When the Jacksonville Jaguars hired Liam Coen as their head coach in 2025, it was clear he had a major task at hand: fixing the offense.
Coen did just that and more in his first season at the helm. Inheriting a unit that ranked No. 26 in points scored and No. 25 in yards gained in 2024, the Jags’ offense climbed to No. 6 and No. 11, respectively, in those categories.
Now, the pressure is on to continue that same success in year two. With returners at quarterback and wide receiver and some new faces across the rest of the offense, Coen has expressed confidence but also pointed to areas of growth he wants to see from his unit ahead of Jacksonville’s Sept. 13 opener against the Cleveland Browns.
"How can we be more explosive, limit some of those negative plays, whether it be by penalty, sack, negative yard rush, and then get better in third down and red zone are definitely some areas we're looking to improve upon," Coen said.
Here’s a position-by-position deep dive into how the Jags offense is expected to look this season.
Quarterbacks
Headed into his sixth season, Trevor Lawrence is beginning to shape into what Jags fans thought he had the potential to be when they selected him No. 1 overall: a franchise QB.
In 2025, Lawrence hit the 4,000-yard passing mark for the third time and set new career-highs in passing touchdowns (29), rushing yards (359) and rushing touchdowns (nine).
But the 26-year-old isn’t satisfied with those numbers. He wants to make even more strides in year two in Coen’s system.
"There is some comfort in that I don't have to relearn the offense,” Lawrence said. “But there is a continual growth mindset of, 'I can always find different things that I can master and totally own the system."
There are notable areas of play where Lawrence can continue to make strides. Over the past two seasons, he’s only completed just over 60% of his passes, down from 66.3% and 65.6% in 2023 and 2024.
Ball security remains another area of potential improvement. Lawrence threw 12 interceptions in the regular season and had two more in the Jags’ 27-24 Wild Card Round loss. Over the offseason, he has been more keyed in on his decision-making and processing speed to help diminish those issues.
“The biggest thing is I can react, play faster, can work on some different things of my game because the focus isn't as much on what to do and what's the play call and what are all the adjustments,” Lawrence said.
It seemed that veteran Nick Mullens was likely to assume the backup quarterback role for a second-straight season, but Jacksonville instead opted to deal a sixth-round pick to the Miami Dolphins for second-year pro Quinn Ewers. The former Texas Longhorn will now play the reserve role for Lawrence after Mullens was released Sunday morning.
Running backs
After letting longtime starter Travis Etienne Jr. enter free agency, where he signed a four-year deal with the New Orleans Saints, questions surrounded the Jacksonville backfield headed into the Summer.
But second-year Bhayshul Tuten looks to be the answer. The fourth-round selection in the 2025 draft recorded 83 carries for 307 yards and five touchdowns and added 10 grabs for 79 yards and two touchdowns through the air.
While his numbers in a limited role don’t pop off the screen, Tuten has stood out on the practice field ahead of the season.
“Now it's more so, he was so conscientious about ball security last year and doing right,” Coen said. “OK now, Tuten, you got it. You understand it more. Now just go be you, like go do what got you here. Go be special, that's who you are. And we're definitely expecting Tuten to have a big year for us."
With that improvement, Tuten looks to be in the driver's seat for the early-down role, despite competition from free-agency addition Chris Rodriguez Jr, who signed a two-year, $10 million contract in March.
Rodriguez spent the first three seasons of his career with the Washington Commanders and had his career-best season last year, with 500 rushing yards and six touchdowns in 13 games.
However, the 5-foot-11, 224-pound back suffered a left foot injury in April, forcing him out of organized team activities and mandatory minicamp. While that time away might have hampered his chances at a featured role, Rodriguez is ready to fight for his spot this season.
“Continue to just stack every day, man,” Rodriguez said. “Treat every day like a starter, whether I am or not, and good things will happen.”
The third-down running back role is set to be filled by second-year pro LeQuint Allen Jr., whose 80.8 Pro Football Focus pass-blocking grade led all NFL runners in 2025.
Veteran Ameer Abdullah made the roster as the fourth running back, earning a roster spot over Virginia product J’Mari Taylor.
Wide receivers
Headed into the 2025 season, it seemed that Brian Thomas Jr. was on the verge of becoming Jacksonville’s no-doubt No. 1 wideout. By the end of the year, though, it was third-year veteran Parker Washington who stepped up as Lawrence’s go-to target.
After recording a combined 48 catches, 522 yards and three touchdowns in his first two professional seasons, Washington broke out in 2025 with a team-high 58 grabs and 847 yards as well as five touchdowns in 16 games.
The Penn State product truly burst onto the national scene late in the season. He recorded at least 53 receiving yards in six of the last seven games of the season, including his 7-catch, 107-yard, one-touchdown performance in the Wild Card Round.
And that momentum continued into camp and has reached a fever pitch as the season nears its dawn, with Coen being the biggest believer in Washington.
“Parker is now my emergency contact. That’s how much I trust him,” Coen said. “My wife thought it was a little weird but she’s okay with it.”
