The team completes part of the camp at Episcopal

JACKSONVILLE, Florida. – The Jaguars closed a chapter of training camp and looked to the future.

Jacksonville wrapped up training camp at Episcopal’s Knight Sports Complex on Thursday as it prepares for its preseason finale at home against the Steelers on Saturday night. Next week’s training camp practices will be joint practices with the Atlanta Falcons before ending the week with the final exhibition game of the season.

This week’s work for the starters will be their most in-depth of the preseason.

Coach Doug Pederson said he wanted to see the starting offense and defense play most, if any, of the first half. That’s a major jump in the snaps for all No. 1 players. The starters basically played three series apiece last week against the Browns. Both sides of the ball were sharp, jumping to a 13-0 lead before saves allowed 24 unanswered points.

“From a game standpoint, I really want to see the starters come into the second quarter again this week,” he said. “The defense needs to be a little more on the field. They played the first two games well, they just didn’t play enough. So I really want to see them play some more.

A d

Linebacker Travon Walker, the team’s first draft pick, said more playing time is critical on defense. He just had two very good performances (a sack against the Raiders and a forced fumble against the Browns) but all that work was done on very limited shots.

“Definitely, just to bring down the chemistry, especially in the top seven with two things we’re doing up front, and I really think that’s going to play a big role with the transition into the regular season,” Walker said. .

For the Jaguars, it also ends their camp at Episcopal. The team was forced to relocate this year due to the construction of its new Miller Electric Center. It should open next summer.

“I tip my hat to Episcopal for allowing us to come here and invade their space a bit. Also to our field crew to lay out these fields and really a lot of work and a lot of hours of work went into getting us here from the buses every day, just in time for everything,” Pederson said. “I just can’t say enough good things about this situation. The guys really enjoyed it, stepping away from our building and outside. It was really good, and we were really lucky to have that.

A d

Notebook

• The Jaguars had a special guest at camp on their final day at Episcopal – Maurice Bones-Drew, a seven-month-old golden retriever. Bones-Drew was nominated by fans in a contest in early June. He is training with K9s For Warriors to become an assistance dog for military veterans. Mojo was a star attraction at camp, with many players stopping to give him a few pats on the head before boarding team buses back to TIAA Bank Field.

• Also at camp was the former Englewood University and Jacksonville University baseball star Daniel Murphy. Murph played 12 years in the majors and was a three-time All-Star selection. He announced his retirement in 2021.

• Jaguars still play it safe with cornerback Darious Williams. The big-money free agent signee remains limited as he recovers from shoulder surgery in the offseason. Pederson said Williams is getting closer to a comeback but won’t be playing this week against the Steelers.

• Same thing with the running back james robinson, which returns to training at a brisk pace. Robinson suffered a torn Achilles last year and has been involved throughout camp. He’s just not ready yet. Pederson said there’s hope Robinson is ready for Week 1 in Washington.

• Offensive linemen Will Richardson and Bradara Traore will also miss the game against the Steelers.

• Ben Bartch got more first-team reps at left guard on Thursday. It’s the second day in a row that he’s worked with the No. 1s.

• A day after the offense struggled in the intense heat, things got better. Trevor Lawrence had a rebound day under center. He had touchdown passes at Marvin Room, Christian Kirk and ZayJones during a stretch that were razor sharp throws. Hall’s hold on Shaquill Griffin in the back right corner of the end zone was arguably the best contested hold of the day. marvin jones had a big snag, too, on the opposite sideline.

• tight ends Dan Arnold and Evan Engram both made impressive touchdowns on Thursday, with an acrobatic Engram snag he managed to control before going out of bounds.