Everyone expected Brian Thomas Jr. to pick up where he left off last season. But that’s hardly been the case. And analyst Pete Prisco isn’t shying away from calling him out on his slip-ups.

Speaking on 1010XL:Jaguars, Prisco didn’t mince his words. “Brian Thomas needs to play like a number one WR,” he said. “I thought this was the year he took his game to the Chase Jefferson level. He’s not even close. And you have Jimmy Smith basically calling him out on Twitter,” he added. And you can’t really argue with that.

Last year, he set Jaguars rookie marks with 87 catches, 1,282 yards, and 10 touchdowns. That kind of production put him among the best first-year receivers in the league, got him a Pro Bowl nod, and even made him a Rookie of the Year finalist. Now compare that to the start he’s had this season.

Through two games in 2025, Thomas has been targeted 19 times and come down with just 5 catches for 60 yards — and not a single touchdown. Week 2 against Cincinnati was especially rough: four catches on 12 targets, with drops, effort, and mistakes questions all over the place.

It’s imperative that he steps up in Week 3 vs the Texans. “This is a big week for Brian. He’s gotta get out there and show people that, A, he’s willing to go in the middle of the field to take the shot, and B, that he can do it,” Prisco added. Well, Thomas Jr. certainly thinks he can. Which raises the question of whether it’s something other than a lack of confidence.

“I don’t know if it goes back to the hit he took in the preseason. But he was not playing well in camp even before that. There’s clearly something going on with him,” Prisco added. Head coach Liam Coen did mention that Thomas was dealing with an injured wrist going into the Bengals game, and he admitted the staff is still trying to “get to the root of it.”

And, as Prisco said, with Jaguars legend, Jimmy Smith, already calling him out, putting on a strong showing against Texans corner Derek Stingley Jr. feels even more important.

Jaguars legend Jimmy Smith criticises Brian Thomas Jr.

Jimmy Smith recently went on a rant against the wide receiver. Back in the ’90s, Jimmy Smith and his running mate Keenan McCardell set the standard for what Jaguars receivers were supposed to be. Now, that’s the bar Thomas is being measured against.

“I would have to be there and look him in the eyes and see what’s going on with him, and maybe we can pinpoint what the problem is and fix it. But he’s a professional,” Smith remarked. “He gets paid a lot of money to catch the football. That’s your job. And if you can’t do it, none of this stuff matters of how you feel or the fundamentals or any of that stuff,” he added.

Right now, it honestly looks like Brian Thomas Jr. is struggling with the basics of being a wide receiver. What’s even more worrying, though, is how he’s been short-arming passes. He’s also hesitating on contact and coming up short in the moments that matter most.

“You’ve got to go out there, and like a lot of guys say in the NFL, win off the muscle. You know what that means? That means you win every single play every time,” Smith added. And he knows a thing or two about catching the ball. He’s racked up over 12,287 yards and 67 TDs over the course of his career.

That aggressiveness we saw in his route running and catching last season simply doesn’t exist. And he’s got to bring it back when he comes up against Derek Stingley Jr. this week.