Jacksonville Jaguars players share memories of their first NFL touchdowns

Josh Cameron's first NFL touchdown was a perfect moment under nearly any circumstance.

The Jacksonville Jaguars' rookie wide receiver snared a bullet of a pass from Trevor Lawrence on second-and-goal from the 4-yard line in the second quarter of the opening game against the Cleveland Browns on Sept. 13 to give the Jags a 14-0 lead.

The score came in Cameron's first NFL game, on his first target, in front of Jaguars fans. His family also was in the stands to celebrate and the Jags went on to win 34-10.

Does it get any better than that?

"No … I don't think it does," Cameron said Sept. 16 after the Jaguars practiced at the Miller Electric Center. "Just having everyone there, being able to watch that moment, being able to share that moment with them,

it was definitely huge."

All first touchdowns are, whether it's in a Pop Warner game or the highest level of football in the NFL. But they're especially meaningful when it happens in the latter circumstance because every player on an NFL roster has already beaten the odds just to earn a spot.

The first touchdown could lead to many. Who knew that when Hall of Fame wide receiver Jerry Rice scored his first TD on a 25-yard pass from Joe Montana on Oct. 6, 1985, it would lead to 207 more, an NFL record?

But there is nothing like the first visit to an NFL end zone.

Jaguars have 15 players with NFL scores

The Jaguars have 15 players on their current 53-man roster who have scored NFL touchdowns. Four have been by defensive players and 11 on offense. By position group, it's five wide receivers, two tight ends, three running backs, quarterback Trevor Lawrence, two defensive backs, one linebacker and one defensive end.

Nine of the TDs have been scored by players drafted by the Jaguars, one by a free-agent signing and five with previous NFL teams.

.@Josh_Cameron34's first NFL catch is also his first NFL touchdown!#CLEvsJAX on CBS & @paramountplus pic.twitter.com/SGwEWLQFAA

— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) September 13, 2026

Lawrence has thrown TD passes to six of the players for their first scores, which delights him to no end.

"I love it," he said. "It's really cool."

The Times-Union talked to all 15 players about their first NFL touchdowns. In every case, their eyes lit up, a smile crossed their faces, and they enjoyed retelling a story they've undoubtedly told family and friends numerous times, and likely will tell their children and grandchildren.

Most remember the play down to the smallest detail, such as linebacker Foye Oluokun's interception return in 2023 at New Orleans.

"We were in quarters coverage, No. 13 [New Orleans WR Michael Thomas] was to my side, kind of going to do a drag route," Oluokun said. "He eventually went under me, so I moved through trust, because [safety Andre] Cisco's going to pick up the over [coverage] anyway. I was able to block the quarterback coming back to [throw a] dig [route]. Darius Williams broke it up. I caught it."

Some talk about the moment being a cacophony of noise, colors and even confusion, with some details hazy.

"It was kind of warped," said running back Ameer Abdullah on his first score, 11 years ago in 2015 with Detroit, in his first NFL game as a rookie, on his first carry. "The sound and all … all you can do is be immersed in the situation. It was a euphoric feeling because as a kid you dream about it and you rehearse it so many times, mentally."

Abdullah said he remembered one thing: The first teammate to get to and hug him was Hall of Fame wide receiver Calvin Johnson. A rookie, getting his first touchdown, and “Megatron” finds him first.

”I’ll never forget that,” Abdullah said.

At times, the first touchdown wasn’t as enjoyable as it could have been. Some admitted the experience was mitigated because it came in a game their teams lost ― which happened in seven of the 15 games when Jaguars players scored their first TDs.

"Wish we could have come out with the dub," said wide receiver Parker Washington of his first score, in a 2023 Monday Night game at EverBank Stadium against Cincinnati, which the Jags lost in overtime.

"It would have been much better if we had won," said wide receiver Travis Hunter about his 2025 score in London against the Los Angeles Rams.

Some TDs didn't follow the script

Most of the time, a touchdown is scored because the right play was called at the right time or if a player's instincts were on the money.

