JAGUARS HEAD COACH LIAM COEN
POSTGAME MEDIA AVAILABILITY
FRIDAY, AUGUST 28, 2026
Q. Did DE Bryan Thomas Jr. . His play style is the right way. It fits a lot of the things that we
preach and that we’re about as a team. When you have a gift of rushing the passer, man, it’s
something that you can’t ignore. I thought he did some nice things against the run as well
tonight. I thought the defense as a whole, obviously, with the shutout was huge, being led
by Bryan, and he’s making it really benefit, which is a good thing. It’s what we’re hunting up.
But he’s had that skill set, that’s something we really appreciated about his game and he’s
just continued to do it on this stage.
Q. Liam Q. Liam, looking at the big picture, in what ways do you think you guys have
grown the most as a team over she’s last four weeks?
LIAM COHEN: Yeah, I think you look at the physicality of, like, just truly understanding how
we have to play, right? Any time that became a little bit of a calling card and MO of our team
last season, then you have to reintegrate that. You have all these new players, all these
rookies, all these young guys that are playing a majority of the snaps in these games. I think
our team did a nice job of truly putting that together from, all right, New Orleans joint
wasn’t perfect, right? The game got better, right? Those guys kind of took it up a notch. Go
to Carolina, have a successful joint and the young guys got to see the older guys do it and
do it in those settings. So I think to cap off the preseason this way with a physical outing
and the guys playing their tails off I think is exactly just continues to reinforce the message
to the team that that is our style of play. That is our brand of football and for us to have
success, we have to play that way.
Q. I know y’all have to watch film, but what did eye think of Carter’s performance
tonight and also Joey?
LIAM COHEN: Yeah, I think both of them were efficient. I think there was a few things both
of them would like to have back. I thought Carter did a nice job leading the touchdown
drive. Could have had another one to Trammell there that I think we might have missed,
would like to have back. Did a great job on the two-point play making a guy miss.
I thought Joey came in and, you know, obviously was a little bit later and not being asked to
truly push the ball down the field too much, but he has a presence about him. The offense
kind of rolls with him in there at times and he’s crafty with some of the zone read stuff
where we’re able to kind of spit the ball in the perimeter and be able to get the ball in space.
I thought they operated a little bit better than we had maybe seen.
Q. How hard is it to avoid putting too much emphasis on the last impression you have
of guys walking off the field?
LIAM COHEN: Yeah, that’s exactly what Tony and James and I were literally just talking
about was, hey, it’s exciting, it’s great to see and there’s some juice out there that’s
something you’re excited about, but you have to continue to put the entire body of work into
play when making these decisions, as maybe more difficult as they got tonight in some
ways in some positions for some players. But the reality is when you do put it on tape in a
game, it does matter. It does take a little bit — holds some juice, holds some weight. You
have to appreciate that and take it into consideration, but you can’t overcompensate or
over-rotate on one game or one outing, although, you know, some impressive things.
Q. Coach, you just mentioned Bryan Thomas a minute ago. Michael Wortham is going
to make SportsCenter tonight I’m sure. You and James last time talked about raising
the floor when you got here last year. The fact that you’re going to have a pretty
miserable 43.5 hours here, does that indicate that you guys kind of mission
accomplished on that front?
LIAM COHEN: I would say I thought Michael started to show up a little bit more in my eyes
in the Carolina joint where he had to get some meaningful reps with the second offense
and he had taken a bubble in practice down the sidelines and you saw some of what we
saw here tonight on that play. He’s got a phenomenal forward lean about the way that he
runs. He’s a football player at heart. He’s kind of built a little bit — I don’t want to say like
Parker, but in some ways, there’s some similar play styles there. He definitely made it
challenging tonight. That’s overall what we were hunting up, right? You’re continuing to try
to raise the level of competition in the building. You’re trying to make these decisions hard
on us. That’s the goal when hopefully you’ve improved as a team and you can continue to
build the roster and raise the floor, as you mentioned. So, yeah, I think in some ways
mission accomplished for sure and other positions, we need to continue that and continue
to find and elevate the level of performance.
Q. Hey, Liam. Kiser or Mekari obviously have not practiced. Does that complicate
things this weekend to get to 53?
