Brian Thomas Jr.‘s rookie debut sure didn’t look like the performance of a player making his first appearance in an NFL game.
That’s why the Jaguars selected Thomas, though: To land an instant contributor with big-play potential. Thomas lived up to the billing in Week 1, catching four passes for 47 yards, including a 14-yard touchdown reception that saw Thomas streak behind Miami defenders to make a toe-tapping grab in the back of the end zone.
By the time the game ended and the Jaguars processed the pain of defeat, they realized they had something special in Thomas.
“He’s a gamer, and just shows up ready to play every time he goes out there,” quarterback Trevor Lawrence said, via the team’s official site. “That’s exciting to see as a quarterback, just some of the plays he made. He doesn’t seem like a rookie at all. He has that quiet confidence about him.”
Multiple Jaguars players described Thomas as a quiet individual, but he was anything but quiet with his showing in Week 1. Sure, the stats don’t suggest Thomas exploded, but he provided plenty of signs he’ll be a consistent — and essential — contributor in Jacksonville’s offense in what is an important season for the Jaguars.
“As the season goes on, he’ll be asked to do more,” receiver Christian Kirk said. “For a young guy to go out there and make the plays he did, I thought he played with a very calm demeanor and also some energy. A lot of people, including us, loved to see him get a little emotional during the game. That was good. It kind of set the tone. Each week, he’s going to keep getting better.”
His elder teammates haven’t shied from showering him with praise.
“It’s a huge spark for our team,” tight end Evan Engram said. “I told him today: ‘You might be a rookie. You might be quiet. But that energy you have on Sunday, the confidence we say come out of you, that’s going to help our team. We see it. We feel it.’
“Whatever he’s been doing, he needs to keep doing it. He has a bright future ahead. It’s only his first game. He’s going to continue to learn. He’s going to get better. He’s going to get more accustomed to the game, to our offense. I can’t wait to play alongside him the rest of the season and just watch him grow.”
As a first-round pick out of LSU, Thomas arrived with significant expectations. But he also joined a receiving corps that didn’t necessarily need him to immediately produce at a high rate, not with the presence of Kirk and offseason acquisition Gabe Davis.
And yet, in a game in which Jacksonville finished with just 267 yards of offense, Thomas accounted for a fourth of Lawrence’s total passing yards (162). He also drew a 40-yard pass interference penalty on Jalen Ramsey, setting up Travis Etienne‘s one-yard touchdown run to open Jacksonville’s scoring.
The downside to a strong debut is the fact opposing defenses will pay Thomas more attention going forward. But Lawrence saw a positive from that reality: It should make everything else a bit easier for Jacksonville’s passing game.
“Obviously they had a lot of respect for him,” Lawrence said. “Moving forward, it sort of changes how you cover a guy like that the rest of the game when that happens early. That’s only going to help us.”
We’ll see what Thomas has in store in the weeks ahead. After all, it’s only Week 1. But Thomas got off on the right foot, and soon enough, he just might come out of his shell, too.
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