Episode 143: 5 Things to Watch During Jaguars OTAs

The offseason work is underway in Jacksonville, and in this episode, host James Johnson broke down the biggest storylines to keep an eye on during Jaguars OTAs. From rising stars to key position battles, there’s plenty developing before training camp officially begins.

He discuss whether Brian Thomas Jr. is ready to take the next step and emerge as one of the offense’s top playmakers, why Ventrell Miller can handle the challenge of stepping into a larger role following Devin Lloyd’s departure, and why the return of Caleb Ransaw could be an underrated storyline heading into camp.

Plus, we cover additional OTA observations, early standouts, and what these developments could mean for the Jaguars heading into the 2026 season.

Tune in and get caught up on everything happening around the Jacksonville Jaguars offseason.

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James Johnson and Phil Barrera bring you the best and most up to date Jacksonville Jaguars news. "Touchdown Jaguars!" is a tribute to the prospective ownership group "Touchdown Jacksonville!" In 1991, the NFL announced plans to add two expansion teams and "Touchdown Jacksonville!" announced its bid for a team, and Jacksonville was ultimately chosen as one of five finalists. In November 1993, the NFL owners voted 26–2 in favor of awarding the 30th franchise to Jacksonville. James and Phil have been fans of the franchise ever since and have had the honor (and sometimes dishonor) of covering the team professionally since 2017. The rest as they say, is history.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:59

Welcome to the Touchdown Jaguars Podcast. Here are your hosts, James Johnson and Phil Smith.

SPEAKER_02 1:08

All right, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to episode 143 of the Touchdown Jaguars Podcast. I am your host for today, James Johnson. Riding this one solo, as uh Phil uh has been doing a lot of convention work lately, and we'll have to do some in the month of June as well. Um so we're gonna we got some moving pieces here where we're gonna try and get some co-hosts to help me out here um in the month of June, especially that's a busy month for Phil. Um, understandably so with all of the conventions that's going on um in Florida and in nearby areas. But shoutouts to Phil, we'll get him back um in July. And um, as I said, you know, I'm gonna try kind of like we did with Josh, shout outs to Josh who was on the last episode with me. Um we're gonna try and get some fill-ins to co-host with me in the meantime, and if not, I'll just flap my guns by myself as I always do, right? Um, for the ladies in Jaguars news as OTAs has started, right? And today on um Tuesday, uh May the 26th, um, and shout outs to my boy Starge, who just had a birthday two days ago, um friend of the show. Um, but yeah, today the 26th, uh the Jaguars had their first OTA session of the year. Um, they will have plenty, plenty more. Um, and with it being early into into the OTA um part of the offseason for the Jacksonville Jaguars, I figured I'll make this episode about um things I'll be looking for um as they take the field for OTAs. I'll probably get this up by session two of OTAs, so it'll still be pretty early in the process. Um, so I felt like this will still be a pretty relevant topic as a result. But yeah, the guys took the field a day and um had a productive day. Of course, the pads aren't on, and you know, you you can't tell a lot until the pads go on. Um, but then again, there still is a lot to talk about. And um, you especially, as we've said many, many times in the past, you can take a lot from what the skilled guys are doing. Um, because you know, a lot of the things that they do don't necessarily correlate the contact. Of course, contact is one of the biggest keys in football, but there are some things that you see with the skill guys and that you can take from the skilled guys, especially um at this point of the offseason, more so than the guys in the trenches. That being said, I um posted a um a hype, which is kind of just a short clip um and review type of thing of an event in sports on Buzzer. Um, I don't know if I um announced it at least on this podcast. I know I have put it out there on our social media handles, but we are on the new sports platform Buzzer. We have a content creators account on there. Everybody feel free to check us out on there on Buzzer. Basically, what it is, and not to deter too much from uh the Jaguars and the Touchdown Jaguars podcast, but basically what it is is a social media app specifically for sports. Um, they make those who want to be creators sign up for creator content. Um, they review whoever wants to sign up for one so they can weed out all of the AI slop and the bots and you know, all of the think pieces and all the craziness you see on Twitter. Um, so they have a process of you know choosing uh those who will be creators. But if you want a regular account, you can sign up for that free. There's