LIAM COHEN: I don’t — not too bad, to be honest, especially — I don’t think that necessarily
hurts us too much. I think we have a pretty good idea right now on the 53. It’s more so just
trying to make sure that we’re doing the right things in the short term to get those guys,
obviously, into a place where they can play again. And some of the more difficult
conversations we’re about to probably have are about the P squad. Like, when you have 16,
you get the one exemption, those are going to be some more challenging conversations, I
think, that we’re about to have in the next two days. And so hopefully that doesn’t impact us
too much.
DEFENSIVE END BRYAN THOMAS JR.
POSTGAME MEDIA AVAILABILITY
FRIDAY, AUGUST 28, 2026
Q. Nice night. How did that feel?
BRYAN THOMAS JR.: It felt great, just put in the work during off-season, during rookie mini-
camp, OTAs (Organized Team Activities) and all that. Just getting the extra work with older
guys, learning from them, just bring it into the game to do what I did tonight.
Q. Do you feel like you made the team tonight?
BRYAN THOMAS JR.: I feel like I definitely put in the work. I put good stuff on film. That’s up
to the coaches. Like I said, I feel like I put good stuff on film.
Q. Did you play with a sense of urgency going into this one because it’s such a big
unknown going into the game?
BRYAN THOMAS JR.: No, sir, I always play with a sense of urgency. I always play with effort. I
learned that from my pops. He played relief for a lot of years. I learned that from him,
running to the ball, having a lot of effort and creating plays, so.
Q. You got the other one called incomplete initially you caught it, right?
BRYAN THOMAS JR.: Yeah, that was definitely mine. I don’t know. I don’t know, it’s over with
now. We got to move on, so.
Q. Can you put it into perspective to have that much impact in one game. It’s unusual
for any player on a Sunday or a Friday night.
BRYAN THOMAS JR.: Like I said, when you put in the work during Monday through Friday,
whatever it is, however the schedule goes, living in the training room, getting your body
right, working on your weaknesses, you come out here on Friday, it’s just like second
nature. Getting off the ball, the moves you have been doing all week and being yourself.
Q. What’s it like to see all the defensive players respond the way they did for a play
that you made?
BRYAN THOMAS JR.: It’s great. It’s kind of like a — like the work is paying off. I don’t know
how to explain it like that, but you put in work day and night, blood, sweat, and tears. To
have the older guys tell you that you’re doing great, keep doing what you’re doing, it’s an
honor.
Q. Any idea what the next 48 hours or so will be like for you?
BRYAN THOMAS JR.: Only God knows.
Q. You look at the last, since May, where’s the biggest area that you think you’ve
grown?
BRYAN THOMAS JR.: I would say definitely in my wisdom, like what I learned from the older
guys. Just little tweaks, like I said, weaknesses and stuff I can learn that they seen, and told
me about just put in the extra hours when practice is over with. Just tuning those things up
and just being a better version of myself.
Q. DE B.J. Green II went through this same journey last year, undrafted and played
some preseason. How big has it been to have a guy like that?
BRYAN THOMAS JR.: Oh, man, it’s great. Kind of like déjà vu. Almost the same stature or
whatever, same situation, undrafted free agent. So I definitely picked his brain a lot and
asked him what he did and didn’t do and just put that into my own routine, lifestyle.
Q. Just in general, how does it field to cap off a month of grinding at training camp on a
night like this?
BRYAN THOMAS JR.: Feels great. Feels great. Like I said, put in the work day and night and
when results like this happen, shouldn’t be surprised. You put in the work for it.
WIDE RECEIVER MICHAEL WORTHAM
POSTGAME MEDIA AVAILABILITY
FRIDAY, AUGUST 28, 2026
Q. Start off with how did you feel out there today?
MICHAEL WORTHAM: Shoot, man, it’s a blessing. Countlessly I prayed on this time. I can’t
be thankful enough, man, for not only the Lord blessing me for this moment, but for the
guys around me celebrating me as if they scored as well so that was pretty awesome.
Q. What was it like when you came back in? I’m sure everybody’s…
MICHAEL WORTHAM: (Laughter) Yeah, man… contact my family. They’re super excited.
Said they was jumping around the house celebrating. I mean, shoot, coming in here, man, it
was nothing but love celebrating — it’s a big win, last preseason game just showing what
you can do, man. You only got one opportunity, it is what you do with it. How can you make
the most of your opportunity?
