CINCINNATI — Brian Thomas Jr.’s second NFL season is not off to a good start.
The Jacksonville Jaguars receiver was targeted 19 times in the first two games, but caught just five passes for 60 yards, including four for 49 yards in the Jaguars’ 31-27 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday.
He dropped a potential touchdown pass in the end zone, had another pass bounce off his hand that got intercepted, and dropped a fourth-down pass that would have set the Jaguars up with a first-and-goal inside the Bengals’ 5-yard line.
“It’s super frustrating,” Thomas said of not playing up to the standard he set as a rookie. “Just have to put it behind you and go on to the next week.”
Thomas and quarterback Trevor Lawrence are seemingly out of sync, have miscommunicated on some routes, and seem to be struggling to find their way in coach Liam Coen’s new offense.
Thomas and Lawrence not being on the same page impacts everything else, especially since Coen said shortly after he was hired that he wants the pass game to run through Thomas.
Both Lawrence and Thomas said they just need a little more time to get there.
“Me and BT have a good relationship and we do communicate and that’s just something where I’ve got to be better for him and vice versa,” Lawrence said. “We’ve got to help each other out. There’s a couple plays [Sunday] where I can give him a chance down the field where I didn’t. I know there’s obviously a couple plays that he can make too. He would tell you the same thing so we’re all in it together.
“The beautiful thing about it is no one’s out there by themselves. So if he is putting pressure on himself, and I’m not saying he is, he’s not out there alone. He’s got 10 other guys that got his back and we’re all in that together. So that’s football. It’s not always going to go your way.”
Through the first two games, Thomas’ reception percentage of 26.3% ranks 79th in the NFL among receivers and is by far the worst on the team. Travis Hunter is the closest at 64.3%.
On Monday, Coen said that Thomas has been dealing with a sore wrist and that may have had an impact on his play against the Bengals.
“I don’t think it’s anything that’s huge,” Coen said. “It’s a thing that he’s kind of been working through. Everybody goes through some things and ultimately, it’s our job to get to the bottom of it and try to get him to feel good and play at the highest level he can.”
Coen said he and Thomas were going to talk later Monday afternoon to help him figure out how to snap out of the slow start to the season.
“I’ve got to go talk to him, but I think he’s aware of it and needs to have a better week this week,” Coen said. “I think he understands what’s at stake. He understands what’s going on and we’ve got to go get to the root of it.”
Thomas got off to a slow start last season, but he finished third in the NFL with 1,281 yards on 82 catches with 10 touchdowns. He didn’t get rolling until December after receiver Christian Kirk (broken collarbone) and tight end Evan Engram (shoulder) went down with season-ending injuries. Thomas had 45 catches for 593 yards and five TDs in the last six games.
This year is different, though, because the addition of Hunter and Dyami Brown, plus a resurgent ground game that leads the NFL in rushing (169.5 yards per game), was supposed to open things up for Thomas. Instead, he leads the team in targets, but is fourth in receiving yards.
Brown isn’t worried about Thomas. He’ll get rolling again eventually, he said.
“Just let BT be BT,” said Brown, whose 109 receiving yards leads the Jaguars. “At the end of the day, I know what he’s capable of, he knows what he’s capable of, and we know what he’s capable of. We know what he can do. We’ve just got to keep working, keep moving forward, and the big game will come for him.”
The pass offense will still run though Thomas, Lawrence said.
“He’s a great player so it’s always going to be part of our plan to get him the ball,” Lawrence said. “… My job is find the guy that’s open and get him the ball and move on. Obviously, there’s a big plan for that to be BT.”
Thomas’ confidence isn’t shaken and he said there’s no chemistry issues with him and Lawrence.
“I’ve just got to make the plays,” Thomas said. “When the ball is thrown to you, just make the plays.”