Jacksonville Jaguars reporter on first training camp practice in 2025
Jacksonville Jaguars beat reporter Demetrius Harvey breaks down the first day of training camp as Trevor Lawrence, Travis Hunter make a return.
The Jacksonville Jaguars wrapped up the first day of training camp under head coach Liam Coen. The heat wasn’t much of an issue in the team’s truncated, morning practice, but the energy was already starting to bubble.
For Coen, it’s the start of an opportunity he’s dreamed up. “It’s like Christmas all over again,” he exclaimed when talking to fans ahead of the start of practice in the morning. Practice started around 8:45 and ended around 10:00. A short-and-sweet affair for the team’s first day back on the field doing football, putting together a session the first-time head coach described as “pretty solid.”
“I think what we were looking for was alignment [and] assignment, kind of limited some motions just to, ‘Hey, let’s get our cleats in the ground. Let’s go play fundamental football,” Coen explained.
“I thought overall it was semi-clean, had a couple procedures, but it wasn’t egregious. Had a couple of good hard counts there. We got a free play, so there’s some situational stuff that came up. Had a turnover on the defensive side, so, hey, it was a back and forth, which is kind of what you’re expecting and hoping for in practice one,” he continued.
Coen was referencing the team’s defense jumping offside a couple of times. The Jaguars also had a couple of drops on offense, but overall, the day appeared clean, especially at the quarterback position.
Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence made multiple throws that one might typically see him make after a few practices, not on the first day the team hits the field.
Coen noted that Lawrence’s footwork appeared clean in many ways. He also referenced Lawrence’s stance in shotgun, one aspect of the fifth-year QB’s footwork transition this year.
“I thought he had a good day, like I said today, and he’s taken to it. He was right foot up all last year and really the course of his career and now he’s left foot up in the shotgun. So, that kind of involves a little bit of a different rhythm, footwork, and I think he’s done a nice job progressing that so far,” said Coen.
Another challenge this summer, in addition to working on fundamentals with Lawrence, will be the team’s plan with second-overall pick, rookie cornerback/wide receiver Travis Hunter.
What will Travis Hunter‘s practice schedule look like? Coen shares insight
The Jaguars are continuing their mission to play rookie Travis Hunter on both sides of the ball, and the ultimate plan continues during training camp.
He was asked about the plan for Hunter, particularly if he will flip to the defensive side of the ball during practice at some point.
“He will. Probably within the first, you know, six practices or so. We’ll probably have him… you want to give him a couple days offense, couple days defense, and then give him an opportunity to go flip-flop within the same practice,” Coen explained.
That will eventually become the norm, and Coen expects that to happen quickly. He has the plan fully mapped out, down to the minute.
“The whole camp’s mapped out. Every single moment, I don’t know if you saw during special teams, he was doing defensive drills and fundementals and footwork. So, you know, every moment, every minute that he is in the building, it is accounted for and, trying to make sure that we maximize his time, our time so that we can ultimately get the best outcome,” Coen said.
Hunter looked sharp during practice at receiver and his footwork appears to continue improving from when he first began during rookie minicamp.
Maason Smith injury not expected to be serious, says Coen
Jaguars second-year defensive lineman Maason Smith is starting training camp on the team’s Active/PUP list. That means Smith is unable to participate in practice on the field, but can continue with workouts and off-the-field activities with the franchise.
He can be activated anytime. While Coen did not disclose the exact nature of Smith’s injury, he did indicate that it it’s not a major case, adding that it’s precautionary.
“Just tweaked it kind of the week of camp. He had a great offseason. He worked his tail off. He was here a ton. He was in great shape. Worked his tail off, so it was a little bit of a bummer, obviously, but it’s a little bit more precautionary. Could he go and play in a game this week, who knows? But, it won’t be too long,” said Coen.
As a rookie, Smith missed multiple games due to an ankle injury but returned late in the season to showcase his pass-rush ability, tallying two sacks and a few quarterback hits. Smith appeared to improve after getting off to a rocky start.
This year appears to be starting the same as last, but Coen’s explanation of the injury ought not to put much fear in people’s hearts.
Demetrius Harvey is the Jacksonville Jaguars reporter for the Florida Times-Union. You can follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @Demetrius82 or on Bluesky @ Demetrius.
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