Jaguars reluctant to take Washington off the field

The Jaguars announced that Washington is day-to-day with an undisclosed injury. Washington will miss the rest of this week, but is expected to return next week. It doesn’t seem like this is anything to panic about just yet. Based on the way Washington finished last season and everything we’ve heard from Jaguars camp this offseason, he has established himself as the top wide receiver in Jacksonville.

Washington has been Lawrence’s “favorite target, and he always seems to be open” DiRocco notes. The Jaguars main pass catchers are pretty close in ADP, with Washington leading the way at WR31 and Brian Thomas Jr. at WR33. This would seem to be an argument to trust Washington as a true WR2/WR3 option — and everything we’ve gotten on Washington this offseason from beat writers has been overwhelmingly positive.

That would mean Thomas is set to play on the outside at the line of scrimmage. Parker Washington will presumably play in the slot with Jakobi Meyers and Travis Hunter fighting for flanker duties. As Wolfe notes, Liam Coen learned last year that going over the middle of the field and taking hits isn’t BTJ’s thing. Instead, he will likely be tasked with winning deep and beating man coverage. Wolfe noted Liam Coen’s roots in the Rams’ offense and compared BTJ’s role to that of Brandin Cooks and Sammy Watkins when they played in LA. Cooks topped 1,200 receiving yards in his first season with the Rams but fell below 600 in his second and final season with the team. Watkins, meanwhile, played just one season in LA and was also held under 600 yards. All signs point to Washington being the team’s No. 1 receiver this year.

Washington seemingly has decent odds of being the Jaguars’ most efficient target earner this season. Does that mean he will be the most productive wide receiver? Not necessarily, but it is possible. The Jags ranked third in 11 personnel rate last year, and 18th in 12 personnel. Jags coach Liam Coen wants to increase the latter rate, but has an embarrassment of riches at wide receiver. Washington logged 300-plus snaps both in the slot and on the perimeter last year. He can play both roles. If they do increase 12 personnel, and he can earn even a rotational role in that package, returning value as a WR3 with positively volatile showings is absolutely in play. Otherwise, he might be best viewed as a PPR FLEX.

“That’s where [Jaguars coaches] believe he can take that next step,” Wolfe said, adding that Thomas has shown much better chemistry with Trevor Lawrence this offseason after the two seemed never to be on the same page in 2024 and 2025. A downfield role would be nothing new for Thomas, who last season averaged 14.3 air yards per target and led the Jaguars in air yards share when healthy. Thomas in 2026 could remain a high-variance weekly fantasy option whose stat line will rely on splash plays. That could make him frustrating for fantasy managers while Parker Washington and Jakobi Meyers are more consistent but lack the big play upside of BTJ. Lawrence in 2025 ranked 19th out of 33 qualifying QBs in downfield accuracy, in line with Cam Ward.

Per Shipley, Washington is now “in a full-time role on offense,” and believes the Jaguars are ready to let him “take his chance and run with it.” Jaguars coach Liam Coen said earlier this offseason that he wants to “unlock” Washington’s post-catch potential. Recently, he celebrated Washington’s ability to line up out wide, in the slot, run routes at all three levels and his improvements in reading coverages pre-snap. Last season, Coen employed three-wide receiver sets at the league’s third-highest rate (70.9 percent). If he does so again, the offense might be able to produce usable fantasy stat lines for Washington, WR Brian Thomas Jr. and WR Jakobi Meyers. If Coen shifts even 5-10 percent toward two-wide receiver sets, things could get slightly volatile. We should learn more in training camp. Stay tuned.

Coen praised Washington’s play in the second half of last season, noting that the 24-year-old former sixth-round pick had been a consistent, dominating presence. He went on to specifically mention getting the ball in Washington’s hands, the screen game, jet sweeps and the complete route tree as areas where Washington could take another step this season. The positive drumbeat continues this offseason for one of 2025’s breakout stars.

When asked about expectations for Washington, Udinski said he thinks “really, really highly” of the 24-year-old wideout. Washington tallied 19 receptions for 347 yards and two touchdowns in the final three games of the 2025 regular season, leading all Jaguars wide receivers over that span. Jaguars beat writer John Shipley said he looked like “arguably the best player on the field today” when discussing Tuesday’s practice. With Udinski also speaking highly of him, the arrow is pointing up for Washington’s utilization in 2026.

This theoretical contract would include $25 million guaranteed. Earlier this offseason, Shipley said that the four-year, $78 million contract with $38 million guaranteed signed by Titans WR Wan’Dale Robinson “makes sense.” In his most recent projection, Shipley accounts for Washington’s value as a returner by referencing the contracts signed by Packers WR Jayden Reed and Seahawks WR Rashid Shaheed. Both players got three-year deals that were more front-loaded than the earlier projection. Reed’s deal is worth $50.25 million with $20 million guaranteed. Shaheed’s is worth $51 million with $34.7 million guaranteed. Shipley believes Washington could surpass that number, with a good year, if the Jaguars allow him to test free agency next offseason.

Harvey is among the Jaguars beats who appear deeply skeptical of a recent report about the team trading BTJ for A.J. Brown in the coming weeks. Brown, long unhappy with his usage in the Eagles offense, remains a favorite to land with New England this summer. “Why would the Jags trade for a player who wants to always be targeted when their offense does not have a No. 1 WR by design?” Harvey said, referring to the mercurial Brown. “And they’re loading up to deploy more tight ends and Parker Washington is set for an extension and they just gave Jakobi Meyers one and they aren’t trading BTJ.” After going for nearly 1,300 yards and ten touchdowns as a rookie in 2024, Thomas fell off big time in 2025, finishing the season with 707 yards and two scores and operating as the third or fourth option in the Jags’ pass-catching pecking order. It would be a stunner if the Jaguars were to give up on Thomas, 23, after one down year.