no review process for that. You just sign up, you can go on there, check out content, you can customize your timeline to see whatever you want, whether that's Jaguars news, basketball news, you name it. Um it's a it's a very creative thought and a very creative platform that is uh it's only been up for a month and a half, so it's still growing. There's still some kinks that need to be ironed out. But if anybody is looking just for a place, a social media place for sports and talking sports and sports content and a way to customize your timeline, buzzer is the place for you. Feel free to check out their app and that's BZZR. Again, that's BZZR Buzzer.com, or you can search Buzzr in your app store in Apple, or if you have an Android, you can search it in the Google Play Store. So, um, yep, that being said, um, I I put up a um a video on Buzzer of just some takeaways from OTAs, which I'll probably cross those when I talk about the the things I'll be looking for in OTAs, they'll probably somehow make their way into that conversation. So you guys will get a preview of that too as well. Um, before we get into that, however, we need to plug all of the handles, of course. Um, you know where you can find me on Twitter at sportsgrind underscore done. You can find Phil at Phil the Filipino on there. You can follow our handle, um, which is um the touchdown Jaguars handle, that is, at TD Jaguars Pod. And of course, you can find our podcast and archived episodes on your favorite platform, whether that's iTunes, Apple Podcasts, um, whether that's on Spotify, you name it. And if we are not on your favorite platform, feel free to let us know. And we'll do our best to get on there so we can give you the latest in Jacksonville Jaguars news. While we're at it, also feel free to use our promotion code with our sponsor, SeatGeek. As Phil said earlier, um, I don't even know if it still works. Somebody check that out and let us know. Um, of course, our code was Touchdown Jaguars. It'll get you $20 off of your first order with SeatGeek. And of course, SeatGeek, for those of you who don't know, that is your go-to place for your ticketing needs, whether it's in the sporting realm, uh, whether it is a concert, whatever event it is that you need a ticket for, whatever notable event that is, um, you can get tickets for that event at SeatGeek. Again, our promo code is Touchdown Jaguars. You can use that on the SeatGeek app, or you can use that on the SeatGeek website as you make your purchase. So, all of that said, um, yeah, we won't talk too much here. We'll get right into the topics at hand. Um, one thing I do want to do is actually um I don't think I did this, so I'm gonna pull it up. I I posted it on Buzzer earlier. Um, in terms of um with OTA starting, I want to give you all the dates um in which they'll be taking the field. The I do know off the top of my head that the Jaguars announced today that the 10th will be open to the public. You can get tickets on um or tickets to attend that tomorrow, I think, at 10 Eastern time for season ticket holders and 11 uh for non-season ticket holders. So I would imagine that's gonna be packed. Um, but do keep in mind the construction that's going on with the stadium as well. You're gonna have to park in, I think they said lot Z, and they're gonna have a shuttle to get you from lot Z to the Miller Electric Center. So keep that in mind um in terms of when you um attend or if you attend Jaguars, OTAs, and then in terms of the dates, I did pull it up here on Buzzer. Um they will take the fill from May 28th, which that's today, uh, to the 29th, which is tomorrow, uh, June the first to 2nd, uh June 4th, and June 15th to June 17th. So um there is that in terms of their dates. Uh and actually the um the session that I mentioned on June the 10th, that's a mini camp. So um that being said, I might have said that was an OTA correction on that. That was a mini camp. And yeah, man, we got some exciting times coming up for the Jacksonville Jaguars. Although, you know, the offseason wasn't one filled with moves, um, still one that um we are going into this offseason, and OTAs very interested in the team because they had some big subtractions and they got some additions who um are kind of unknown, right? When you look at the draft class, and um you look at um Rodriguez, who they uh they got in free agency who didn't take the field today, by the way. And uh we'll look into that development um down the road. But all of that said, man, let's get right into the topics at hand, and um we'll look at some things that I will be looking for in OTAs. As I mentioned, by the time this comes out, it'll probably be OTA session number two. So it'll still be early in the phase, early enough for me to still make this a relevant topic and something that I can put an episode on. But I got about one, two, three, four, five things I'll be watching for. I probably won't um go through all of these depending on how we're looking on time. And you know, as I said, I don't like to