Not always.

Bhayshul Tuten's first TD with the Jaguars, in 2025 against Cincinnati on an 8-yard pass from Lawrence, came after he missed a "can call," where Lawrence goes with the second of two options called in the huddle.

Tuten thought the play was going to be a screen pass to the left where he would chip the defensive end, then drift out for the pass. But the lineman blocked for a screen to the right, which was Lawrence's call.

"I was in the wrong place," Tuten said.

Bhayshul Tuten scores his first NFL TD!

JAXvsCIN on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/B4EmYon3L8

— NFL (@NFL) September 14, 2025

Lawrence improvised, flipped the ball to Tuten anyway, and he juked two Cincinnati defenders for the TD. What was hilarious about th play are the Jaguars offensive linemen blocking to the right, then looking up in astonishment as Tuten danced into the end zone.

Tuten said his one thought at the time was that coach Liam Coen would bench him for making the rookie mistake.

Washington scored his TD after blanking out on the play call, and getting saved by a time-out.

"I didn't even know the play," he admitted. "Then we called time out and [then wide receivers coach] Chad Hall told me, 'you've got this … you've got this.' I almost messed everything up."

Chris Rodriguez said he thought he was stopped 3 or 4 yards short of the goal line on his 12-yard TD run for Washington in 2023 against the New York Jets.

"You go back and watch the play, and I got stood up," he said. "But the O-line pushed me for about an extra 5 yards into the end zone. They just picked up up and drove me into the end zone."

Two of the Jaguars defensive touchdowns, scoop-and-score fumble returns by Josh Hines-Allen and Jourdan Lewis, came when balls were jarred loose by other defenders, with Hines-Allen and Lewis in the right place at the right time to pick up the ball.

"I don't know how the ball got to me," Lewis said of the 63-yard fumble return against the New York Giants in 2019.

Patience required for first TDs

Cameron is the third active Jaguars player to score his first touchdown in his first game. Brian Thomas Jr. got his first in 2024 at Miami on a 14-yard pass from Lawrence and Abdullah scored in his first game with Detroit in 2015.

Some had to wait longer. Olukun got his first and, to date, only NFL touchdown seven games into his sixth NFL season. Hines-Allen's score against Tennessee in the final regular-season game of the 2022 season came at the end of his fourth season.

Jakobi Meyers had the longest wait among skill-position players, with his first score coming deep into his third season.

It's perhaps natural for running backs and wide receivers to be impatient about getting their first score. After all, they get more touches than anyone besides the quarterback and their mindset is to get to the goal line.

"I was beginning to think I'd never score a touchdown," said Rodriguez, who scored for the Commanders in his ninth NFL game, after a college career at Kentucky when he scored 35 touchdowns.

It can be a much longer wait for defensive players for obvious reasons ― touchdowns on defense are rare in the NFL.

The Jaguars' defensive players waited an average of 57.5 games before their first TDs, more than three full NFL seasons.

"As a defensive player, you just don't get your hands on the ball like a wide receiver or running back," said safety Antonio Johnson, who got his first NFL TD last year against Tennessee in the final regular-season game of his third NFL season. "But that makes scoring on defense that much more special."

Where's the touchdown ball?

After a Jaguars player scores a touchdown, whether it's his first or not, he has the option of keeping it.

But when it's the first score, the team's equipment staff makes doubly sure to secure the ball and put it in a safe place on the sideline to give to the player later.

After that, the ball usually goes where trophies and other memorabilia go: In some hallowed place in a player's home.

"It's in my man cave … a little man cave I have," said Meyers, who said a friend painted the ball with the score and date.

Cameron said he just moved into a new apartment and the ball is waiting to go on a desk he has yet to put together.

"I'm going to get a plexiglass something … going to go on a shelf on the desk," he said.

Some players give the balls to their families. The ball from Abdullah's touchdown, which came 11 years ago, is at his parents' house in Birmingham, Ala., in a family shrine to his parents' nine children, who have excelled athletically and academically.

