Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. (7) celebrates his touchdown during the second quarter of an NFL football game between the Carolina Panthers at Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank Stadium Sunday September 7, 2025. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union] Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Jaguars Trying to Keep Star WR Motivated Through Adversity

Originally posted on Jacksonville Jaguars on SI
By Jared Feinberg | Last updated Sep 21, 2025 5:46 AM ET

Players of all types in the NFL go through adversity at some point during the season. It can happen early in the season, late in the year with the postseason in reach, in the dog days of the year, or even in the playoffs. This is common for ordinary players or the best of the best, and sometimes those struggles and moments of adversity could be a detriment to a team.

The Jacksonville Jaguars, ahead of today's early afternoon matchup with the Houston Texans, are dealing with some adversity from one of their star playmakers, wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. The inconsistencies have been evident and sometimes costly for the Jaguars early this season. His coaches are staying the course with their game plan while looking for ways to keep the Pro Bowl wideout motivated and focused ahead of the game.

How Grant Udinski and other coaches are keeping Thomas focused

Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Jaguars offensive coordinator Grant Udinski plays a significant role in the success of the team. With each game plan comes an evolution in approach for a respective opponent as Udinski and his staff look to find ways to get their best players involved.

"I think the way you approach the game plan is always kind of evolving, depending on a week-to-week basis on who we're playing, what we do well, how we can get guys in the best positions to do what they do best," Udinski explained. "So, you kind of go back to the game and reassess, 'what did we do well, what did we not do well, and how can we improve on that?'"

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Thomas has a chance to rectify his early-season struggles with a strong performance against the Texans this afternoon. Though, as I argued earlier in the week, it may take some time for the second-year star to find his groove again, as some of the mistakes and quietness have been no fault but his own. Udinski said that he is a guy they still want to feature heavily in the game plan, hinting at how the Jaguars are trying to get him going despite last week's attempts.

"He's a guy who we want to feature and try to give opportunities to make plays because he
does a great job when the ball's in his hand," Udinski said.

Udinski and Jacksonville will look to find a way to get Thomas the ball on Sunday, whether that means he his force-fed or within the game plan. His struggles will resolve themselves sooner or later.

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This article first appeared on Jacksonville Jaguars on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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