By Don Coble, Florida Sports Wire
JACKSONVILLE (www,jaxsportsnews.com)– During 11-on-11 team drills, offensive tackle Robert Hainsey was on the left side. A few plays later, he was at right tackle.
Not only does quarterback Trevor Lawrence have to adjust to a lineup that’s in constant change, he also must get used to a new voice in his helmet with offensive coordinator Grant Udinski calling the plays during the preseason.
The Jaguars aren’t resting on last year’s laurels. Although they went 13-4 in the regular season and won the AFC South, Jacksonville is spending time during preseason training camp to get ready for all scenarios.
A big part of that is moving linemen around on offense so they know the responsibilities if an injury forces a change.
It’s a plan that’s already been effective, especially with Walker Little and Chuma Edoga getting dinged up during Friday’s 11-on-11 mock game. Walker has played tackle and guard, while Edoga has been used as a tackle.
“Camp is always interesting for the guys up front because there’s a lot of shuffling around and the cohesion part of it’s really important and the chemistry of playing together with the five,” Lawrence said. “But on the flip side, realistically it just doesn’t happen all season. So, you have to practice throwing new guys in and shuffling around. Did the same thing last year, and I thought it really paid off for us with some injuries that we had later in the season and guys being able to move around and us not skip a beat and still be able to play well up front.
“I think it’s really good for us. I think everyone that’s gone in has done a nice job and we’re just challenging them, I guess, trying to move around. And not everybody’s playing their most comfortable position, which is good for us.”
Jonah Monhein played center last year, filling in for Hainsey when he was injured against Kansas City. At camp, he played right guard during Sunday’s session at the Miller Electric Center. Tackle Anton Harrison played right tackle during the first three years of his career, but he’s seen more work on the left side.
Getting the line healthy is slowly becoming a concern in camp. It’s also forced offensive coordinator Grant Udinski to be creative.
Guards Emmanuel Pregnon and Patrick Mekari have missed some time during camp with injuries. Walker, Edoga and Pregnon didn’t practice in Sunday’s workout. Also, Tackles Cole Van Lanen (knee) is currently on the physically unable to perform list, while Garrett DiGiorgio (foot) was placed on injured reserve on Saturday.
“Everyone’s getting better, everyone’s improving, everyone’s working together, and it’s been super helpful for all these guys to get all the reps, because you never know when you’re going to need them,” Hainsey said. “You never know when you’re going to need to lean on that experience so it’s a great opportunity for all the guys that have come in to get those live reps next to different guys, myself included.”
Udinski said the team is also moving people around up front so they can be familiar with different lineups.
“Whenever we figure out how things are going to shake out, then I’ve had reps with everyone that could be there, so that’s helpful,” Hainsey said.
The offense took charge during Sunday’s two-hour practice. Lawrence was 10-for-15 passing. As in most of the preseason, his best target has been Parker Washington caught a 54-yard touchdown pass from Lawrence. The fourth-year receiver from Penn State streaked down the right sideline, and he hauled in a high-arching pass. Although he was tackled at the 1, it was one of the best receptions of camp.
“You know what you’re going to get from him,” Lawrence said of the team’s top receiver in 2025. “We had a rep, I don’t know if you guys saw the deep shot today, and we threw it, and routes on air right before it.
“I told him, ‘Hey, hold this angle. I’m going to throw out there.’ I kind of missed the throw a little bit, and he went and made a good catch on the sideline and then we got the same exact rep in team. He ran it the same exact way, and I gave him a good throw where could run under it.
So it’s just little things like that where he’s just really dependable.”
Udinski said he’s also been impressed with the connection between Lawrence and second-year receiver Brian Thomas Jr. The two hooked up for a 40-yard reception over cornerback Jabbar Muhammad during the team’s 11-on-11 portion of practice.
“We know that that progress is never going to be a straight line, but I think you see the route tree continuing to develop the chemistry, the timing, and the understanding of the quarterback and receiver, whether it’s the quarterback knowing the receiver’s going to win on a certain route a certain way, or the receiver knowing the quarterback is going to put a ball on a certain location versus a certain look,” Udinski said.
“When you have that down, and you don’t need to think about it, and you don’t need to communicate verbally, pre-snap every single play based on a look, that increases your chance of execution significantly.”
After practicing on Tuesday and Wednesday, the Jaguars will travel to New Orleans to work out with the Saints on Thursday and Friday, July 13 and 14, before playing Saturday in the first preseason game at 3 p.m.
Quotable
Quarterback Trevor Lawrence talked about useful tips to communicate with his teammates. He said, “Like, don’t fill guys’ brains with stuff that’s really not that important. Like, what do you actually need them to know?”
Short yardage
• Travis Hunter caught a 5-yard touchdown pass on offense, and an interception in the endzone on defense. As with every practice, Hunter has spent nearly double the time at cornerback.
• During the team portion of practice, Hunter, Parker Washington, Brian Thomas Jr., rookie Tanner Koziol and Austin Trammell caught TD passes, while Lawrence had a 25-yard run for a touchdown on a scramble.
• Rookie running back J’Mari Taylor picked up 13 yards on a run, but the ball was slapped away for a fumble recovery by safety Rayuan Lane III.
Up next
The Jaguars will be back at the Miller Electric Center on Tuesday, Aug. 22, at 8:30 a.m. All tickets to the final three training camp sessions on Aug. 19, 23 and 25 that are open to the public have been claimed.
