The Jacksonville Jaguars were back at practice on Monday, their first since the team’s preseason opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
As always, there is plenty that takes place during these practices, but here are the three big things you need to know from what transpired on Monday.
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Injury updates and lineup changes
Not practicing on Monday were cornerback Tyson Campbell and offensive tackle Anton Harrison. According to Mia O’Brien, Campbell is “day-to-day” with an undisclosed injury, while Harrison had an excused absence.
Without those two on the field, it led to some noteworthy lineup changes. Taking over for Harrison at right tackle was Patrick Mekari, while Chuma Edoga remains at right guard. While it’s been presumed for much of the offseason that Mekari would slide into that right guard role, that hasn’t been the case as of late. On the Jaguars‘ unofficial depth chart, the starting right guard spot was listed as Mekari or Edoga.
At cornerback, without Campbell, Christian Braswell got the starting snaps opposite of Jarrian Jones. With one cornerback spot on the 53-man roster up for grabs, perhaps Braswell getting these reps tells us that he may have the upper hand over De’Antre Prince and others. As Liam Coen said, special teams contributions will be important as well when it comes to earning that roster spot.
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Dennis Gardeck also returned to the team portion of practice for the first time in training camp.
Another big day for Dawuane Smoot
As O’Brien put it, Smoot “continued his strong camp” on Monday with a pair of sacks. This comes after he logged a sack in the Jaguars’ preseason opener vs. the Steelers.
The late offseason addition of Smoot provided the Jaguars with experienced depth at the defensive end position behind Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker, something they were lacking.
He also brings some added versatility to this unit, able to move inside during obvious passing situations if needed.
Is Travis Etienne securing the top running back role?
Of note, during the Jaguars’ first offensive possession against the Steelers, the only one that the starters played, Etienne was the running back on that series.
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Then, in Monday’s practice, Etienne got the “lion’s share of the reps” with the first team offense, wrote John Shipley of Jaguars on SI in his camp takeaways article.
Under Coen, this new-look Jaguars offense has prioritized finding ways to get Etienne the ball in space, which is where he’s at his best. This Jaguars backfield will be a more by-committee approach, with Tank Bigsby and Bhayshul Tuten having roles, but someone has to be at the top of the depth chart.
Bonus: Where was Travis Hunter?
According to O’Brien, this was a wide receiver-only day for Hunter. On Tuesday, he will play defense while subbing in on offense. Thursday, he will play both positions in a simulated scrimmage.
This article originally appeared on Jaguars Wire: Jaguars training camp: 3 Key takeaways from practice No. 13