3 Veterans Who Have Stood Out at Jaguars Training Camp, And Why They Matter

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Much of training camp focus is usually based around which young players and sleepers are starting to emerge, but it can never be forgotten how critical the performance of the veteran roster is.

Through the very early stages of Jacksonville Jaguars training camp thus far, who are some of the key veterans who have managed to stand out and show why they are core pieces? We take a look at three names who fit that bill below.

WR Parker Washington

Parker Washington had a solid day on Wednesday, but it was Thursday where he really stood out. Washington routed up some of the Jaguars’ best cover guys, made plays at all three levels of the field and just seems to continue to make standout plays that make you think he is due for a big season. He is also due for an extension sooner than later, and performances like Thursday make it clear why he will eventually get it.

“The guy knows himself really well, I think. Like he knows his strengths and weaknesses and is really intentional about trying to work on those things. The guy spends a lot of time on his body. I mean, he really puts a lot of time into it. I think he’s ready to take another step in his progression of his career,” Jaguars head coach Liam Coen said on Wednesdy.

“He’s a guy that I know, Trevor [Lawrence], obviously, they have a rapport of working together for a number of years. If you look at him as a wideout on our team, I mean, Trevor’s probably thrown to him in Strange the most, of guys that are on our roster currently. Really confident in him and really excited to see what he can do for us.”

CB Jourdan Lewis

Jaguars cornerback Jourdan Lewis was one of the big names the Jaguars were missing in a big way when they lost to the Buffalo Bills in the Wild Card round, but the secondary’s leader officially returned to full-strength on Wednesday. He quickly made an impact and flew around against the pass, and he then followed this up with a stellar practice on Thursday.

Lewis was able to record two different pass breakups for the Jaguars on Thursday, including a sick play in coverage where he just narrowly got to the football before Trevor Lawrence fit it in a tight window to Parker Washington. Washington made a play on pretty much every target of the day except that one, which says it all.

With Lewis playing at a high level for the second training camp in a row, they can confidently move forward knowing they have several starting-caliber cornerbacks at their disposal between him, Jarrian Jones, Montaric Brown, and Travis Hunter. The cornerback room holds the key to the Jaguars’ defensive performance, and Lewis is a big part of that.

DE Travon Walker

Jaguars head coach Liam Coen said this offseason that he wanted to see Jaguars defensive end Travon Walker become a dominant force in practice that forces the Jaguars’ offense to need him off the field in order to operate. Walker has certainly looked like a player who is on track to meet those lofty expectations based on the early training camp results, even without the pads being on yet.

Walker had a strong showing in team drills during the first day of camp on Wednesday, consistently overpowering Jaguars’ offensive linemen and recording one sack after beating two blockers at the same time. He continued this with another disruptive day of practice on Thursday, and it sure feels like the arrow is firmly pointing up for Walker as the Jaguars get closer and closer to pads coming on.

So, why does Walker’s early progress matter? He is set to be one of the most important pieces on Anthony Campanile’s defense, and not just for his pass-rush ability. As Campanile detailed after practice on Thursday, Walker is the straw that stirs the drink when it comes to many aspects of the Jaguars’ defensive scheme.

“I say this to you guys a lot, but he’s a special guy for us. He’s an important guy for us because he enables us to do a bunch of different things without subbing different personnel groupings on the field. So, we can be a lot of things, play a lot of different fronts, because of Travon,” Campanile said.

“And that’s something that’s helped us in the run game. And really at the end of the day, if you stop the run on early down, you have an opportunity to rush the passer. And what you’re hoping for is to get him behind the sticks and not be playing fifty-fifty ball. He’s one of those guys that enables us to pin your ears back a little bit more because you’re not playing as much fifty-fifty ball on second and long and third down. He is super important to our defense, and he’s just, he’s pretty driven right now in terms of what I see from him.”