Jaguars Can't Wait on Brian Thomas Any Longer

Brian Thomas Jr. needs to show up

Heading into their Week 8 bye, the Jacksonville Jaguars still wanted Brian Thomas Jr. to return to the form he showed in his rookie year, but it didn't seem nearly as pressing. That's because they got a revelatory performance from Travis Hunter Jr. against the Los Angeles Rams, despite the 35-7 blowout loss. He had already been trending up on offense, both in usage and production, but his eight-catch, 101-yard, one-touchdown game in London made it seem like a full-on breakout was on the horizon.

Now, with Hunter Jr. on IR, the Jaguars desperately need BTJ to show up. Head Coach Liam Coen didn't name him specifically when asked who Jacksonville needs to step up in Hunter Jr.'s absence:

"I don't know if it's anybody, necessarily specific. It's the whole crew. Go out and let's go perform. Go back to training camp days that Travis was on defense, and it was Dyami [Brown], BT, and Parker [Washington] rolling at the receiver positions and did some really good things. So, I have a lot of confidence in these guys. It's a great opportunity for all of us to work through a little adversity and the guys to go out and perform at a high level.”

Don't get it twisted, though. That's just standard coach speak from Coen, and possibly another attempt to shield his star wide receiver to ensure that he can clear his mental hurdles and overcome his early-season struggles with as little pressure as possible placed upon him.

But it's apparent that the Jaguars need someone to perform like a true WR1 and jumpstart this passing offense. With Hunter Jr. unavailable, BTJ is the only option left with the talent and physical profile to be that for Jacksonville. On the bright side, he should get all of the play calls and volume he needs to produce now, especially with Tim Patrick joining Hunter Jr. on the injury report for Week 9. If he can't capitalize and become the go-to guy the Jaguars need, this offense could be dead in the water.