Is the Tide Finally Turning on the Jaguars' Reluctance to Shop Brian Thomas Jr?

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Could the tide finally be turning for the Jacksonville Jaguars and Brian Thomas Jr., at least when it relates to a potential parting of ways?

It feels like the chances of Thomas turning things around with the Jaguars are minimal, and things have simply not worked out for him with the new regime and coaching staff. In 20 games of the Liam Coen era, Thomas has caught 57 of 111 targets (51.35% catch rate) for 813 yards and three touchdowns. In 17 games as a rookie, he caught 87 of 133 targets (65.4%) for 1,282 yards and 10 touchdowns.

That really leaves the Jaguars and Thomas with one clear option: a trade ahead of next month's NFL trade deadline. And according to ESPN insider Jeremy Fowler, it appears the rest of the league believes the Jaguars may finally start to be open to the idea after a year of pushing back against the idea of trading the former first-rounder.

"Brian Thomas Jr., immensely talented but I have talked to several teams who believe he could be dealt over the next few weeks," Fowler said.

"Jacksonville has relented in the past. They have kept him because he is such a big talent, they hoped that his deep threat would balance things out, but there are other receivers. Last two weeks, no catches. Had just 15 snaps, so was essentially benched in that London game against Houston, so something has to give. There are going to be some interested parties. Kansas City has been looking around at potentially adding a receiver, Pittsburgh to some extent."

So, could it be a real possibility that the Jaguars' focus when it comes to Thomas is shifting after his benching against the Texans?

The Thomas Stance

Simply put, the Jaguars would be committing team-building malpractice if their stance on Thomas hasn't shifted by now. It made sense last season for the Jaguars to want to work through things with Thomas. It even made sense this offseason, when Thomas had the best offseason program and training camps of his career and seemed to improve on his connection with Trevor Lawrence.

But things have changed since then. Thomas wasn't getting benched a year ago; he was still on the field and providing value. And even this offseason with Jakobi Meyers and Parker Washington ahead of him in the pecking order, he was still a starting receiver in three-receiver sets and the Jaguars' only true X receiver on the roster.

Since then, though, the Jaguars have seen Thomas' role get reduced for two reasons: drops, which led to his benching in the second-half of Sunday's game against the Texans, and Josh Cameron. Cameron, a sixth-round pick in April, flashed a ton during the offseason program and training camp but there was no true sample size that indicated he should see snaps over Thomas, thus making Thomas expendable.

That has changed. Cameron has been uber-efficient in a limited role and has simply been much more consistent with the ball coming his way than Thomas has been this season. The Jaguars may not have known what they had in Cameron, but they do now. As a result, the math has changed.

With Cameron emerging, Thomas continuing to struggle, Travis Hunter proving he can provide value at receiver while being the No. 1 cornerback, and the Jaguars' increase in multiple tight end sets, the oppurtunity for Thomas is simply not there like it was a year ago, or even like it was in May or July. The situation has changed, and the Jaguars' minds should as a result.

If Fowler's senses are correct, the rest of the NFL is following the same math. The only outcome that really makes sense here is for the Jaguars to get some value out of Thomas, who likely would still be a very attractive player on the trade market.