Leading up to kickoff of the 2026 NFL season, TeamFB7 is going in-depth on each team from its strengths and weaknesses to breakout players, intriguing rookies and overall predictions. We’re working backward from our preseason power rankings with some updates and tweaks. Next up are the Jacksonville Jaguars at No. 19.
Most any other season, Liam Coen would have been voted NFL Coach of the Year for what he did last year in Jacksonville.
He took over a 4-13 team and a seemingly broken former top draft pick, and from that he delivered the Jaguars a 13-4 record and AFC South title while turning Trevor Lawrence into the best quarterback he’s been at any point in his five-year NFL career.
Unfortunately for Coen, as if he cares all that much about it, 2025 was a season full of improbable turnarounds and exceptional coaching feats and the award deservedly went to the New England Patriots’ Mike Vrabel.
Nonetheless, Coen’s immediate success should inspire Jaguars fans that their team is in good hands moving forward.
And it will need to be after an underwhelming offseason and has left Jacksonville with a lesser roster than the one that took the Buffalo Bills to the wire in a 27-24 playoff loss.
The Jags let star linebacker Devin Lloyd and running back Travis Etienne depart in free agency after career-best seasons, didn’t sign any difference-making free agents themselves (rotation running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. was the biggest splurge at $10 million over two years) and had a lackluster draft after trading away their 2026 first-round pick last year to move up and select Travis Hunter 2nd overall.
Can Coen work his magic again this fall?
Jacksonville Jaguars Reset
2025 Finish: 13-4, AFC South champion, lost 27-24 to Bills in wildcard round
Head Coach: Liam Coen, second season
Hot Seat Meter (0-10): 0
Offensive Coordinator: Grant Udinski, second season (*Coen is the offensive play-caller)
Defensive Coordinator: Anthony Campanile, second season
Best Offseason Move: Signing RB Chris Rodriguez Jr.
This is more of a by-default answer because there isn’t much to choose from.
It’s understandable that the Jaguars didn’t want to pay the asking price for Etienne, who signed with the Saints for four years and $48 million (making him the 11th-highest-paid RB in the league by average annual contract value). Etienne was great last season for Jacksonville with 1,107 rushing yards, 292 receiving yards and 13 total TDs, but he’s been up-and-down over the years and has run at a modest 4.2 yards per carry for his career.
Jacksonville seems high on 2025 fourth-round pick Bhayshul Tuten and, if so, pairing him with a more cost-effective backfield mate in Rodriguez makes sense.
Rodriguez averaged 4.6 YPC over three seasons with the Commanders, including a career-high 500 yards and 6 TDs in a rotational role last year.
Worst Offseason Move: Losing and not replacing second-team All-Pro linebacker Devin Lloyd
The Jaguars clearly felt a salary cap crunch and made some hard decisions, but they’re going to feel the loss of Lloyd, a former first-round pick who fit Campanile’s scheme and played his best football last season with 81 tackles, 6 tackles for loss, 5 interceptions and 7 passes defended.
Lloyd actually signed for what seemed like a decent value, taking $42 million over three years from the Carolina Panthers.
Worse than choosing not to match or top that deal, though, is that Jacksonville didn’t even really replace Lloyd at all.
The team’s official depth chart lists either third-year pro Ventrell Miller (38 tackles in 17 games with 2 starts last season) or 2025 undrafted free agent Branson Combs (9 tackles in 10 games off the bench) as the potential starter next to entrenched standout Foyesade Oluokun.
Jacksonville Jaguars Roster Breakdown
Biggest Strength: Trevor Lawrence and the passing attack
Lawrence posted his third 4,000-yard passing season (4,007) in five years and set a career-high with 29 touchdown passes (with 12 interceptions) while rushing for 359 yards and a career-best 9 TDs on the ground.
Those are fine numbers, but what made Lawrence’s 2025 season special was what happened when everything seemed to click for the former No. 1 overall draft pick.