make super long podcasts for editing purposes. But as I look at my list here, the first one that stands out to me, and he's been a guy that a lot of there's been a lot of buzz around in him in these early stages of the offseason. Um, not just because like he meant people keep mentioning him for trade reasons, uh, but there have been good things said about you know how he's performing. And again, look, the pads are on, and you really can't put a lot into that, especially with this particular player, uh, which I'll get into that a little bit. But Brian Thomas Jr., I'll be looking for the growth of Brian Thomas Jr. in terms of he had a drop-off last year, right? And a lot of it was maybe learning the new system. But we also discovered that the way in which they wanted to use him at times across the field and going across the middle of the field and catching the ball before, you know, contact in the middle of the field was something he was struggling with, man. And he didn't look like the player he was as a rookie, didn't produce like he did in his rookie season as well during the regular season of 2025. And the Jaguars need him to step up, right? I mean, they got plenty of weapons, don't get me wrong. They have Parker Washington and Basel Tootin, and Brenton Strange, and um Jacoby Myers, and you name it, but with the skill set that he has and his speed that he that he brings to the table and how they want to use him, and Liam talked about that a little bit today, um, in terms of wanting to um be a team that can pass the ball downfield a little bit more and hit deeper concepts, kind of like they did at the end of the year last year. Started to click a little bit, but they want to be a little bit better at that. So, you know, this is a guy they want to hit on, you know, deep posts and whatnot. And um, they are going to need him to step up, man. And, you know, the early stages of the offseason, um, the chatter about him has been uh that he does look like he's going to take a step and that he's trending in the right direction. But again, you want to tread lightly with that because again, there's no contact. And that's where Brian Thomas struggled at the most at the most. And you see it a lot of times too, um, specifically coaches, right? They see this a lot with their training programs where a guy looks great on the non-contact part of training, right? In the early stages of training before the season, so on and so forth. And then every now and again, you know, and I'm not even saying this is exclusive to the NFL, but college, high school, you know, when the pads go on, some of those players disappear. You know, now the ones that have been doing it for years and years and years, they they tend to be consistent throughout the whole process. When the pads aren't on, you know, when you're scrimmaging, when you're doing, you know, 707s or whatever the case may be, to the phase where you put the pads on, it just translates to the to the ones that just got it. If you got it, you got it. But there are some that look better when the pads are off, and then they kind of disappear when the pads are gone on, so um, or have gone on. So, you know, you want to tread lightly with BTJ. Um, we know he has all of the talent in the world, right? Um, speed for days. He's probably gonna be a a better route runner because he's going into year three, so there's that to look forward to. But how does he do when it comes to taking contact and concentrating in terms of catching the ball when contact is coming? We'll see if he's made a leap in that regard and time will tell. Um, but his growth is something that's gonna be crucial, man, because as we know, man, Trevor Lawrence is his best when he can go down the field, right? And when we seen him at his best, it's be it's because he, you know, he had these deep threats, whoever it was, you know, you know, Zay Jones back in the day and Christian Kirk at times back in the day. That's when we started to see the best of Trevor Lawrence. And, you know, they want Brian Thomas Jr. to be that guy um for this specific Jaguars team. And I'll be honest, man, I want to see him overcome last year, right? And I want to see him take that leap because I'm tired of hearing about the trade rumors, right? Um, and I'm tired of hearing all of these other fans from other teams make all of these crazy posts about it happening. Well, one way to shut all of that down is if Brian Thomas Jr. comes um to the field this year and just balls out this offseason, even when the pads go on, that'll be one way to shut that down. Because obviously no team is trading a deep threat that's that young, that's that cheap, that's still on his rookie deal, right, to anybody, unless it's something crazy, right? Two first-round picks or whatever the case may be, and some additional stuff. That's what you should ask for for a talent of that caliber. That is, if he can prove to be the guy that we saw in the rookie season, right? And a guy that, you know, is a little bit better in dealing with