Notes and observations: Jaguars training camp Day 5

Here are some notes and observations from Day 5 of Jacksonville Jaguars training camp!

Quincy Williams quickly making a name for himself

Quincy Williams is fast. That’s one thing football twitter agreed on as soon as the pick was announced and we rushed to YouTube to find something, anything on this guy. After watching him up close, the speed we see in highlights doesn’t do justice to how fast he is.

Marrone’s presser this morning was a fitting precursor to practice today, as Williams made several impressive run stops and blanketed the flats on passing drills. He took reps on the first team field goal blocking unit, and I think he actually has the speed to block them. Him and Myles Jack were two peas in a pod; Williams would hover around Jack in between drills and the two were seen conversing after reps. It’s nice to see Jack, in his fourth year, become the vet the linebackers group is lacking after Telvin’s departure.

If Williams can play like how he practiced today, the team will have no problem filling in the hole left by Telvin’s departure.

Speaking of linebacker depth…

The position outside of Williams and Jack is barren. I wouldn’t be surprised to see more competition brought in after the first round of cuts. The backup linebackers were often a step or two slow against quicker receivers like Westbrook and Cole.

The offensive line is gonna be a concern

Our defensive line is really good, but...

I don’t recall last year’s group getting consistently beat as much as this year’s in practice from the first team down to the third team. There was one rep where a lineup of Calais Campbell, Marcell Dareus, Abry Jones, and Lerentee McCray absolutely crushed the pocket and forced Foles to scramble. We need Cam Robinson back and Jawaan Taylor on the first team as soon as possible.

There was another rep where Taven would’ve had a sack against Andrew Norwell.

As mentioned in another article, Norwell is one of those players that needs to have a bounce back season. That’s not something I was expecting to write about the highest paid guard in the league when he signed last year.

The secondary could be better than last year

Ronnie Harrison and Jarrod Wilson look to be an upgrade, at least in practice, from Barry Church and Tashaun Gipson. I don’t recall a touchdown allowed during red zone drills by the 1st team secondary. They were that good today. Additionally, Jalen Ramsey had a very good practice, generating three pass breakups early in practice to where Foles didn’t look his way the rest of the day. He was animated and his energetic persona seemed to trickle to the entire secondary. They argued with the ref over a penalty called on an interception.

Ramsey was also seen coaching up Quenton Meeks in between reps. I’m excited to see him perform this year and secure the bag he’s been openly chasing.

The tight ends... oh boy...

By far our biggest weakness is the tight end position. When Geoff Swaim is your best tight end, it’s not looking too good.

Oliver is not ready to pass block — he got steamrolled by a third-string player whose name I can’t even recall.

If the offense is gonna move the ball, it’s gonna be on the backs of crossers to Dede Westbrook and feeding the running backs.

Ryquell Armstead is the clear No. 2 behind Leonard Fournette

I did note a couple of things regarding the running game. Firstly, I don’t recall a practice with more toss cracks than I witnessed today. It’s refreshing to see a different type of run than the up the middle power runs we were used to seeing the last two years.

I’m not sure how it’ll translate from practice to the game, but I’ll be interested to see it carried over. And this may be a bit of a take, but I don’t think we will another pass catching running back in the room.

Fournette looks good catching the ball, and although Armstead isn’t there yet, Benny Cunnngham showed enough out there for me to feel good about that aspect of the room. Armstead is the best runner of the group though, behind Fournette. He shows more shift and wiggle than what he displayed in college.

The receivers will shine if the quarterback can hold up his end of the bargain

Perhaps the play of the day came courtesy of some fancy footwork by DJ Chark, as he jumped high and (somehow) landed two feet in the corner of the end zone to deliver the first touchdown catch of the day, although it did come against the second team defensive backs.

Chark had an excellent day today. He was barking right back at the defensive backs all practice, a welcome sight after years of missing that loud, brash receiver.

Chark has the size and speed to be the No. 1 wide receiver of this group, and I expect him to make that leap with better quarterback play. Dede looked smooth and shifty across the middle of the field too. At one point, he freed himself on an excellent play design by offensive coordinator John DeFilippo, but had to slow down to the point of backpedaling to haul in a pass from Foles.

PLAY OF THE DAY

That’s some stuff I picked up today! I’ll be back tomorrow to take a a closer look at the trenches. Comment or tweet @marhsim if you have any questions or want to inquire about any players I didn’t mention. I’ll do my best to respond.