Q. Obviously after tonight, how do you feel like you have done the entire month of
camp?
MICHAEL WORTHAM: I kept my head down, kept working, man. Learning from the guys in
front of me. Sometimes you just don’t get your way. Sometimes you’re low on the depth
chart, but it’s what you do with your opportunity to get in. That’s just kind of my mindset. I’m
not going to sit here and pout. I know how it is and I got to earn my stripes.
So like I said, just learning from the guys, keeping my head down and I just want to be able
to learn, line up, do my assignment, man, just keep going.
Q. Do you have any flashbacks of where you’ve come from the last years to get to this
place?
MICHAEL WORTHAM: Yeah, man. I mean, shoot, since I was five years old, I’ve been
working for this moment, man. If my little self could see me now, he would be proud,
probably in tears. Shoot, I might shed a tear tonight as well. My wife’s here, and they’re just
so awesome, man. I just can’t be thankful enough for the people around me back home
and out here as well.
BUCCANEERS HEAD COACH TODD BOWLES
POSTGAME MEDIA AVAILABILITY
FRIDAY, AUGUST 28, 2026
Q. Your decision to start QB Jalon Daniels and play him into the third quarter?
TODD BOWLES: We definitely want to see more of him, want him to get more experience,
want him to play against the twos as opposed to the threes and fours. Get him in there and
see how he operates. Wanted to give him a long, lengthy look.
Q. Has he shown you enough to be the number two quarterback on this team?
TODD BOWLES: He’s shown a lot. He’s shown a lot. We are going to go back and evaluate
the film. It’s not really the (inaudible), it is the overall operation. Make sure he’s fine with
that, then we’ll come back and look at the film. It wasn’t very good offensively tonight.
Q. What is your reaction to the overall performance of the team tonight?
TODD BOWLES: Not good enough. Anytime you get shut out. I didn’t think we protected the
quarterback enough. We couldn’t run the ball. Gave up a special teams touchdown.
Defensive fought, they had some mistakes, but I think they fought. I thought two out of
three phases didn’t show up.
Q. We saw DB Keionte Scott get a little banged up. Know anything about that yet?
TODD BOWLES: Not yet. I think it’s an ankle. I’ll wait and see.
Q. OLB Mo Kamara?
TODD BOWLES: I think it’s a knee. I’ll wait to see what it is.
Q. CB Benjamin Morrison made a great play breaking up a touchdown. For him to
battle through his injury, get some game reps here, how happy are you with what
you’ve seen out of him?
TODD BOWLES: I’ll watch the tape. Just good to see him play a half. He hasn’t been out
there. For him to come out there, play a half, play all the special teams, shows he’s finally
healthy. He’s just got to get the time on task, get the reps in.
Q. In a game like this, kind of fighting for their lives, do you think guys like CB Ayden
Garnes and OLB Jack Pyburn helped themselves out a little bit?
TODD BOWLES: I got to look at the tape obviously. I know Pyburn had one or two sacks. I’m
pretty sure he had two sacks again. I have to look at the totality of it. That is a deep position
as well. Garnes has been playing consistent the last few weeks. We got some tough
decisions to make.
Q. A few special teams mishaps, including the turn. What was your evaluation of the
special teams?
TODD BOWLES: Obviously, you give up a touchdown, it’s not very good. They made some
plays in the first half. I think they got worn down a little bit playing offense, defense and
special teams in the second half. But that’s what it takes in this league to make this team.
Q. Any positions you think are the most difficult to make a decision with these roster
cuts?
TODD BOWLES: I mean, they’re all difficult. You get to know these guys, be around them all,
doesn’t matter what position, it’s hard to tell people that they’re not going to be on the team
anymore.
Q. Do you have any concerns about the depth of your offensive line? You like your first
five guys.
TODD BOWLES: First five, when everybody’s healthy. I’ll look at the tape. If we judge by
tonight, it’s a concern. But I’ll look at the totality of the tape and see where it came from.
QUARTERBACK JALON DANIELS
POSTGAME MEDIA AVAILABILITY
FRIDAY, AUGUST 28, 2026
Q. How would you evaluate your performance tonight?
JALON DANIELS: A lot of miscues, a lot of things that we definitely could have done better
offensively. Obviously when you go up there and you don’t score any points, that’s
something that you don’t really want, especially as a quarterback. Obviously, we haven’t
watched the film yet, but I do think there was some good things we did on film, as well.
