JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - What will the Jaguars look like when they kick off their season on Sunday? Optimistically, it's not much of the same because the same just isn't good enough.
There's a bit of uncertainty about what to expect from Jacksonville when it hosts Carolina at 1 p.m. (Jacksonville is a 3.5-point favorite). It's the first game as a head coach for Liam Coen. It's the first chance to see if the roster constructed by first-time general manager James Gladstone shines on the big field. It's the regular season debut for two-way star Travis Hunter. And it's a massive season for quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
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Fans have been bubbling with excitement (and expectations) since the franchise cleaned house after last year's four-win season. What followed was a youth movement across the board that included the hire of Coen, 39, and Gladstone, 34. Why not try something new when it's been painfully obvious that consistency hasn't been kind to Jacksonville.
About the only consistent since owner Shad Khan bought the franchise in 2012 has been where the team has finished. Jacksonville has just three seasons above .500 since then. The Jaguars are an NFL-worst 64-148 in the regular season in Khan's 13 years.
"To try to give the community and the fanbase a product that they're proud of, I think that's kind of what weighs on you a little bit, is you're excited to see your players go out and play, you're curious to see the responses to adversity and the challenges within the game but you're eager to try to put a product on the field that people are proud of," Coen said.
The overhaul of the organization included purging Doug Pederson and Trent Baalke and ushering in a young and green era. Coen has never been a head coach. Coordinators Grant Udisnki and Anthony Campanile are first timers in those roles. Gladstone, too. Even as popular as executive vice president Tony Boselli is in Jacksonville, he's never held a front office position.
So, it's natural to not have exorbitant expectations, except the Jaguars don't have a roster that jumps off the page as one of the league's worst. Quite the opposite. Jacksonville faded to a 9-8 finish in 2023 but shouldn't have been nearly as bad (record-wise) as it was last year.
The Jaguars lost 10 games by one possession or less in 2024, a dubious stat that is the most in NFL history. But the Jaguars are ready to turn the page, and they get the Panthers in the opener to try and get things going.
"Of course, yeah. There's nothing like it. First game of the year, obviously. Even the preseason games I still get the little butterflies before you go out because it still means something, but this is the first one that counts," Lawrence said. "It does have a different feel to it. You obviously have a whole gameplan, you put in all the work the week before but really all offseason builds up to that because you know who that first opponent is."
Huge season for Trevor
Lawrence is entering his fifth season and the pressure is on to deliver. Coen said that he's been impressed by Lawrence since he took the job. And Lawrence has shown that he's capable of leading a team and winning. His second half in 2022 and start in 2023 showed that he's certainly able to play at a very high level, and the Jaguars are banking on Coen's offensive acumen helping propel Lawrence into a consistent quarterback.
Edge players Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker could be one of the league's top rushing duos. Hines-Allen is just two sacks away from tying Tony Brackens for the most in franchise history. Walker is in line for a massive contract extension. He's had back-to-back seasons of double-digit sacks.
"I think they've responded to challenges thus far that I've been proud of. Kind of everything we've asked them to do in so many ways, they've really worked their tails off to do, which we've all appreciated as coaches," Coen said. "Is it the finished final product that we're all hunting up? No, it's not but that's the beauty of it but I do think it's a group that understands they have the opportunity to improve."
Can Jags turn things around quickly?
Add Hunter in there, too. The Heisman Trophy winner from Colorado is one of the most unique players to ever enter the league. The Jaguars have a specific plan for his usage, but he's penciled in as a starting receiver and a backup cornerback. Jacksonville needs him to be elite on both sides of the ball, but he did get banged up in the preseason, and there is valid concern if Hunter can handle the physical beating at the NFL level on a week-to-week basis. He's not listed on the injury report for the Carolina game.
There are better-than-league-average players across the roster, and signs that the Jaguars can turn things around quickly. Coen said this week that the staff has faith that Jacksonville can be successful this year.
"Yeah, there is confidence. I mean, when we've executed on in three phases the way that we'd like to execute every play, it can look darn good," Coen said. "It can and then if we shoot ourselves in the foot or have pre snaps or, you know, don't take care of the football or whatever it is, it's going to be a tough day."
Coen said that he hasn't felt overwhelmed and the position hasn't been more challenging than he's expected because of the people around him.
"But it's been fun, honestly, it really has been, it's been fun. It's going to be cool to see it on Sunday," Coen said.