Jaguars' Brian Thomas Jr., teammates react to rookie debut for first-round receiver

Brian Thomas Jr. made his debut for the Jacksonville Jaguars in their 20-17 loss against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday.

The first rounder displayed his skill, setting up the Jaguars for the opening touchdown by drawing a pass interference, and later, catching a lobbed pass from Trevor Lawrence at the back of the end zone for his first career touchdown.

He finished the game with four catches for 47 yards and a touchdown. In a game that went off the rails late, he was a bright spot for Jacksonville’s offense.

Here’s what he and the team had to say after the game:

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Thomas: “We still lost but I mean, [it’s] just a confidence booster. To know that you can go out there and play against a good defense and still compete at a high level.”

Doug Pederson: “I thought he did some good things. Game is not too big for him, and great touchdown catch obviously there in the first half and did some good things. Played tough and physical in the run game, as well.”

Trevor Lawrence: “I was pissed because I missed the throw, left it a little short, and he did a great job. Safety ended up jumping down and took Christian away, so we had the shot over the top. He did a great job. Won at the line of scrimmage, I think it was press, too, with Jalen (Ramsey), so he did a great job winning, and I underthrew it a little bit. Fortunately, we got the [pass interference], but he did a good job going and winning, and then the one in the end zone, that's just us and trusting it and me trusting he's going to get there and him trusting I'm going to put it in the right spot, and you see he made a great play, so it was awesome.”

Christian Kirk: “I thought he did a great job, super poised. Really never flinched and made every opportunity that came his way. That's a big thing for a rookie. He did a great job today, definitely helped us and put us in the position to win.”

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jaguars' Brian Thomas Jr., teammates react to rookie debut for first-round receiver