The blistering heat and pads were out for a second straight practice on Monday. However, unlike Sunday's session, the intensity wasn't at its peak. Instead, the Jaguars focused mostly on situational drills during their eighth consecutive padded practice.
- Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles completed 13-of-20 passes during practice. While the numbers weren't eye-popping, he did throw some beautiful passes on the day. He started 5-of-6, hitting wide receivers Jaydon Mickens and Shane Wynn for touchdowns in the red zone. His highlight throw of the day was a bomb placed perfectly into the hands of Wynn, who got a step in front of free safety Tashaun Gipson for a touchdown reception of at least 65 yards. Bortles' lowlight came on a batted pass at the line by nose tackle Marcell Dareus. The ball floated in the air until defensive tackle Malik Jackson made a diving interception.
- Backup quarterback Cody Kessler had a pretty efficient day. He has yet to throw an interception during training camp. His highlight of practice was on a throw across the middle to wide receiver Rashad Greene to start 11-on-11 drills. The crosser led to a big gain for the Greene. He also made a nice throw across the middle to wide receiver Donte Moncrief during 7-on-7 drills.
- There were a few more coverage sacks on Monday. Rookie strong-side linebacker Leon Jacobs produced a sack on a blitz during the first set of 11-on-11 drills. Cornerbacks Jalen Ramsey, A.J. Bouye, Tre Herndon, Tyler Patmon and Sammy Seamster all had pass breakups during team drills.
- Despite listing Mickens as the starting punt returner on the unofficial depth chart, Wynn, Greene and Dede Westbrook were the only participants during the punt return drills. The unofficial depth chart isn't the most accurate exercise but it gives you a peek into what the coaches are thinking at the moment.
- Defensive end Calais Campbell (calf), defensive tackle Eli Ankou (knee), linebacker Brooks Ellis (undisclosed) and wide receiver DeAndre Smelter (undisclosed) all missed practice. Campbell returned after a Friday absence on Sunday but was held out of this workout. Ankou, Ellis and Smelter have been sidelined since Friday.
- Defensive end Dante Fowler (shoulder) remains on the physically unable to perform list. He has missed the entirety of training camp but can be activated at any time.
- Mickens, Wynn and Greene have all put together three consecutive strong practices. The trio's competition may be the closest of the intriguing training camp battles. The wide receivers trade off highlights consistently. Mickens has proven to be an asset in the red zone, while Wynn has been the deep ball king. Greene has shown a nice mix of deep and short routes.
- Running back Corey Grant had a nice day weaving through traffic. A talented speedster, Grant has helped Bortles and Kessler in the passing game during camp. He should be heavily involved on offense this season.
- Jaguars defensive coordinator Todd Wash discusses Jacobs at SAM linebacker:
“He is doing well. It is a situation where he is obviously a rookie. He steps on the grass and all the different looks our offense is giving us is great for the growth and development of him. We are seeing some real good things. Obviously, we are looking for consistency out of him, but we are excited with where he is at, at this time.”
- Wash discusses Fowler's potential return:
“We leave that up to the trainers. The biggest thing we tell our coaches and we get told this, but we are going to coach the guys that are in the room. Obviously, Dante is not on the grass, but he is in the room. He is making sure he is up to speed mentally with all the stuff we do defensively. We look forward to getting back. Hopefully, it is soon.”
- Wash discusses the nickel cornerback position:
“I thought D.J. [Hayden] has had a great [camp] once we got the pads on. I think he has been playing extremely well. We also have Tyler Patmon in there. We have Tre Herndon. I think we have some real good quality depth at the nickel spot. These preseason games are going to be big. Once again, we have to find out how well people are going to tackle. We haven’t done it yet, but up until this point D.J. has been a good man-to-man player. He is really starting to excel in the zone coverages that we play and the instincts that it takes to be a nickel. We have to find out who can blitz. We are going to try to bring our nickel in that kind of stuff at times and can he win one-on-one battles. Those are all things we are going to find out in the games here in the next month.”
Follow Mike Kaye on Twitter: @Mike_E_Kaye.