the contact part of the game. That's a guy easily that you can say, hey, two first-round picks, or we're not having the conversation. So that'll shut all of that down if Brian Thomas Jr. um continues to trend upward as he has in the early stages of OTAs. The next thing I'll be watching for that I have on my list here is um I want to see what Nate Borkatcher offers as a pass catcher. We we seen the physicality, right? And it is it's it's fun to watch. Don't get me wrong, when I turn on the Texas AM tape, and I told y'all one of the games I watched was him against the Florida Gators because I just love seeing the Florida Gators get Mollywat, right? So naturally, I went to that game and watched that full game, and I think it was a few others that I watched. Um, so the the it was clear as day, right? The physicality was there, man. He was lead blocking people into the end zone, playing some H back, helping the running back go into the end zone untouched, all that good stuff, um, killing it as an inline blocker, you know, jacking guys up, so on and so forth. But as we know, his body of work is very limited as a pass catcher. I think what he had, 19 catches uh in his last season with Texas AM, and a lot of it is too, like they just didn't use him properly in terms of in the passing game. They used him properly as a blocker, but in the passing game, he absolutely should have been utilized more. And I mean, I wasn't a fan of the quarterback play, so that probably plays into it too. I wasn't a fan of uh the quarterback play at Texas AM. I forget the young man's name, I think his name is Reese, if I'm not mistaken, last name Reese, Marcel Reese, maybe. Um I'll have to look that up. But just wasn't a fan of the quarterback play, so that probably played into it. Um, they had a large tight end room in terms of a wide array of tight ends that they they utilize as well, even though you know Birkatcher was at the top of the depth chart, but you know, that crowded things as well. Um so he just didn't get used to his full potential at Texas AM. That's the bottom line. And a lot of people questioned this pick. Of course, we already talked about that during the draft episode. And uh a big reason that it was questioned is you know, because of his his stats as a pass catcher, right? And before that, he went at he went to Nebraska, probably didn't have a lot of pass catching statistics there as well, if I can recall. So, you know, everybody, this was one that drew a lot of question marks. But you can see the potential in regards to his pass catching ability. We saw it at the senior bowl, right? Snagging it over um the linebacker that's escaping me right now. That kind of started to draw eyes to this young man. And, you know, he obviously he he did well in the combine process and interviews and what have you, everything that followed the senior bowl. And you know, there were even some teams that also admitted that they liked him outside of the Jaguars. If you all remember the T-Wig story where um I think it was the tight ends coach from uh the Pittsburgh Steelers saying he really liked Birkatcher when he was drafted and so on and so forth. But I want to see what this young man can do as a pass catcher. Now, look, he's probably not gonna light it up as a pass catcher during the regular season. You know, like it it's uncommon for tight ends, especially one that's number two on your depth chart. I mean, I guess he, you know, he could get a significant amount of snaps, don't get me wrong, but it it's unusual for a tight end, especially as a rookie, especially when they're number two as well on the depth chart to like kill it as a pass catcher. But I just want to know that the ability is there. I want him to prove everybody wrong that said the Jaguars were, you know, stupid for taking him, right? I just like seeing these young men. The same thing applies with BTJ, man, because I was one of his daughters too. But I would love to be proved wrong on him as well, but I want to see Birkatcher um prove people wrong. Now, he's a guy that I personally like what I seen from him on film. Yeah, maybe a little bit of a reach in the second round. Um, but I think how I would put it is I could see this young man fulfilling his potential and proving to be worthy of being taken where he was in the second round. And I'm I'm rooting for him to do it. We'll see if he can in time will tell. And also Tanner Cozia, the other tight end that they got in the sixth round as well, who was predominantly a pass catcher, one of the most productive pass catchers in the last decade. Um, I think aside from like um Harold Fanning, right, who is with the Browns and was drafted last year. So he's another guy, you know, I'll be watching to see um his production in the passing game as well, and you know, even vice versa. So I'll be watching Cozy All as well. Next on my list, um, and we're actually making good time here, so I might get all five of them. We'll see. Um, but next on my list is uh where does Chris Rodriguez