Rookie WR Josh Cameron might be the most versatile player on Jacksonville's roster

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — The Jacksonville Jaguars have a guy making clutch plays in two phases of the game. He gets open, scores touchdowns and tackles ball carriers.

Former Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter? No. Not yet anyway.

Rookie receiver Josh Cameron might be the most versatile young player on Jacksonville’s roster. The sixth-round draft pick out of Baylor has two TD receptions, five kickoff returns for 136 yards and a special teams tackle that prevented a big play.

His 12-yard TD catch in a 35-6 victory over New England on Sunday started the home team’s rout.

“He’s that guy,” coach Liam Coen said. “That’s him. That’s the definition of who he is. He’s the personal protector on punt. He catches a touchdown in the end zone on a critical down, then he runs down on kickoff and makes the tackle, then he gets a kickoff return out past the 50 on an explosive.

“The more you can do in this league, right? … Everything he does he does like a pro.”

Cameron finished with a team-high 75 all-purpose yards and could end up being the team’s third receiver behind Parker Washington and Jakobi Meyers. Brian Thomas Jr. dropped two passes in a 20-13 loss at Denver last week, creating speculation that Hunter would get more snaps on the offensive side of the ball. Coen even fed into the possibility.

But it was Cameron on the field early and often in place of Thomas. They played the same number of offensive snaps (23) against New England. Hunter was on the field for five plays and didn't touch the ball.

Cameron made more of an impact on that side of the ball, catching a dart from Lawrence between three defenders. His TD reception in the opener against Cleveland was even better, a diving catch in the end zone while surrounded by four defenders.

“Pretty sweet catch,” Lawrence said.

Added Meyers: “Vet play, for real. That was talented.”

Cameron flashed in training camp and opened more eyes by averaging 19.3 yards a catch in the preseason. Now, with Jacksonville looking for more reliability from its No. 3 receiver, Cameron might just be getting started.

“One bite at a time, man,” Meyers said. “He shows up. He does everything right every single day. … He’s just been making plays consistently, and it showed when he got out there.”

The Jaguars have allowed a league-low 36 points through three games, with 24 of those coming in the fourth quarter. Although they haven’t played any offensive juggernauts — Cleveland, Denver and New England — there has been plenty to like on the defensive side of the ball.

Defensive tackle DaVon Hamilton has been stout in the middle, clearing lanes for linebacker Ventrell Miller to make plays, and the secondary has been fairly sticky outside of Denver’s Jaylen Waddle catching eight passes for 138 yards. Also, Hunter got his first career interception.

Jacksonville’s screen game leaves a lot to be desired. On a first-down play in the first quarter, Lawrence connected with running back Bhayshul Tuten in the left flat. Tuten had four blockers in front of him, but they failed to hold off two defenders. Tuten gained 2 yards.

It's a two-year trend for Jacksonville.

Chris Rodriguez Jr., who signed a two-year, $10 million contract in free agency, scored his first touchdown with the Jaguars. Rodriguez ran eight times for 37 yards against the Pats and scored on a 5-yard run in the third quarter.

Coen said Rodriguez was frustrated with “some of his misreads” in the first two games, adding that he had a “phenomenal” week of practice. Rodriguez, meanwhile, said he had been running with a “super high” pad level.

“You can do big things if you get your pads down there,” he said.

Thomas finished with one reception for 8 yards. He should get a chance to earn more playing time, but don’t expect the Jags to make him their featured receiver anytime soon, if ever again.

DT Albert Regis injured an elbow in practice Friday and was inactive.

4 – Number of consecutive wins Cincinnati, the Jags' next opponent, has against Jacksonville.

The Jaguars need to find a way to slow down Bengals QB Joe Burrow and WRs Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins on Sunday.

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Jacksonville Jaguars running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. (24) scores a touchdown against the New England Patriots in the secondhalf during an NFL football game in Jacksonville, Fla., Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)

Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Travis Hunter (12) intercepts a pass against New England Patriots wide receiver Efton Chism III (86) in the first half during an NFL football game in Jacksonville, Fla., Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Josh Cameron (19) makes a catch for a touchdown against New England Patriots linebacker Elijah Ponder (91) and linebacker Christian Elliss (53) in the first half during an NFL football game in Jacksonville, Fla., Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)

Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Josh Cameron (19) scores a touchdown against New England Patriots linebacker Christian Elliss (53) in the first half during an NFL football game in Jacksonville, Fla., Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Josh Cameron (19) celebrates with teammates after scoring a touchdown against the New England Patriots in the first half during an NFL football game in Jacksonville, Fla., Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Brady Tkachuk made an immediate impression on the Florida Panthers.