"We've got some high achievers in our family," Abdullah said with considerable pride.

Parker Washington keeps his first touchdown ball at his home in Houston. Bhayshul Tuten has locked his ball in a China cabinet. Thomas gave his ball to his father.

Oluokun said his TD ball is in a basket at his home with other commemorative balls from interceptions and fumble recoveries. He said he plans to show the balls to his children in the future, "to remind them why they're enjoying such a nice lifestyle."

Then there was Hines-Allen's tribute to a teammate. When he made his scoop-and-score in the final regular-season game of the 2022 season with 3:01 left, clinching the AFC South title and a playoff berth, Hines-Allen took the ball and gave it to safety Rayshawn Jenkins, who sacked Titans quarterback Josh Dobbs, forcing the ball out.

"He was the one who did the work," said Hines-Allen, whose score that night is the only defensive TD of his high school, college or pro career. "I just accepted the award."

There could have been an issue with Cameron's touchdown ball. It was his first, but it was Lawrence's 100th career TD pass.

Following Hines-Allen’s example of being a good teammate, Lawrence ceded ownership of the ball to the rookie and looked ahead to the future.

"It's Josh's first one, so he can keep it," Lawrence said. "I got to go get 200 [TD passes] now. I’ll keep that one."

First career touchdowns for 2026 Jaguars players

(In reverse chronological order)

WR Josh Cameron: 3-yard pass from Trevor Lawrence vs. Cleveland, Sept. 13, 2026, first career game. Jaguars won 34-10.

Cameron (on catching the ball in a crowd of defenders: "I practice that body presence. I use a little dummy bag to practice that until I don't really feel it, and became natural at it. Trevor threw an amazing ball. He threw it in the only spot where I could get it."

S Antonio Johnson: 58-yard interception return vs. Tennessee, Jan. 4, 2026, 38th career game. Jaguars won 41-7.

Johnson: "I was playing off the quarterback and he thought he led the tight end. Then I got it. Once I caught the ball, I saw the whole team, the whole offense in the middle. To my right, it was nothing but green grass."

WR Travis Hunter: 34-yard pass from Lawrence vs. Los Angeles Rams in London, Oct. 1, 2025, seventh career game. Jaguars lost 35-7.

Hunter: "It was a hurry-up offense play, and I was just trying to get in the end zone. I was happy for Josh [Cameron] getting his first but it was two different scenarios. We won his [game], and we lost mine."

RB Bhayshul Tuten: 8-yard pass from Lawrence at Cincinnati, Sept. 21, 2025, second career game. Jaguars lost 31-27.

Tuten: "An amazing feeling … it's always been a dream for me to make it to the pros, just to be out on the field. Then to score a touchdown, on national TV … an NFL touchdown. It was exciting."

WR Brian Thomas Jr.: 14-yard pass from Lawrence at Miami, Sept. 8, 2024, first career game. Jaguars lost 20-17.

Thomas: "When the play was called we actually didn't get the look that we thought were going to get, but we got a similar look. I remember having to run over the top of a linebacker and Trevor made a great throw. And as soon as I turned around to look for it, it was right there."

RB Chris Rodriguez (Washington): 12-yard run vs. New York Jets, Dec. 24, 2023, 11th career game. Commanders lost 30-28.

Rodriguez: "You're just so excited, proud of all the work that you put in, especially in the offseason. Mine was later in the season … I thought I was never going to get a touchdown, and then it finally came, and just all the emotions, all the build-up. Then I realized like I can do this, so then my game kind of elevated."

WR Parker Washington: 14-yard pass from Lawrence vs. Cincinnati, Dec. 4, 2023, fourth career game. Jaguars lost 34-31.

Washington: "I just saw the football in the air, and I was, 'I've got to make a play. All I remember is [the defensive back] almost intercepted it. It was a special moment for me. Wish we would have came out with the dub, but it was cool."