Thomas, meanwhile, followed up his Pro Bowl rookie campaign with a solid 707 yards, but he only hauled in just over 50% of his targets and recorded a joint-second NFL high 10 drops.
His rapport with Lawrence and Coen, though, remains strong, and throughout camp, he has made strides when given the opportunity.
"When you can throw the ball over somebody's head, it's a threat, man,” Coen said. “He's run a lot of routes out here that maybe weren't getting targeted to him, that he's won as well.”
Steady veteran presence Jakobi Meyers rounds out the Jags' starting group, and it's not unfair to expect the eighth-year wideout to continue his almost otherworldly year-to-year consistency.
In each of the past five seasons, Meyers has recorded at least 67 catches and 804 receiving yards. In nine games with Jacksonville after being acquired from the Las Vegas Raiders, Meyers made 42 catches for 483 yards and three touchdowns.
A potential X-factor in the wideout group is the dynamic Travis Hunter. In seven games as a rookie, the former No. 2 overall selection had 28 receptions for 298 yards and a touchdown. While rumors circulated in the offseason that Hunter would be solely focused on his defensive role, Coen was clear about his role going forward.
“We all know he's our 3A, 3B receiver right now, and [we're] trying to get him the exposure to every opportunity that we have out here," Coen said.
2026 6th-round selections Josh Cameron and CJ Williams have been impressive in their first taste of NFL action and earned spots on the initial 53-man roster.
Tight ends
One of the main areas of investment, both in terms of retention and addition, this offseason for general manager James Gladstone came in the tight end room.
The big retention came in the form of Brenton Strange. The former second-round pick is coming off a career season in which he set new career-highs in catches (46), receiving yards (540) and touchdowns (three) through 12 games. That earned him a three-year, $48 million extension this offseason with $25 million guaranteed, establishing him as the Jags' No. 1 tight end for the present and the future.
“As our offense continues to evolve, Brenton's role will evolve with it,” Coen said. "His work ethic and dedication define our core values and culture, and we're excited to keep developing this offense with him as a main focal point."
In the draft, Gladstone selected Texas A&M’s Nate Boerkircher in the second round and Houston’s Tanner Koziol in the fifth round to add new, unique skill sets to the room.
Both players have made big impressions on the staff and have cemented roles for the upcoming season, with Boerkircher especially living up to expectations thus far.
“You can tell he's got a calming confidence about him," Coen said of Boerkircher. "[He’s] extremely locked in."
Quintin Morris, who signed a new one-year deal to remain with the organization, was also kept on the 53-man roster to kick off the season.
Offensive linemen
Thanks to preseason injuries to potential starters, Jacksonville’s offensive line depth has become paramount and might see the organization keep double-digit linemen on its initial 53-man roster.
At the blindside spot, former first-rounder Anton Harrison saw his fifth-year option picked up after only allowing one sack in 2025 and is set to move from the right to the left side of the line.
Meanwhile, six-year veteran Walker Little, who primarily played left tackle last season, is shifting to a right tackle role, but he has found himself in the concussion protocol. However, Little is trending towards returning in the near future. Robert Hainsey is likely to start at center for the second consecutive season with Jonah Monheim set to serve as his backup once again.
Another Jags lineman recovering from an injury is Cole Van Lanen, who hurt his knee in Week 18 of last season. After missing OTAs, minicamp and the beginning of training camp, Van Lanen was recently taken off of the Physically Unable to Perform list and looks likely to be the starting right tackle when back to full strength.
"When he’s able to go on the grass for us, I feel very confident that he’ll be able to get back to his best self quickly,” Coen said.
Veteran Ezra Cleveland could be an option at either left or right guard, but third-round pick Emmanuel Pregnon has made an early push for playing time. Meanwhile, Patrick Mekari, the Jaguars starter at right guard last season, recently underwent back surgery and ended up on injured reserve to begin the season.
With Mekari sidelined, the Jags struck a trade with the New York Giants for experienced guard Daniel Faalele, who followed his former head coach, John Harbaugh, to East Rutherford this offseason.
“You want to continue to find guys that have done it, guys that have played in this league at a high level,” Coen said. “He's got some big size, and I'm looking forward to getting to know him. But the experience is really what matters."
Meanwhile, second-year Wyatt Milum saw action at tackle and guard last season and could be forced into action if injuries persist.
Either way, the Jaguars might need to add another body or two through free agency or a trade to bolster a unit that could make or break their season.
"Yeah, just continuing to bring depth, and guys that have played meaningful reps in this league. That's something that you can't have enough of," Coen said.
Contact Max Bernstein at mbernstein@alligator.org. Follow him on X at@maxbernstein23.
Max Bernstein is a fourth-year sports and media journalism major and sports management minor. This Fall, he is a Sports Editor and a Florida Gators and Jacksonville Jaguars reporter at The Alligator. Now in his ninth semester with The Alligator, Max previously served in roles including Digital Managing Editor, Sports Editor, Assistant Sports Editor and Football Reporter. He has also made appearances on the Paul Finebaum Show. In the rare moments Max isn't working, he's usually with his girlfriend Reese, watching sports with his fraternity brothers or missing his family and his two cats.
