Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. is looking to bounce back this year after a miserable 2025 season that was confusing to watch as it unfolded.

After he became the first Jaguars WR to make the Pro Bowl as a rookie in 2024 with a stat line of 87-1282-10, Thomas saw those numbers drop across the board last season. While the rest of Jacksonville's offense flourished under new head coach Liam Coen, Thomas suffered a major regression, finishing the year with only 48 catches, 707 yards, and two touchdowns.

Thomas lost his grip on the offense's WR1 role as both Parker Washington and trade acquisition Jakobi Meyers became quarterback Trevor Lawrence's favorite and most trusted targets.

Despite the drop in production, the Jaguars refused to give up on Thomas, expressing confidence that he would return to form. The team turned down multiple significant offers to trade Thomas, and the young receiver spoke candidly about how the Jaguars' faith in him helped him regain his confidence.

Thomas excelled all offseason, drawing public praise from Coen. He looked like the star he was as a rookie. Expectations for his third season became high as he was determined to prove last year was an outlier.

Unfortunately, Thomas suffered a shoulder injury in the second quarter of Jacksonville's dominant 34-10 victory over the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. Though he was able to return before halftime, there was some concern that the injury could linger and could cause him to miss time.

On Monday, Coen put those fears to rest. Speaking to reporters, he expressed full optimism that Thomas will be able to play in Week 2, though he acknowledged the receiver may be limited in practice throughout the week,

"I fully imagine him being able to play this game," Coen told reporters on Monday. "No issues, just might not be able to get hit throughout the week or something."

Thomas must be chomping at the bit to get back on the field. Jacksonville's offense looked like a well-oiled machine on Sunday against the Browns.

Trevor Lawrence was especially impressive, completing a surgical 18 of his 23 passes for 245 yards and four touchdowns. 

Thomas finished with a modest three catches for 40 yards and was kept out of the end zone. While those numbers don't jump off the page, he was second on the team in receptions, and his 40 receiving yards tied Meyers for second. Only Washington eclipsed Thomas in each category.

Which is all the more reason Thomas must be itching to get back out there. Right now, it is hard to make an argument for Thomas, or anyone else, being Jacksonville's WR1 over Washington, who turned in another magnificent performance against the Browns.

If BTJ wants to regain his spot at the top of the food chain, he has a lot of ground to make up on Washington.

Thomas and the Jaguars received very positive news on his injury. If he were to miss any amount of time, it would only make his critics and doubters grow louder.

Luckily, it looks like that won't be an issue and everyone should expect to see Thomas out there when the Jaguars travel to Denver to take on the Broncos next week.