LB Foye Oluokun: 24-yard interception return at New Orleans, Oct. 19, 2023, 88th career game. Jaguars won 31-24.

Oluokun: "Darius Williams broke it up. Ball popped, I caught it and boom! People were under me. I kept my feet up, made sure I cleared the landing as they rolled under me. Now we're on offense. I think Tre [Herndon] blocked the first guy, set him up. Andre Cisco came from the backside and it was just a race to the pylon. I ran, ran, ran. Touchdown."

TE Brenton Strange: 10-yard pass from Lawrence vs. Indianapolis, Oct. 15, 2023, sixth career game. Jaguars won 37-20.

Strange: "We were playing the Colts week one and I ran a wheel route … I was wide open. I started jumping up and down but I guess I was kind of a decoy and Trevor threw it right behind me, right to Calvin [Ridley] for the touchdown. And then [vs. the Colts at home] we ran the same play and this time Trevor and I connected on it. A great feeling. The stuff you dream about."

DE Josh Hines-Allen: 37-yard fumble return vs. Tennessee, Jan. 7, 2023, 57th career game. Jaguars won 20-16.

Hines-Allen: "That was a darn special. That was a meaningful play, really. Especially for me, my first touchdown in college or the NFL. We went to the playoffs and it was a surreal experience that I'll never forget, for sure. And I know the fan base never forgets that. Just makes it even more special."

TE Quintin Morris (Buffalo): 14-yard pass from Josh Allen vs. Miami, Dec. 17, 2022, 12th career game. Bills won 32-29.

Morris: "It was a corner route and [Jevon] Holland came down and pressed. I took the inside release. I knew I was going to come open. I just looked back and was looking for Josh, and he put it up over top. It was a snow game. I remember just looking in the stands and I they were throwing snowballs."

WR Jakobi Meyers (New England): 11-yard pass from Brian Hoyer vs. Cleveland, Nov. 14, 2021, 39th career game. Patriots won 45-7.

Meyers: “It’s surreal … because you dream of being in that moment. And for it to actually happen, it's like, 'oh dang, it can't be real right now.' But I'm here [in the end zone], everybody’s rushing you. You really don't get a chance to think at all, man. It's hard to explain. You’re just really happy, man. You’re so happy. All the guys are happy for you. It's just a moment you want to remember forever."

QB Trevor Lawrence: 7-yard run at Cincinnati, Sept. 30, 2021, fourth career game. Jaguars lost 24-21. Lawrence's first career TD pass was a 22-yarder to TE Chris Manhertz vs. Houston on Sept. 12, 2021, his first career game. The Jaguars lost 37-21.

Lawrence, on whether a quarterback remembers his first TD pass more than a TD scored: "I think so. Typically [a TD pass in the NFL] usually comes first. I guess it depends on the guy. I don't know if I remember my first rushing touchdown, honestly. I think to score a touchdown in the NFL is a pretty cool thing. Not a ton of people can say that, so I think it's really cool.”

CB Jourdan Lewis (Dallas): 63-yard fumble return at New York Giants, Nov. 4, 2019, 38th career game. Cowboys won 37-18.

Lewis: "Daniel Jones rolled out, got sacked [by Dorance Armstrong] and the ball got smacked out of his hands. I'm like, 'okay, we're going to recover the fumble but I was 30 yards down the field. I'm running to the ball and my guys are trying to pick it up and it squirted towards me. So I picked it up and took it to the end zone. It was crazy."

RB Ameer Abdullah (Detroit): 24-yard run vs. Los Angeles Chargers, Sept. 13, 2015, first career game. Lions lost 33-28.

Abdullah: "When I think back on it, it's like everything kind of warped. The sound and all you can do is just be immersed in the situation. I was so excited. I just remember everyone coming up to me, and it was a euphoric feeling. Because as a kid, you dream about that, and you rehearse it so many times mentally."

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jacksonville Jaguars players share memories of their first NFL touchdowns