Jaguars training camp notebook: Receivers look sharp; Foye praises Etienne

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jaguars are now a little over a week away from the first cut day of camp. On Aug. 16, the team will trim the roster from 90 down to 85 players. With cut day right around the corner, the coaching staff has cranked up the intensity in training camp this week.

After a Sunday practice that by all reports was the most physical practice the team has had since Jack Del Rio was in charge, the team was back in full pads for another tough day on the practice field.

Not quite the level of Sunday but still some high-intensity work.

Kicker watch

Ryan Santoso (5 of 6 on field goals; missed from the mid 40-yard range).

Elliot Fry (4 of 6 on field goals; missed both of his 50-yard plus attempts. He had enough leg but just pushed it to the right).

Monday was a heavy special teams day. Heath Farwell said he wanted to see his kickers get some good work. Fry and Santoso both made some good kicks. Santoso had a slightly better day but missed a kick on the final play of practice so it was a bit of a sour end to the day.

Farwell gave a shout out to Montaric “Buster” Brown and Josh Thompson as a pair of young players who have impressed him on special teams. With the top defensive back spot locked in, that nod from the special teams coordinator should vastly increase their chances of making the final 53.

Notebook

  • Receiver Christian Kirk left the field limping. Kirk rolled his ankle late in practice.
  • Running back James Robinson is still not full go but is increasing the intensity of the work he does on the practice field.
  • Jamal Agnew took some heavy reps on the field. Agnew looks fully recovered from the hip injury. He made several nice plays on the day.
  • Monday was the first 1-on-1′s for skills players of camp.
  • Linebacker Foye Oluokun and running back Travis Etienne had some bottles. Oluokun won the 1s rep with a nice pass breakup but Etienne bounced back the next time, leaving Oluokun in the dust for a would-be touchdown. After practice, I asked Oluokun about Etienne and he said “he nice.” Enough said.
  • Safety Andre Cisco is GOOOOD. Tight end Evan Engram is the Jaguars best receiving threat at tight end. In a 1-on-1 rep with Engram, Cisco shadowed him and was able to make the play on the ball to break it up. Cisco also had a phenomenal breakup during the team period on a pass that could have been caught by Jeff Cotton.
  • The catch of the day came from receiver Marvin Jones during the 1-on-1 period. Jones was matched up with Shaquill Griffin and was able to pull the ball in right over Shaq’s head. Griffin would get his revenge later during team drills when he broke up a would-be touchdown.
  • Receiver Zay Jones had a huge day. Jones could not be covered. He was catching everything that went his way. Jones dusted DB’s during 1 on 1′s and had a big day during team. If the volume that Jones has seen on the practice field carries over to the game field, he is in for a big year.
  • Cornerback Buster Brown got a shout out for his special teams but he had a rough go during 1 on 1s. Brown tried to jam Jeff Cotton at the line and Cotton easily left him for the TD. Brown has struggled with pressing the veteran receivers throughout camp.
  • The second best catch of the day belonged to Kirk. While being covered by Tre Herndon, Kirk created separation but the pass was underthrown. Kirk was able to come back to the ball and still make the catch in the endzone.
  • Safety Andrew Wingard had his best day of camp so far. Wingard sniffed out a screen quickly and showed up in the backfield on a pair of sacks.
  • Defensive tackle Israel Antwine is strong. Antwine puts guys on skates every day during 1 on 1s.
  • Defensive tackle Arden Key is going to be huge for the Jaguars. Key has been a vocal leader for the defense throughout camp. Key dusted Darryl Williams in 1 on 1′s and coached up some of the younger players, even telling some of them how to win their reps. That had him screaming “I should be a coach.”
  • Late in practice, Kevin Austin made a phenomenal toe-tap catch in the end zone. The play was called a sack by the coaches. But for a guy that has had some drops during camp, that sort of play is good to see.

About the Author:

Jamal St. Cyr is an award-winning sports anchor who joined the News4Jax sports team in 2019.