Through the first 11 games, Lawrence had thrown for 14 TDs and 11 INTs, ranking among the league leaders in the latter, while averaging 218.9 passing yards per game. Over the final six regular-season games, he averaged 266.7 passing YPG with 15 TDs and 1 INT plus 4 rushing TDs.
(Lawrence passed for 207 yards, 3 TDs and 2 INTs in the narrow playoff loss to the Bills, with the second pick coming on a deflected pass into tight coverage to end the game inside the final minute.)
Jacksonville has a capable crew of wide receivers in Parker Washington (58 catches for 847 yards and 5 TDs in a breakout 2025 season), Brian Thomas Jr. (48-707-2 in a drop-off from 87-1,282-10 as a rookie) and Jakobi Meyers (42-483-3 in nine games after coming over from the Raiders via trade; 75-835-3 overall last season).
If Lawrence sustains whatever he unlocked late last season and Thomas is healthier in the 2026 after playing through wrist, shoulder and ankle injuries last year, this could be a top 10 or better passing offense (after ranking 12th in 2025).
Biggest Weakness: Offensive line
In its preseason offseason line rankings, PFF slotted Jacksonville’s 30th out of 32 teams.
PFF’s main criticism of the unit was the interior and specifically center Robert Hainsey (which it graded 23rd out of 40 qualifying centers at 62.4 in 2025, with diminishing grades in recent years) and right guard Patrick Mekari (graded 68th out of 81 guards at 52.1).
Well, Mekari underwent back surgery in August and is now out at least the first few games while on injured reserve.
In the meantime, the Jaguars moved returning starter Ezra Cleveland from left guard to right guard and list rookie third-round pick Emmanuel Pregnon as the starting left guard with Daniel Faalele (acquired from the Giants after Mekari’s setback) behind him, and
It also doesn’t help that one of the Jaguars’ highest-paid offensive lineman, Walker Little (in the second year of a three-year, $45 million extension), lost his left tackle job to Cole Van Lanen late last season and is indeed listed as his very expensive backup at right tackle to start 2026. Anton Harrison, a first-round pick in 2023, moves from right tackle to left tackle after an encouraging season last year.
So basically, the only returning starter in the same spot as last year is Hainsey, the center that PFF think has regressed in recent seasons.
Most Intriguing Rookie: Left guard Emmanuel Pregnon
The Jaguars didn’t have a first-round pick in this draft and made an underwhelming second-round selection in Texas A&M tight end Nate Boerkircher, but they found a potential steal late in the third round with Pregnon at pick No. 88.
A standout at both USC and Oregon, skilled as both a stout pass blocker and effective run blocker, Pregnon is now projected to open the season as the team’s starting left guard, at least until Mekari returns. If he plays well, perhaps he seizes control of the position.
Breakout Player: RB Bhayshul Tuten
Tuten and Rodriguez are listed as co-starters, but the biggest reason the Jaguars were comfortable letting Etienne sign elsewhere while not bringing in a more notable free agent than Rodriguez is because of their confidence in the second-year RB out of Virginia Tech.
Tuten rushed for 1,159 yards and 15 TDs on a robust 6.3 YPC in his last college season. He only averaged 3.7 YPC as a rookie, totaling 307 rushing yards and 5 TDs, but that was with sporadic limited usage.
In the only game in which he received double-digit carries, Tuten rushed for 74 yards and a TD on 15 attempts (4.9 YPC) vs. the Chargers.
He’ll get his shot this year to truly prove himself as an NFL weapon.
…
This is where we should also at least mention Travis Hunter, the No. 2 overall pick in the draft last year who was coveted for his ability to contribute as both a wide receiver and cornerback (winning the Heisman Trophy at Colorado for doing both at a high level).
Hunter played just seven games as a rookie before season-ending knee surgery for a torn LCL. The bulk of his work came on offense, where he caught 28 passes for 298 yards and a TD. He had 15 tackles and 3 passes defended on defense.
Well, the plan for 2026 to have Hunter focus primarily on cornerback (while also being listed as a backup wide receiver).
