Jaguars kick off training camp in peculiar fashion

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Doug Pederson opened his first training camp in Jacksonville with a police escort.

The first-year Jaguars coach and 91 players loaded onto a five-bus caravan for a 5-mile ride from TIAA Bank Field to a nearby high school for their first practice Monday. Despite the extra security, the quick trip provided an old-school feel for a new-school coach whose main goal is leading one of the NFL’s bumbling franchises back to respectability.

"Ten minutes on a bus full of 50 guys, yeah, there’s quite a bit of bonding," Pederson said.

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Trevor Lawrence #16 of the Jacksonville Jaguars throws a pass during Training camp on July 25, 2022 at Episcopal High School in Jacksonville, Florida. (James Gilbert/Getty Images)

Jacksonville landed at Episcopal School for camp because of a $120 million renovation to the team’s practice fields. The 18-month project includes three new fields (one indoors) and a 125,000-square-foot sports performance center that will house meeting rooms, offices, a weight room, a locker room and more. It’s projected to open next June.

In the meantime, the Jaguars will be somewhat displaced for practice. They worked mostly from their game field for organized team activities, but that option wasn’t feasible given the daily workload associated with training camp.

So team officials scouted five local spots, including campuses at Jacksonville University and the University of North Florida, before settling on Episcopal because of its close proximity and the fact that it was wide open in June, July and August.

"When you abide by the (Collective Bargaining Agreement) and you have an 11-hour day,