almost 1,300 yards in 2024, but he took a step backward in 2025, with only 707 receiving yards during the regular season.
Part of the issue was that the Liam Coen offense doesn't necessarily rely heavily on having a true WR1, rather, the ball is spread around. Parker Washington would go on to have a breakout season, and the addition of Jakobi Meyers likewise strengthened the Jacksonville offense.
That diminished Thomas' opportunities, but it wasn't the only issue; he also struggled with dropped passes and caught just 49% of his targets.
There were widespread rumors that Jacksonville was looking to trade Thomas this offseason, but not only was that not true, but head coach Liam Coen has also remained insistent that he has confidence in his veteran receiver. And in a new interview, Thomas spoke about his goals for the season and what he has been working on during OTAs.
A major focus as training begins has been re-establishing the chemistry between Thomas and quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
"It's getting better and better each and every day," Thomas said. "We're just coming out here each and every day, putting our best foot forward, doing the little things that it takes to be better, growing that chemistry, getting a lot of work in before and after practice, during practice. And talking through it. Talking through it a lot is really the main thing. Being able to talk it through, talk through routes, seeing how I'll see it, seeing how he sees it, seeing how he likes it, how his footwork times up with the routes, just a lot of little things like that [are] just gonna make us better throughout the season."
He also acknowledged how important chemistry between the quarterback and receiver positions are.
"All the great quarterbacks and wide receivers, they had a great chemistry," he said. "Just, the quarterback knowing where the wide receiver is gonna be at certain times and at certain points, and that he can rely on him and trust him to go be there at a certain time when he needs him to be there. I feel like that plays a big role in it, and I feel like that's a big factor in taking the next step for our offense."
Throughout the offseason, there have been numerous comments from the team about Thomas, and they largely have expressed confidence in him and what he will be able to accomplish in 2026.
"It gives me a lot of confidence, gives me confidence they still have faith in me," Thomas said. "They still know what I can do and what I can bring to the table."
Coen also, in a recent interview, pointed out that it says a lot about just how good Thomas is that a 700-yard season was considered a regression for him.
"It shows that people know what I'm capable of doing," Thomas said. "People know what I can do, and I just got to come out and do that. That's really it: just come out and do that, come out and be the best that I can be, keep holding myself to a higher standard, and just being the best."
This article originally appeared on Jaguars Wire: Jaguars' Brian Thomas Jr. focused on chemistry, growth entering 2026
Continue reading...
Thomas had an incredible rookie season, racking up almost 1,300 yards in 2024, but he took a step backward in 2025, with only 707 receiving yards during the regular season.
Part of the issue was that the Liam Coen offense doesn't necessarily rely heavily on having a true WR1, rather, the ball is spread around. Parker Washington would go on to have a breakout season, and the addition of Jakobi Meyers likewise strengthened the Jacksonville offense.
That diminished Thomas' opportunities, but it wasn't the only issue; he also struggled with dropped passes and caught just 49% of his targets.
There were widespread rumors that Jacksonville was looking to trade Thomas this offseason, but not only was that not true, but head coach Liam Coen has also remained insistent that he has confidence in his veteran receiver. And in a new interview, Thomas spoke about his goals for the season and what he has been working on during OTAs.
A major focus as training begins has been re-establishing the chemistry between Thomas and quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
"It's getting better and better each and every day," Thomas said. "We're just coming out here each and every day, putting our best foot forward, doing the little things that it takes to be better, growing that chemistry, getting a lot of work in before and after practice, during practice. And talking through it. Talking through it a lot is really the main thing. Being able to talk it through, talk through routes, seeing how I'll see it, seeing how he sees it, seeing how he likes it, how his footwork times up with the routes, just a lot of little things like that [are] just gonna make us better throughout the season."
He also acknowledged how important chemistry between the quarterback and receiver positions are.
"All the great quarterbacks and wide receivers, they had a great chemistry," he said. "Just, the quarterback knowing where the wide receiver is gonna be at certain times and at certain points, and that he can rely on him and trust him to go be there at a certain time when he needs him to be there. I feel like that plays a big role in it, and I feel like that's a big factor in taking the next step for our offense."
Throughout the offseason, there have been numerous comments from the team about Thomas, and they largely have expressed confidence in him and what he will be able to accomplish in 2026.
"It gives me a lot of confidence, gives me confidence they still have faith in me," Thomas said. "They still know what I can do and what I can bring to the table."
Coen also, in a recent interview, pointed out that it says a lot about just how good Thomas is that a 700-yard season was considered a regression for him.
"It shows that people know what I'm capable of doing," Thomas said. "People know what I can do, and I just got to come out and do that. That's really it: just come out and do that, come out and be the best that I can be, keep holding myself to a higher standard, and just being the best."
This article originally appeared on Jaguars Wire: Jaguars' Brian Thomas Jr. focused on chemistry, growth entering 2026
Continue reading...
