2022 Jaguars training camp: 5 takeaways from Day 7

The Jacksonville Jaguars took the practice field at Episcopal School of Jacksonville for their second fully-padded practice Monday. Just like Sunday,  it marked another intense day between the offense and defense, but in the end, it felt like both units put together balanced performances.

As for the coaching staff, it was Press Taylor who met with the media before practice to discuss some things before Thursday’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders. Unfortunately for fans, revealing the snap parameters for the offense wasn’t among those topics as he more so stuck to what he’s seen in training camp.

All of that said, here are the takeaways we garnered from Day 7 as the Jags took the field for their second week of camp on Monday:

Lawrence has another good day

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) looks on during day 7 of the Jaguars Training Camp Sunday, July 31, 2022 at the Knight Sports Complex at Episcopal School of Jacksonville. Today marked the first practice in full pads. [Florida Times Union]

Similar to Sunday, Monday’s practice session somewhat had a back and forth feel to it when it came to the offense and defense. However, Lawrence was behind some of the highlight moments for the offense, including throws to Evan Engram and Christian Kirk that many feels could be two of the top throws in camp.

The highlight throw to Engram came as Lawrence was being pressured by outside linebacker Travon Walker and several other defenders. Despite that, Lawrence was able to remain poised and hit Engram in the back of the end zone as three defenders were near the veteran tight end.

As for the throw to Kirk, it was one where Lawrence hit him in the back of the end zone and allowed him to get both feet down. While it’s worth noting he had a good amount of time in the pocket, which possibly could’ve led to a sack, the throw was a beautiful one.

Overall, Lawrence finished the day 18-of-23 with seven touchdowns and a pick (which actually would’ve resulted in a sack instead), according to Gen Jags reporter Jordan de Lugo. That’s not too bad when considering it was a day heavily involving red zone work, something the team struggled with on Saturday.

James Robinson briefly participated in route drills with the offense

Jacksonville Jaguars running back James Robinson (25) was in uniform and doing light drills at Monday morning’s training camp session. The Jacksonville Jaguars held their first day of training camp Monday, July 25, 2022, at the Episcopal School of Jacksonville Knight Campus practice fields on Atlantic Blvd. [Florida Times-Union]

Running back James Robinson is making progress daily from his Achilles injury that occurred in December and started this week by taking the field for a few reps to run some routes with the offense. While it was on a limited basis, that’s still huge for the young running back as he’s progressing well in terms of being ready for the regular season.

Last week, coach Doug Pederson says he didn’t want to put a timeline on Robinson’s return but felt that mid-August could be a good estimation for him to be at 100% again. That would be a little bit before the Jags’ third preseason game against Pittsburgh. Only time will tell if he remains on that timeline, but it’s good to see Robinson progressing on a day-to-day basis.

1-on-1s were interesting

Offensive line coach Phil Rauscher talks with Jacksonville Jaguars offensive lineman Walker Little (72) during drills at Wednesday’s training camp session. The Jacksonville Jaguars held their third day of training camp Wednesday, July 27, 2022, at the Episcopal School of Jacksonville Knight Campus practice fields on Atlantic Blvd. [Florida Times Union]

It was an interesting day when it came to the Jags’ 1-on-1 competitions as reporters were able to get footage on Monday.

Two of the standouts on offense were offensive tackles Cam Robinson and Walker Little, both of whom held their own against some of the Jags’ top rushers. News4Jax’s Jamal St. Cyr posted reps that the former had against both Travon Walker and Josh Allen on Twitter as he was able to win reps against both.

As for Little, his impressive showing in 1-on-1s was pretty significant as he struggled on Sunday. Like Robinson, Little had good reps against Allen and Walker, with two of his reps coming against the latter. That’s exactly what he needed as he’s currently in a battle with Jawaan Taylor to start at right tackle.

Taylor has missed four practices in a row dealing with a hamstring injury, including Monday’s practice. With that being the case, Little has had several opportunities to impress the coaches lately, and Monday’s practice seems to be his best yet during the absence of Taylor.

Some others who stood out included defensive tackle DaVon Hamilton and defensive end Dawuane Smoot, both of whom gave rookie Luke Fortner “welcome to the league” moments. Smoot also had a good rep against veteran guard Brandon Scherff, something that’s been hard for many of the defensive linemen to do.

Press Taylor likes the experience Christian Kirk and Zay Jones bring to offense

Jaguars WR Christian Kirk (13) throws the ball with quarterback (4) E.J. Perry during the Jacksonville Jaguars Organized Team Activity session at TIAA Bank Field Monday, May 23, 2022. [Florida Times Union]

As previously mentioned, Taylor met with the media before Monday’s practice and discussed a variety of topics. One of the more notable topics he discussed was his thoughts on receivers Christian Kirk, and Zay Jones, who he feels communicate well with Lawrence.

“Yeah, that’s great,” said Taylor. “He (Lawrence) has a relationship with Marvin (Jones J.r) going into last season. Laviska (Shenault Jr), Treads (Laquon Treadwell), some of those guys, but Christian and Zay, I think part of that is the way they see the game.

“The way they’re able to kind of keep their wits about them and communicate what they saw out there. That helps. Trevor can go — maybe he was working the other side of the concept, but what do you have back here? They can explain it pretty much verbatim. […] So for Trevor, you’re able to trust what they say, in a game, the way they communicate and things like that. So that’s just the way they all see the game together and helps communication.”

Lawrence’s communication with the receivers is important because the passing game has had some up and down moments. However, having veteran players like Kirk and Jones who’ve had success and have seen a lot is huge for Lawrence as he’s just heading into his second year.

Lawrence and the receivers will have plenty of time heading forward to strengthen their connection before the regular season. They’ve had moments where they’ve looked great, but it will be about establishing more consistency heading forward.

Rookie RB Snoop Conner balls out on his birthday

Jaguars (24) RB Snoop Conner hangs on to the ball as he runs drills during Friday’s Rookie Minicamp. The Jacksonville Jaguars held their first Rookie Minicamp on the turf of TIAA Bank Field Friday afternoon, May 13, 2022. Among those in attendance were the team’s 2022 draft picks. [Florida Times-Union]

Monday marked Conner’s 22nd birthday, and he was feeling it on the field. The fifth-round rookie broke out for several big runs and had his best day of camp overall.

Heading forward, it will be interesting to see if Conner can build some momentum off of Day 7, as the offensive line has emphasized helping their running backs since the pads have gone on. He is also likely to get a good look in Thursday’s game against Las Vegas, as coach Doug Pederson said he wants to get a lot of young players reps.

Story originally appeared on Jaguars Wire