Obviously, there were some things we need to clean up. We’re going to go ahead, look at
the film, and get better from there.
Q. (Off microphone.)
JALON DANIELS: Yeah, I mean, as I’ve continued to tell you all since getting here, I have
God on my side. I truly believe that everything that I’ve been able to do up to this point has
been because of Him. I’m not going to lose faith. I’m going to keep my faith in God. At the
end of the day everything that happens for a reason. I’m going to let God handle those
decisions.
Q. When did you learn you were going to start this game and play into the third
quarter? Because of what you did the first two games, was that an opportunity to
become the backup quarterback?
JALON DANIELS: I’m someone who always says, whenever your number is called, you got
to go out there and be ready to play football. Whenever they told me today that I was going
to be able to go out there and start, I was like, all right, let’s go out there and play football.
Like I keep telling you all, I’ve been playing this game since I was a kid, so being able to get
those extra reps, being able to go out there and be the first quarterback out there, obviously
that’s a dream come true. Being able to start an NFL game as a starting quarterback, that’s
something that you always dream of so [I’m] obviously grateful for the opportunity. Like I
said, we got to get better from there.
Q. How tough was it? The protection wasn’t good. You had some dropped passes on
third down. How hard was it to get things going?
JALON DANIELS: Obviously we never caught a rhythm tonight. When you’re not able to
catch a rhythm offensively, it’s kind of hard to be able to keep moving the sticks.
I think that’s the big reason why we weren’t able to score points today. When you’re not able
to continue to keep moving the sticks, that’s something that’s not going to be able to go
good. As a quarterback, I take all of that on the chin. As soon as we’re not able to keep
moving those sticks, I take all the blame for that.
Q. Is this a learning lesson in terms of you can’t get too high with some of the big
performances or too low with tonight?
JALON DANIELS: Yeah, absolutely. My sisters always told me you’ll never be as good as they
say you are, and you’ll never be as bad as they say you are. I go into every single rep that I
get even-keel, very levelheaded. Never want to get too confident, but you don’t want to lose
confidence because in this game, if you lose confidence in yourself, you’re not going to be
able to go out there and perform so I’m always remaining confident in my abilities, remain
confident in being able to run this system. Like I keep saying, we’re going to get better.
Q. How do you feel about your pre-season as a whole?
JALON DANIELS: I think that there is definitely some good in there, but obviously, like I keep
telling y’all, I’m someone who I believe I’m my worst critic. As much as people want to say
there is good in there, I always look at the bad, look at all the missed pass, the missed pre-
snap checks. We had a fumble today, and that’s 100% on me. I have to be able to
communicate better and when you’re looking at those little things, you want to be able to
grow from it.
Q. (Question regarding Garnes, Pyburn.)
JALON DANIELS: Yeah, no, absolutely. To be able to see a UDFA go out there and make
plays, that’s something you love to see because they go out there with that chip on their
shoulder, and I’ve been able to see AG [CB Ayden Garnes] be able to perform literally since
rookie training camp. [OLB] Jack Pyburn has been someone who has continued to make
plays day in, day out. He’s told you all about his work ethic and how much he does on a
day-to-day basis, being one of the first guys in the building, and being able to do as much
as he can to prepare himself to go out there and play football.
Q. I know you’re a confident player, been playing in this game a long time. Your pre-
season, what you’ve done, does it confirm to you that I should have been drafted, I
know that, all that stuff that happened, that you’re going to be a good player in this
league?
JALON DANIELS: Like I keep saying, my journey is my journey. God put me in this position
for a reason. Something my mom told me after the draft was, I don’t know why you’re in this
position, but at the end of the day it’s happening to you for a reason. I think that God gives
His toughest battles to His strongest soldiers. If I’m in a position where I have to be able to
show others that this mountain can be moved, then that’s exactly what I’m going to do. I’m
going to go out there and do everything that I can to be able to go out there and make plays.
Draft pick, UDFA, doesn’t matter. I got the opportunity to be able to come out here and play
NFL football. I’m forever grateful for that.