It was Game 1 of the preseason, his first game in Panthers colors. He already had a goal and an assist, then took exception when someone decided to send Aleksander Barkov into the boards with a hit that the Panthers deemed excessive. So, he got into a fight to protect his captain, then headed to the penalty box with a satisfied look upon his face.

When he got there, Matthew Tkachuk nodded and smiled. Big bro approved, as did everyone else on the Florida bench.

“Brady fits right into the need that we had,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said.

Oh, brother. Everything changed for Florida when Matthew Tkachuk arrived in 2022. The move allowed the team to graduate from simply being a good regular-season club to one tough enough to reach three consecutive Stanley Cup finals and win two in a row. And now, his brother Brady — bigger, stronger and younger than Matthew — is with the Panthers as well, looking to win and win big, something that didn't happen in the first chapter of his career when he played for the Ottawa Senators.

It always seemed inevitable that they would team up. The family dream is now reality, and Florida — which opens its season Tuesday at Stanley Cup champion Carolina — can't wait to see how it is all going to work.

“It's a dream come true to play with players like that,” Barkov said.

How will one brother make the other one better, and more importantly, how will having two Tkachuks make the Panthers better? Florida hockey operations president and general manager Bill Zito thinks he knows.

“Short answer is love," Zito said. “Anytime you can put love in your dressing room, sincere brotherly love, isn’t that really what a team is? And when those guys are together, you see it. ... They're both wonderful players and competitors. And I think Brady is going bring a lot of things individually to our team, in addition to the things that come as being the brother of another teammate.”

Brady Tkachuk was there when the Panthers won the Stanley Cup in 2024 and 2025, sitting in the stands with his family at Amerant Bank Arena in Florida, cheering on his brother, celebrating that Matthew got to live out their dream by winning a title.

In those moments, his mind wandered. He insists that he was fully devoted to Ottawa and loved being the captain of the Senators. But the team never won a playoff series in his time there, meaning it wasn't exactly a Cup contender.

The Panthers are — and probably became even more of a contender now that he's arrived.

“It's been amazing,” Brady Tkachuk said. “These guys have all welcomed me in with open arms.”

If the brothers aren’t playing hockey, they’re probably talking hockey. The show is called the Wingmen Podcast. The format is simple: the brothers are co-hosts sitting down with a guest or two, talking hockey or whatever else comes to their minds.

Officially, it’s a once-a-week deal, lasting about an hour.

Unofficially, it might seem like an all-day, everyday phenomenon for the Panthers.

“They’re like a constant show,” Panthers defensemen Aaron Ekblad said, “It’s like we’ve got our own podcast in the room as well. They’re the best.”

Entertaining as they may be behind microphones, the Tkachuks are hoping the real show comes when they’re on the ice together in the NHL for the first time. They’ve been teammates with Team USA — Olympic gold medalists from the Milan Cortina Games earlier this year — and this summer the Panthers made the move to put them in the same dressing room full-time.

“I’ve grown to love Matthew and everything he’s done for this franchise is incredible,” Ekblad said. "He’s a family man. He’s a philanthropist and he does all of the little things right. And I know that Brady falls in his footsteps closely. So, I'm really excited to get to play with him.”

There is always going to be a sibling rivalry, of course. There are still times the Tkachuk brothers will get on each other's nerves — and, the Panthers hope, the nerves of opponents. And Brady, forever and ever, will be Matthew's little brother, which means he'll be subject to jokes about his temper, his driving and more.

"Let's face it. How often do people get to play in the NHL with their brother?" Matthew Tkachuk asked. "That in itself is making this already — we haven’t even played a game yet — just the best experience ever.”

The Panthers can only hope that the experience keeps getting better.

See AP’s full NHL coverage here

FILE - United States' Brady Tkachuk (7), Matthew Tkachuk, center, and Zach Werenski (8) celebrate after their overtime win against Canada in the men's ice hockey gold medal game at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan on Feb. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)