AFC Notes: Reed Blankenship, Brian Thomas Jr., Jaguars, Texans, Titans

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Jaguars Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated names Jaguars WR Brian Thomas Jr. as one player to watch in training camp as a “swing factor” after a productive rookie season in 2024 before struggling last season. According to Breer, Jacksonville never considered “selling low” on Thomas after his sophomore slump. Breer writes that Thomas has had a “constant presence” at the team’s facility this offseason and is spending as much time as possible with QB Trevor Lawrence . Texans Texans S Reed Blankenship spoke in depth about his experience joining a strong defense and the role he expects to play in his first season in Houston. “I got a call from DeMeco and hearing what he had to say, I could tell that he wanted me, and I could tell that he really liked me as a player,” Blankenship said after joining the Texans, via Click2Houston.com . “Obviously, we haven’t met, but I feel like he knows what my character is and what my personality is. You could tell that he really wanted me and really liked me. After we hung up, I was with my wife and I’m like, ‘I really feel like Houston really wants me.’ That honestly felt like the first time in my whole NFL career that somebody really wanted me as a player and as a person. “He was just being real, obviously just being your authentic self. He was just telling me about the building, about the place, what they’re building. I was already bought in, honestly, and I really loved everything he had to say. I don’t need a lot of peer pressure, but it was really cool to hear what he had to say. Obviously, I feel like I landed in a great spot. It’s a different sort of edge to my career. I feel like I’m going to have a lot of fun down in Houston.” “Watching Houston fly around at times, I’m like, ‘Dang, this defense is legit,’” Blankenship continued. “Fast forward, it’s crazy that a team like that wants me to come in and to perform at a high level. It speaks volumes. Coming into this defense, I feel like I can give everybody a sense of calmness. I want to be the communicator out there. I don’t want to step on anybody’s toes at all, but I want everybody just to play free. Play free, have fun and at the end of the day, just go and hit dudes. I’ve always been coached like an old school type coach. I’ve been born and raised to go run and hit dudes for a living. I know there’s a bunch of dogs in the secondary, linebackers, defensive line, everywhere. I’m super stoked for this. I’m just ready to build that relationship between all the levels.” “They’re already a really talented group,” Blankenship concluded. “There shouldn’t be any fall-off. That’s my mindset. I feel like the sky’s the limit for this secondary, for sure. I know all these guys are bought in. Why wouldn’t you want to be? They all want to win. We have a winning mindset. I can already feel that in the building. Honestly, I’ve never been the big rah-rah guy. When I got voted captain, I believe that was sort of my job and opportunity to get these guys going, especially for a guy who’s been in that room. They want to hear a voice. I’m not the rah-rah guy, but when I step on the field, it’s this different type of emotion. My adrenaline starts going and I just flip a switch. My wife can definitely tell you all, probably in detail, that during gameday, I rarely even talk to her. I’m just locked in. There’s a certain time that I just can’t talk to anybody. I dedicate the whole day to going out and trying to get a W.” Titans Titans first-round DE Keldric Faulk outlined…