The Jacksonville Jaguars completed joint training with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday and welcomed their colleagues from Florida to the Miller Electric Center for the second day in a row.
After focusing on the offensive side of the ball on Wednesday, we turned our attention to the defensive side of the ball on Day 2.
So which defenders stood out and what does that mean for the future? We analyze it below.
André Cisco
Andre Cisco, one of the true candidates to be the breakout safety in 2024, had a stellar day of practice on Thursday. Cisco was often near the ball and rarely looked out of place, earning him praise from respected defensive backs coach Kris Richard on several occasions. Cisco also made the best play of the day, breaking out of a trips formation through a pick route to follow running back Sean Tucker in the red zone and getting into position for a pick six when Tucker botched the pass.
Erick Hallett
The biggest ball-grabber on Thursday was safety Erick Hallett, who is a second-year guard and certainly in contention for a spot in the rankings. After spending time on the practice squad last year, Hallett has gone from a cornerback/safety hybrid to a pure safety in Ryan Nielsen’s scheme, and that’s paid off for him with a solid training camp. He was in the right place at the right time and showed good ball skills against the Bucs, intercepting Kyle Trask twice.
Devin Lloyd
One of the reasons Hallett was able to record two Trask interceptions was third-year linebacker Devin Lloyd. After lining up and blitting before the snap, Lloyd never rushed the passer and instead kept his eyes on Trask. Lloyd read the ball excellently and timed his leap to deflect Trask’s pass at the line of scrimmage and send it into Hallett’s arms for what would have been a pick-six. Lloyd was in the right spot many times throughout the day.
Josh Hines Allen
The Jaguars’ best player and the Buccaneers’ best player faced off often this week when Josh Hines-Allen faced Tristan Wirfs. Hines-Allen has called Wirfs one of the best tackles he’s faced in his entire career, and it’s clear why he respects the all-world offensive lineman. Despite that respect, Hines-Allen took him in the first round of the 2020 draft on Thursday on multiple occasions, including an impressive block on a running play that sent Wirfs to the ground.
Montaric Brown
It wasn’t a perfect practice for Brown, who caught a touchdown from Kyle Trask and Trey Palmer. But the third-year cornerback also showed why he’ll likely still be on the 53-man roster by displaying the impressive route recognition and sense that helped him settle in as Tyson Campbell’s backup last year. Brown had good coverage all day and nearly hit a pick-six against Baker Mayfield had he not dropped the ball.
