JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — The Jacksonville Jaguars have a guy making clutch plays in two phases of the game. He gets open, scores touchdowns and tackles ball carriers.
Former Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter? No. Not yet anyway.
Rookie receiver Josh Cameron might be the most versatile young player on Jacksonville’s roster. The sixth-round draft pick out of Baylor has two TD receptions, five kickoff returns for 136 yards and a special teams tackle
that prevented a big play.
His 12-yard TD catch in a 35-6 victory over New England on Sunday started the home team’s rout.
“He’s that guy,” coach Liam Coen said. “That’s him. That’s the definition of who he is. He’s the personal protector on punt. He catches a touchdown in the end zone on a critical down, then he runs down on kickoff and makes the tackle, then he gets a kickoff return out past the 50 on an explosive.
“The more you can do in this league, right? … Everything he does he does like a pro.”
Cameron finished with a team-high 75 all-purpose yards and could end up being the team’s third receiver behind Parker Washington and Jakobi Meyers. Brian Thomas Jr. dropped two passes in a 20-13 loss at Denver last week, creating speculation that Hunter would get more snaps on the offensive side of the ball. Coen even fed into the possibility.
But it was Cameron on the field early and often in place of Thomas. They played the same number of offensive snaps (23) against New England. Hunter was on the field for five plays and didn't touch the ball.
Cameron made more of an impact on that side of the ball, catching a dart from Lawrence between three defenders. His TD reception in the opener against Cleveland was even better, a diving catch in the end zone while surrounded by four defenders.
“Pretty sweet catch,” Lawrence said.
Added Meyers: “Vet play, for real. That was talented.”
Cameron flashed in training camp and opened more eyes by averaging 19.3 yards a catch in the preseason. Now, with Jacksonville looking for more reliability from its No. 3 receiver, Cameron might just be getting started.
“One bite at a time, man,” Meyers said. “He shows up. He does everything right every single day. … He’s just been making plays consistently, and it showed when he got out there.”
The Jaguars have allowed a league-low 36 points through three games, with 24 of those coming in the fourth quarter. Although they haven’t played any offensive juggernauts — Cleveland, Denver and New England — there has been plenty to like on the defensive side of the ball.
Defensive tackle DaVon Hamilton has been stout in the middle, clearing lanes for linebacker Ventrell Miller to make plays, and the secondary has been fairly sticky outside of Denver’s Jaylen Waddle catching eight passes for 138 yards. Also, Hunter got his first career interception.
Jacksonville’s screen game leaves a lot to be desired. On a first-down play in the first quarter, Lawrence connected with running back Bhayshul Tuten in the left flat. Tuten had four blockers in front of him, but they failed to hold off two defenders. Tuten gained 2 yards.
It's a two-year trend for Jacksonville.
Chris Rodriguez Jr., who signed a two-year, $10 million contract in free agency, scored his first touchdown with the Jaguars. Rodriguez ran eight times for 37 yards against the Pats and scored on a 5-yard run in the third quarter.
Coen said Rodriguez was frustrated with “some of his misreads” in the first two games, adding that he had a “phenomenal” week of practice. Rodriguez, meanwhile, said he had been running with a “super high” pad level.
“You can do big things if you get your pads down there,” he said.
Thomas finished with one reception for 8 yards. He should get a chance to earn more playing time, but don’t expect the Jags to make him their featured receiver anytime soon, if ever again.
DT Albert Regis injured an elbow in practice Friday and was inactive.
4 – Number of consecutive wins Cincinnati, the Jags' next opponent, has against Jacksonville.
The Jaguars need to find a way to slow down Bengals QB Joe Burrow and WRs Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins on Sunday.
___
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