fall in this running back lineup, right? And he he, if I read correctly on Twitter, he wasn't there today. Um, so we we gotta see what's going on there. Um, it could be nothing, right? It could be excused or it could be injury related. We'll have to see. I didn't really dig into it, but I did see that cross my timeline. I was more so caught up in the other stuff, right? Trevor Lawrence, right, and BTJ and um, you know, the rookies. But I'll I'll research that a little bit more. But when you look at Rodriguez and um just, you know, he a lot of people say he was underutilized with the commanders. But when he did touch the ball and when he did get his opportunities, man, like this guy, he seemed like um kind of like the second coming of James Robinson, who is killing it in the UFL, by the way, man. I hope James Robinson gets a second chance in the NFL after that. Um, I wouldn't mind seeing him back with the Jaguars, but our room's kind of crowded now. So anyway, uh he he kind of reminded me of James Robinson in regards to just never like being caught in the backfield, right? Just always getting positive yardage, whether it was two, three, four yards, whatever the case may be. He was a physical ground and pound, stick your foot in the dirt and just go right ahead, type of guy that had no trouble with getting positive yardage. I don't know if he had any, at least last year, any negative gains at all. Um, that's more so a stat we'll have to uh reach out to my guy, Daniel Griffiths for. That's more so his thing. And I think he actually has covered this before I have to look on his timeline and see. Um, but yeah, um, where does he fall in this running back lineup? Because I personally think Bachelor Tootin's gonna start right. And the thing with him, though, is Bachelor Tootin' and durability. So don't get me wrong, Rodriguez, if he doesn't start, he will probably find himself in the lineup at some point in time as a starter, uh, whether it's for a game or two, because as of the last two years, going back to his time at Virginia Tech, and then last year, Bashul just um hasn't been able to play a full season. And for a running back, that is extremely hard, admittedly. Like, that's not a knock on him. Like 17 games, right? Plus, well, the preseason they barely play, but 17 games for a running back is a little crazy. And they're talking about adding more games. So that's why you need a committee approach anyway. That's why you go get a Chris Rodriguez. And I think he can actually be super productive in the opportunities that he's given, and especially, you know, if he has to fill in as a starter from time to time. And then, you know, you got LaQuent Allen, um, a fan favorite on the team, a favorite of mine, um, a guy who um already feels like the best pass blocking running back in football um in the NFL at his at this early stage of his career, and he's coming off a rookie season where he kind of proved that right off the bat, you know, or within a few weeks. But does he make progress in terms of where he is on the depth chart and getting more of a role than being a third-down running back and um, you know, being the force that he did that he is on special teams as well? Um, what does he show in terms of of his ability to be able to run the ball in between the tackles and and be productive in that regard? Because, you know, there were times where you you could see flashes, but for the most part, you know, LeQint as a runner, and I loved him coming out of college, by the way, but LaQuent as a runner last year in the regular season, um, it it wasn't like a crazy amount of highlights of him um doing anything too flashy. So, you know, I would like to see him improve in that regard a little bit. Um again, he he had some plays here and there where it would flash, but for the most part, um he didn't have anywhere near the amount of highlights. And uh, of course, Bashel saw more snaps than him anyway, but he he didn't have anywhere near um the amount of highlights that Bashel uh had. So we'll see. Um, but that's a crowded running back room. Or well, I don't want to say crowded, but well, yeah, it's kind of crowded because of the undrafted kid that they got from Virginia as well. And Jamari Taylor, you know, who was a guy who a lot of people say could be an undrafted gym, had over a thousand yards last year, was quite productive. Um, and now that I'm looking at the roster, there, you know, DJ Dallas, who was a pretty decent running back yes uh last year. Um he was a guy that I liked a lot coming out of college too, as well. So there's him. Um there was also I think um Jaquin Jackson, but Jackson, I think he got cut, so he isn't there. Um and then also Amir Abdullah, who I think replaced Jackson when he was cut. Um a veteran, you know, who can more so help you on special teams. And you know, he's over the age of 30, but still somebody who is familiar with the staff, and somebody who still has some gas left in the tank despite his age. So yeah, I mean, the the running back room