JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The key word when it comes to Jacksonville Jaguars receiver Brian Thomas Jr. is confidence.
On Wednesday, Thomas said he hasn't lost any despite early-season struggles. Coach Liam Coen said he hasn't lost any confidence in him, either. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence echoed the same sentiment.
The start of Thomas' second season has been underwhelming compared to his rookie season. Thomas finished third in the NFL in receiving yards (1,282 yards with 10 TDs) in 2024 behind only Ja'Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson.
In 2025, Thomas' 365 receiving yards rank 41st in the NFL and his 13.5 yards per catch rank 28th. He has also been plagued by five drops (tied for second-most in NFL), according to ESPN Research, and there have been several instances in which he appeared to avoid contact while trying to make a catch.
The offense, as a result, is struggling -- averaging 19 points per game (26th) and scoring 19 points combined in the last two games.
"Any player that has maybe not done as much as they'd want to -- as a player and as a coach -- [the approach] is to just keep pushing through that," Coen said. "... It takes work, it takes patience, it takes time, and you're just hopeful that it's going to be able to come to life here."
The Jaguars will need Thomas more than ever because Travis Hunter, whom the team had moved into the No. 1 receiver role before the Week 8 bye, was placed on injured reserve because of a noncontact right knee injury he suffered during Thursday's practice. The team is still trying to determine the extent of the injury and whether Hunter could return from IR after the minimum of four games or if it'll be longer.
Regardless of the length of time Hunter misses, the Jaguars need Thomas to put up similar production to his final six games as a rookie, when he had double-digit targets each week and caught 50 passes for 675 yards and five touchdowns. Before the injury, Hunter was averaging 42.6 yards per game and led the team in yards after catch (139). The onus will be mostly on Thomas to fill in.
"Watching this week's practice ... [Thomas] practiced the best I've seen him practice," Coen said. "I mean that. Truly believe that. Told him that and really expect him to show up and make some huge plays for us as we go.
"And [told him], 'Look, you don't have to go and be anybody but the best version of B.T.J. and that's going to be damn good enough.'"
Thomas has shown glimpses of what the Jaguars expect from their 2024 first-round pick. He came through with a clutch 33-yard catch on third down in the Jaguars' game-winning drive against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 5. Two weeks before, Thomas had a 46-yard catch-and-run to set up the Jaguars' winning touchdown with less than two minutes to play against Houston.
Those glimpses of what he did as a rookie are there, but the consistency is missing. He's working on finding that.
"[I have to] go out there each and every game [and] give it my all [and] compete," Thomas said. "Even if you feel like you don't do the best, come out next week, try to do better than what you did last week. My mindset is to put my best foot forward each and every day [and] come out and compete."
Thomas' 52.1 receiving yards per game in 2025 is the fourth-lowest receiving yards per game in a player's second season after recording 1,000-yards receiving as a rookie, according to ESPN Research. Only Michael Clayton (26.6 YPG), Kyle Pitts (35.6), and Terry Glenn (47.9) averaged fewer yards per game in Year 2 among the 34 rookies who posted 1,000-yard receiving seasons in NFL history.
That number can change significantly because the Jaguars have 10 games remaining, but it is an indication of the severity of Thomas' drop off: He averaged 75.4 yards per game in 2024.
But Thomas isn't in denial about his struggles. After practices he puts in extra work on the JUGS machine and catches extra passes from Lawrence. Lawrence says the two have regular conversations, not just about the offense and what's happening on the field, but also about how handling and responding when things aren't going well.
Lawrence has gone through similar struggles in his career -- he's on his third head coach and offense and has a league-high 74 turnovers since he entered the league in 2021 -- so he has tried to counsel Thomas.
"He's such a young player and he's in his second year and I think that's part of developing as a player in this league," Lawrence said. "And I've gone through a lot of my own challenges as well and times where maybe I didn't play my best and felt like I was leaving some stuff out there. And so I think us just having that relationship, being able to talk to him, he's been awesome with me and very receptive and I think the communication has been great.
"I've got all the confidence that he's going to play really well and be just fine. So I'm not concerned with that."
Before the bye, Thomas set season highs in catches (eight) and yards (90) and had his lone touchdown in the Jaguars' Week 6 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, but he had just three catches for 31 yards against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 7 -- a game in which Hunter was the focal point of the pass offense (14 targets, eight catches, 101 yards, TD).
Fellow receiver Dyami Brown said he knows Thomas' slump is temporary and he's making sure the young receiver doesn't get overwhelmed by it.
"I'm always by his side," Brown said. "Even when he has those games like that, I always want to tell him, 'Man, remember to be who you are. Don't let this phase you in any kind of way, because at the end of the day, we need you to be, you. Don't let it get to your head. Because when things get to your head and you dwell on it, things continuously just happen and you kind of don't want that.'
"... It's just all about how can you respond."
Which goes back to confidence, and Thomas' hasn't wavered.
"[Confidence level is] high as always," he said. "I feel like I know what I could do and I know what I'm capable of."