Perhaps a more concentrated focus on one spot and a healthy season will let Hunter emerge as a key contributor in his second year.
MVP Pick: QB Trevor Lawrence
As noted above, the Jaguars’ upside this season hinges on what version of Lawrence they get — the one from the first 11 games (and much of his career) or the elite passer from the final six games last year.
2026 Jacksonville Jaguars Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Time (ET) |
| Week 1, Sept. 13 | vs. Cleveland Browns | 1 p.m. |
| Week 2, Sept. 20 | at Denver Broncos | 4:05 p.m. |
| Week 3, Sept. 27 | vs. New England Patriots | 1 p.m. |
| Week 4, Oct. 4 | at Cincinnati Bengals | 1 p.m. |
| Week 5, Oct. 11 (in London, England) | vs. Philadelphia Eagles | 9:30 a.m. |
| Week 6, Oct. 18 (in London, England) | vs. Houston Texans | 9:30 a.m. |
| Week 7 | BYE WEEK | |
| Week 8, Nov. 1 | vs. Indianapolis Colts | 1 p.m. |
| Week 9, Nov. 5 (Thursday) | at Baltimore Ravens | 8:15 p.m. |
| Week 10, Nov. 15 | at Tennessee Titans | 1 p.m. |
| Week 11, Nov. 22 | at New York Giants | 1 p.m. |
| Week 12, Nov. 29 | vs. Tennessee Titans | 4:05 p.m. |
| Week 13, Dec. 6 | at Chicago Bears | 1 p.m. |
| Week 14, Dec. 14 (Monday) | vs. Pittsburgh Steelers | 8:15 p.m. |
| Week 15, Dec. 20 | at Houston Texans | 1 p.m. |
| Week 16, Dec. 27 | at Dallas Cowboys | 1 p.m. |
| Week 17, TBD (Flex Game) | vs. Washington Commanders | TBD |
| Week 18, TBD (Flex Game) | at Indianapolis Colts | TBD |
Jacksonville Jaguars Season Prediction And Parting Thoughts
Season Prediction: 8-9
We’re not the only ones predicting a regression for Jacksonville. DraftKings Sportsbook (and others) set the Jaguars’ over/under at 8.5 wins.
The Jags scored the sixth-most points in the NFL last season at 27.9 per game and should again be an above average offense with Coen pulling the strings and all of the key contributors except Etienne back, but was Lawrence’s sublime final six games last year a mirage or a true turning point? We’ll know soon enough.
Defensively, Jacksonville gave up the 8th-fewest points (19.8 per game) while ranking 11th in yards allowed (303.6 per game).
The sustainability of that is an even harder variable to project.
The cornerbacks are a solid unit if Hunter can excel and live up to expectations next to Montaric Brown (graded 20th out of 114 CBs by PFF last year with 51 tackles, 2 INTs and 12 PDs) and Jourdan Lewis (2 INTs, 10 PDs in 12 games) at nickel, but that’s an “if” all the same.
Anthony Johnson was PFF’s highest-graded safety overall (87.3, with 58 tackles, 5 INTs and 9 PDs), but the rest of that group is lacking. Eric Murray, an 11-year veteran journeyman, is back at the other safety spot after starting 12 games in his first season in Jacksonville while PFF graded him 63rd out of 98 safeties.
And upfront, the Jaguars have talent with edge rushers Josh Hines-Allen (graded 6th among edge rushers by PFF at 86.8; 8 sacks, 12 TFLs and 98 total pressures) and Travon Walker (20.5 sacks over 2023-24 before just 3.5 in 14 games last season) with Arik Armstead (in his 12th NFL season) in the middle of the line.
But how much does the loss of Lloyd — who made such an impact in the middle of the defense — and a razor-thin linebacker unit change things in 2026?
Last season felt like a best-case scenario outcome for Jacksonville, which won its final eight games. It’s logical to think that might not be the case this time around, even with a good head coach steering the ship.
