After an impressive rookie season, the Jacksonville Jaguars expected Brian Thomas Jr. to make the leap in Year 2. However, that hasn't been the case, and one of the things that stood out in the loss to the Cincinnati Bengals was his underwhelming performance.
The sophomore wide receiver was lacking effort throughout most of the game. And head coach Liam Coen's latest remarks help explain why.
Jaguars WR Brian Thomas Jr. had an undisclosed wrist injury
Liam Coen met with the local media one day after the 31-27 loss and said that he'll talk things through with Thomas, adding that the second-year wideout had a wrist injury ahead of the game.
"Yeah, we're gonna have a conversation here shortly. I think ultimately, I know he's kind of got a couple things going on, had a wrist injury going into the game. [It] did play a part in some of this stuff," Coen told the pool of reporters. "I've got to go talk to him, but I think he's aware of it and needs to have a better week this week. I think he understands what's at stake. He understands what's going on, and we gotta go get to the root of it."
What stood out about Coen's remarks was that Thomas wasn't listed on the injury report for Week 2, and there may be several reasons for that.
Related: 4 critical observations from the Jags' disheartening loss to the Bengals
Why didn't the Jaguars include Brian Thomas on the Injury Report?
Players don't report every single injury they sustain. After all, they suffer plenty of bruises on a weekly basis because of how physical football is. That said, there's a chance Brian Thomas Jr. didn't think the injury would affect him. It's also possible that he brougth up the injury for his unremarkable outing against the Cincinnati Bengals. Whatever the case is, Liam Coen is handling the situation well.
For starters, the first-year head coach is not throwing Thomas under the bus. Instead, he's dealing with things internally. He must next work with the young receiver to find a solution. If he's really hurt, they need to talk to the training staff. If he's dealing with personal stuff, discussing it with the team's brass may help him find the best course of action.
But regardless of the measures the Jaguars take, they must find out what's holding Brian Thomas Jr. back. He's simply too talented to be struggling the way he has the past two games. The good news is that it's still early in the year. If he puts it all together, nobody will remember his struggles, and this will only be a footnote in his sophomore campaign.
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