is kind of crowded and interesting to say the least. And um, you know, like a lot of the people I mentioned, don't get me wrong, think Rodriguez is gonna fall anywhere behind like DJ Dallas and whatnot. But what if Jamari Taylor shows up and just balls out like he did at Virginia? Then I think we will have some interesting conversations to have um during OTAs and training camp if that does happen. Because um then you got your two rookies from last year in Allen and Tootin, and then you got Taylor showing out. Then, you know, you paid Rodriguez a decent amount of money. They didn't pay him anything crazy. Um, but then you know you have to have a conversation of do you take three running backs into the regular season or you take four into the regular season? So uh we'll see in time. We'll tell on that, man. But um, yeah, I'm very interested to see where um Rodriguez finds himself um within this group as he does have a physical skill set and a physical running style that I like very, very much. All right, so next here, this is somebody I talked about on my uh buzzer review, which it wasn't but three minutes, but um one of the takeaways I had from today's OTA session uh was the return of Caleb Ransaw. So happy that he's back. Um promising third-round rookie from Tulane that we got last year who um had a foot injury, which um obviously um required, if I'm not mistaken, surgery um and caused him to miss the whole season. Um, and you know, that was a bummer, um, not just for his sake, right? And um, you know, here you have a rookie who's excited to get on the field, and that was taken away from him, but also it was a bummer because safety was a position uh that we knew would be crucial um to the Jaguars heading into the 2025 season and with how um our our defensive coordinator, I almost said offensive coordinator, our defensive coordinator and Anthony Campanili, you know, how he likes to use his defensive backs. Um and he, you know, it was times where he was flashing too um in the tr in training camp and what have you. Um but yeah, it he was a guy that people had a lot of eyes on because of his playstyle and how he would fit into the defense and so on and so forth. And uh we just it didn't come into fruition because of the injury. We didn't get to see him. Um but he's back. He said he was 100%. He took the field for all the drills and what have you. And uh yeah, he looks like a guy that's poised to bounce back again. Like you, you still got to treat it as his rookie season, right? Because he he never really took the field for an official game. And of course, there's gonna be a learning curve, even though you know he probably um learned a lot from the sidelines, and the Jaguars now have one of the virtual um rooms where you can kind of it's kind of like you're um on the field from whatever position you play um in a virtual setting. So, you know, they they have that now, which probably helped a lot, but it's nothing, especially at the safety position. It's nothing like actually getting on the field and seeing things unfold on the field and and reacting to it and and learning in that way, right? And learning from your mistakes in that way. So it's good to have him back. He's a guy I'm certainly going to be watching. And I I think that the Jaguars have ample opportunities for him and ample snaps um that he'll be able to take the feel for because they do kind of you know use multiple safeties, like you know, three safeties or so. Um so and we saw that last year, right? So he absolutely is a guy that they're eyeing um for a lot of snaps, and a guy that they have high hopes for, that brass has spoken highly of him. And I like this film coming out of Tulane, man. A guy that always kept his eyes on the quarterback. Um, I like the tackling, um, if I can recall. It's been a while since I watched this film because it was last year. But the tackling stood out, his eyes always on the quarterbacks stood out to me as well. Um, and yeah, he's just a young man that, as I mentioned last year, man, um I think I did a it was a TikTok um saying that uh he was a kid I was really, really excited for. Um, but again, um didn't get to quite see him on the field. I and that will probably change this year. All right. And then lastly, my last takeaway here, so we were able to get through them and kind of breeze through them here, um, is Ventrell Miller. Of course, like the big loss that we had this season, this offseason. Well, it was two of them. Obviously, Travis Etienne was one of them. And then on the defensive side, there was also Devin Lloyd, right? Who it was a little bit of a one-hit wonder, right? Last year was his best year, and it was far better than any years that he had previously put on the field. But that's not to knock him because he was balling out, man. He was playing at an all-pro level, right? I think he was second team, all pro. And um, he made some big-time plays for the Jacksonville Jaguars in terms of turnovers, man. And that, admittedly, that might be hard to