JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Last season it took way too long for the Jaguars to realize the caliber of player that they had on their hands in Brian Thomas Jr. It wasn’t until Week 13 that the rookie phenom finally saw 10 targets in a game, but it was a little too late in the season by that point.
Nevertheless, Thomas would see 10 or more targets every single game from then on out.
Following games of 22 yards and 12 yards against the Eagles and Vikings, Thomas would post at least 76 yards in each of the remaining seven games.
Thomas ended up finishing third in receiving yards (1282), however, his target share for the offense didn’t command that of an elite receiver. Thomas’ meager 25.48% target share was 18th among NFL receivers. It’s almost hard to believe he finished third in yards last season.
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Of the Jaguars’ first reads, Thomas saw 29.3% of them, ranking 26th according to Fantasy Points. In a Doug Pederson’ offense, that’s incredibly relevant as the Jaguars led the NFL in 1st reads each of the three seasons under him. While Thomas led the team, he wasn’t seeing as many first reads as the other “elite” receivers of the NFL.
In part, it might be due to his lack of designed targets, something fans clamored for all of last season. Thomas finished the season with 16 designed targets, less than one per game over the course of the season. That figure placed Thomas 20th among NFL receivers.
For reference, Dyami Brown had four more designed targets than Brian Thomas Jr and he only started three games last season for the Washington Commanders. The Jaguars just didn’t realize that Thomas was their offensive identity last season.
When the Jaguars did target him, the quarterbacks solely let him down as well. According to Fantasy Points, a whopping 30% of Thomas’ targeted air yards when open were deemed uncatchable. Thomas did the hard part but the Jags’ quarterbacks simply couldn’t connect even when he was open.
Hopefully the Jaguars last seven games is a better indicator of what is to come of Thomas and the Jaguars offense.
Jacksonville struck gold in the 2024 NFL Draft and it’s time for Thomas to become the focal point of the Jaguars’ offense.
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