Jaguars' Brian Thomas Jr. After Second-Half Benching: 'I Still Know What I Can Do'
Jacksonville's struggling receiver says his confidence is intact, and Liam Coen expects him to make plays against the Colts amid trade chatter
Brian Thomas Jr. says his confidence hasn't gone anywhere, even after a benching and a growing pile of trade talk.
The Jaguars receiver spoke Wednesday for the first time since he sat the entire second half of the 34-31 loss to Houston before the bye, Jaguars.com's John Oehser reported.
"I feel I still know what I can do. I just have to go out and do it and go out there and show everybody what I can do. Everybody goes through adversity. You just have to keep fighting through it."
— Brian Thomas Jr.
Thomas dropped both of his targets over 15 first-half snaps against the Texans, part of a drop problem that has followed him for two seasons. He said he wanted to "flush it" over the break and come back with a different mindset.
The numbers show how far he has fallen in the offense. The 2024 Pro Bowler has nine catches for 105 yards and a touchdown through six games, and only three catches for 25 yards on eight targets over the last four. He's fourth on the team in targets behind Parker Washington, Brenton Strange and Jakobi Meyers.
Liam Coen backed him again but didn't promise a bigger role. "I fully anticipate he's going to make plays for us this Sunday," Coen said, while adding that "when there's a hot hand going you have to go with the hot hand a little here and there." Trevor Lawrence said the team has "a ton of confidence in him."
That all plays out with the Nov. 10 deadline approaching and Jacksonville's willingness to listen on Thomas a live topic. The 4-2 Jaguars host the Colts on Sunday.