JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Jacksonville Jaguars are in a good spot at 4-2 entering their bye week, even with their Week 6 loss to the Houston Texans ... but that does not mean there are not still questions that need answering.
So, what are the biggest questions facing the Jaguars as they enter their Week 7 bye, and how can they start answering them to prepare for their run at the AFC South? We break it all down below.
How Can They Fix the Secondary?
The Jaguars need some help in the secondary, no matter what form it comes in. They have dealt with a decent amount of injuries in the back end, with Montaric Brown, Caleb Ransaw, and Eric Murray all missing time and with Antonio Johnson getting banged up against the Houston Texans. But even with that context, the Jaguars simply need to be better at limiting explosive pass plays out of the bye week to ensure that their defense bounces back from their performance against the Texans, where they allowed scoring drives six times on 10 chances.
Fixing the secondary could mean adding new pieces to it ... or it could mean the Jaguars shifting some people around, such as moving Jarrian Jones to the slot and letting Jalen Huskey get some defensive reps at safety. The solutions are there for the Jaguars, they just need to embrace them and hope nobody esle suffers any injuries anytime soon.
What is Travis Hunter's Offensive Role?
There is no word for Travis Hunter other than "star", especially after what he did against the Houston Texans last week. He played almost every single defensive snap and still produced four catches for 59 yards and a touchdown with just nine snaps on offense. The Jaguars have now been shown the path on how to get the most out of Hunter, and the question to ask now is simply what's next for his offensive role. The Jaguars now get the week and then some to figure out exactly what that will look like.
The Brian Thomas Jr. question is certainly a part of this equation; so is the snap count for sixth-round rookie wide receiver Josh Cameron. But the Jaguars need to use Hunter more on offense in some capacity; he has simply proven to be too electric with the ball in his hands to not have him get at least a few touches a game, and the Jaguars should use the bye week to put together the plan to make that happen.
What Will They Do About Brian Thomas Jr?
The Brian Thomas Jr. question has lingered over Jacksonville since his struggles began last season and, well, they are clearly not going anywhere. Thomas did not log a single snap in the second-half of Week 6 after failing to come up with two important first-half targets, and it is clear the Jaguars' offense just operates better with every other top receiver on the team, even including rookie receiver Josh Cameron and cornerback/wide receiver Travis Hunter. With the trade deadline now just a few weeks away, the Jaguars will need to make up their minds sooner than later on the former first-round pick.
If the Jaguars move past the bye week and plan to simply sit Thomas the rest of the way, they will lose all leverage and value in any potential Thomas trade. That means they simply have to move quickly, and the bye week gives them a perfect chance to do that. The Jaguars do not play another game for 11 days, which gives them some time to make something happen before his value gets any worse. Either way, this is a pressing situation that demands a solution sooner rather than later.
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