replace, right? The the turnover aspect of things. But um you you have to feel like Ventrell Miller is the guy who is next up to replace him. Um, Ventrell Miller was a guy that the last regime, not even James Gladstone, but the last regime, Trent Balkey and them were high on. I think Trent was even trying to trade up for him. And uh you heard a lot of good things in training camp and OTAs when, you know, it was the Doug Peterson era about Ventrell. And it it kind of feels like this regime is, you know, fairly high on him as well. Um, for them to get rid of Devin Lloyd and not even draft, you know, a linebacker to replace him necessarily. I mean, I I guess we got the um the kid from Middle Tennessee that's escaping my mind right now, but he's a little bit smaller, so you definitely got to feel like I mean he was a seventh-round pick, right? Um for crying out loud. And you know, again, the competition level wasn't the highest. So like the chances of him starting right away are are low, right? And that's not a knock on him, right? He he could eventually, and I like his film, he could eventually develop into a very good player, but you you would feel like Ventrell is the guy that they're eyeing over him, um, or maybe Kaiser or somebody um in terms of replacing Devin Lloyd. So um, yeah, if you had to put a vote in on it, everybody would probably say it's Ventrell Miller. Um, Ventrell, you know, he has played a decent amount of snaps for the Jacksonville Jaguars because of um I think Devin Lloyd was injured last year uh for a game or two, and and Ventrell had to come in and play for him. And I think Ventrell even got a pick. It was a gimme pick now, like they threw it straight to him. But uh, you know, it was like it it was like no drop-off because he was getting turnovers too, just like uh Devin Lloyd was, albeit easy turnovers. But um, yeah, I mean I've liked Ventrell Miller um since he's been with the Jacksonville Jaguars, and that's hard for me to say because y'all know how how I feel about um Florida Gators, but me and Phil have praised him in the past. I even said, you know, Ventrell Miller felt like a kid on this team during the Trent Balkey regime. He felt like a leader of the new school, right? Kind of type of player, and that he would lead his draft class and you know the some of the other draft classes that Trent had, he would be one of the leaders of those draft classes and eventually become maybe a starter down the road and be one of the standout draft picks of the Trent Balkey era. And here he has that opportunity to do it. So I'm excited to watch him on the field, even though he's a Florida Gator, uh a player that brings a lot of juice, you know, and a player that you certainly um can hear him from a mile away, very vocal player as well. And look, man, he has foyer next to him. So uh, you know, he he definitely has the right person to help him become the pro that he needs to be and take that next step in Foyer, who, you know, is just a epitome of a professional man. And it seems like even on the field, like time isn't slowing him down, right? Man, he's just been consistent and been a rock for the Jacksonville Jaguar. So um there's that, and you know, a good staff to draw the the skills out of him and and and to draw the starter potential out of him. So Ventrella be one that I'll be watching as well, and that will conclude my list. Again, to just rehash it, things I'll be looking for is the growth of Brian Thomas Jr., um, the um Nate Borkatcher and Tanner Cozziall's ability as pass catchers and kind of want to see what Cozia offers in the physicality aspect. Where does Chris Rodriguez fall in this running back group? Where does um Caleb Ransall fall in this safety group and um Ventrell Miller in terms of how does he handle replacing Devin Lloyd, who was a big time leader for this Jacksonville Jaguars defense? So all of that said, we'll go ahead and wrap this up, y'all. As I mentioned, uh feel free to follow us on Twitter, me at sportsgrind underscore done, Phil at Phil the Filipino. Um, as I said, he will be away for the month of June. We're again it's a moving, it's moving pieces here of trying to figure out what we're gonna do. If I'm gonna do solos or I'm gonna get somebody to join me, kind of like Josh did, or um have Josh on for more episodes, we'll figure it out. But shoutouts to Phil anyway. Uh follow him again at Phil the Filipino, me at sportsgrind underscore Don on Twitter. You can follow the Touchdown Jaguars Podcast handle on Twitter at TD Jaguars Pod. Also feel free to check out our sponsor SeatGeek and use our promotion code TouchdownJAGuars, which will save you $20 off of your first order. If it's not working anymore, please let us know and we'll work some out with them as well too to get another code going. So, um, all of that said, excited for OTAs in this offseason, excited to uh record some more and have some guests in here in the meantime and in between time. And as always, you all take care of each other, and I am signing out of the way.