Jaguars Week 1 snap counts: How Brian Thomas Jr. fared in his NFL debut

Ryan OLeary

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Jaguars Week 1 snap counts: How Brian Thomas Jr. fared in his NFL debut image

Rookie wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. had a productive debut for the Jacksonville Jaguars, scoring his first career touchdown in the team’s 20-17 loss to the Miami Dolphins on Sunday.

But the No. 23 overall selection in the 2024 NFL Draft was a distant second in terms of snaps and usage in the Jaguars’ wide receiver rotation in Week 1. 

According to PFF, Gabe Davis rarely left the field vs. the Dolphins, logging 50 of a possible 53 offensive snaps, the most of any non-offensive lineman or player not named Trevor Lawrence. Davis led the Jaguars in receiving yards with 62, noticeably staying on the field in both one-receiver and two-tight end sets. 

Davis was likely on the field a lot because he’s a willing blocker and can be a load to bring down when he has the ball. Just ask the Dolphins defense:

Thomas Jr. did impact the game in his 41 snaps, catching four passes from Lawrence for 47 yards and a 14-yard touchdown in the second quarter — at the time giving Jacksonville a 14-0 lead. The former LSU star also drew a 40-yard pass interference penalty on star Dolphins corner Jalen Ramsey, which led to a Travis Etienne 1-yard score and a 7-0 lead in the first quarter.

One Jacksonville player who was not involved Sunday was Evan Engram:

Jaguars' offensive snap counts

  • Brandon Scherff, G — 53
  • Mitch Morse, C — 53
  • Cam Robinson, T — 53
  • Ezra Cleveland, G — 53
  • Trevor Lawrence, QB — 53
  • Anton Harrison, T — 53
  • Gabe Davis, WR — 50
  • Brian Thomas Jr., WR — 41
  • Christian Kirk, WR — 38
  • Travis Etienne Jr., RB — 37
  • Evan Engram, TE — 36
  • Brenton Strange, TE — 19
  • Tank Bigsby, RB — 17
  • Luke Farrell, TE — 14
  • Parker Washington, WR — 7
  • Devin Duvernay, WR — 5
  • Tim Jones, WR — 1

Engram was on the field for just 36 of the team’s 53 snaps. The veteran, who signed a big contract extension last summer, was targeted four times but finished with only one reception for five yards. The Jaguars only ran 50 plays in the game and 26 of them were rushing attempts, severely limiting Engram’s impact. Lawrence attempted only 21 total passes. 

One player who made the most of his opportunities was second-year back Tank Bigsby, who carried the ball on 12 of his 17 snaps in this game and churned out a team-best 73 yards. The Jaguars are banking on Bigsby, a 2023 third-round pick out of Auburn, to help spell Etienne and lock down the No. 2 running back spot, and Sunday was a great sign.

The big story on defense for the Jaguars Sunday was losing top cornerback Tyson Campbell to a hamstring injury in the fourth quarter:

Jaguars defensive snap counts

  • Antonio Johnson, S — 71
  • Ronald Darby, CB — 70
  • Andre Cisco, S — 64
  • Foyesade Oluokun, LB — 60
  • Josh Hines-Allen, DE — 58
  • Devin Lloyd, LB — 53
  • Tyson Campbell, CB — 53
  • Travon Walker, ED — 52
  • Darnell Savage, S — 49
  • Roy Robertson-Harris, DT — 42
  • DaVon Hamilton, DT — 36
  • Arik Armstead, DT — 31
  • Maason Smith, DT — 29
  • Tyler Lacy, DT — 24
  • Montaric Brown, CB — 19
  • Jarrian Jones, CB — 17
  • Yasir Abdullah, OLB —16
  • Myles Cole, DE — 11
  • Ventrell Miller, LB — 10
  • Chad Muma, LB — 10
  • Terrell Edmunds, S — 6

Former seventh-round pick Montaric Brown stepped in for Campbell as the Jags were unable to get a stop on the Dolphins’ back-to-back field goal drives that ended the game.

The 80-yard touchdown catch and run by Tyreek Hill aside — particularly painful since the Jaguars had two defenders on him on that play — it was a solid showing by Jacksonville’s defense in new coordinator Ryan Nielsen’s debut. Still, secondary depth was a major concern entering Week 1, and it could be tested a lot earlier than folks in Duval County had hoped this season.

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Ryan OLeary

Ryan OLeary Photo

Ryan O'Leary has spent his entire professional career in sports multimedia, working as journalist, editor, podcaster, and in live events as a content manager and show emcee. His career highlights include working as a podcast host and audio editor for USA TODAY Sports Media Group, where he led a series of NFL podcasts for the company’s top-performing NFL sites. A born and raised New Englander, Ryan’s career kicked-off in newspapers after graduating from the University of New Hampshire with a degree in journalism. He developed an affinity for small-town youth, high school and college sports, while also realizing his childhood dream of covering the Patriots in multiple AFC Championship Games. Ryan enjoys kicking it with family and friends, beating his dad and brother in chess, and arguing with anyone crazy enough to insist that Tom Brady isn’t the GOAT.