4 Jaguars in danger of losing a roster spot after Liam Coen's arrival

After running an exhaustive search, the Jacksonville Jaguars chose Liam Coen to be their head coach. For a brief moment, it looked like they were going to lose him, but they made it clear that they wanted him to get the job and made him an offer that he couldn't refuse.

Jordan Schultz of Fox Sports reports that Coen got an offer in the teens, meaning an annual average of over $11 million. Mike Florio of Pro Football Focus says it's $12 million per year.

Regardless of the exact amount, you can make the case that it's substantially more than the $4.5 million the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offered him to return as their offensive coordinator.

Of course, with a bigger salary and a higher position, Coen will have bigger responsibilities. One of them will be to make sure that the Jaguars have the best possible roster. Part of that will be to move on from players who may not fit the team's long-term plans.

With that in mind, here are five Jaguars players who are in danger of losing their roster spot following Coen's arrival.

Evan Engram, tight end

Nobody will deny that Evan Engram has been an integral piece of the Jacksonville offensive since his arrival in 2022. That said, he's coming off a relatively down year. Couple that with the fact that the Jags have a potential replacement in Brenton Strange, and the former Ole Miss Rebel may not be back in 2025.

This is the thing, Engram gives the team a dynamic player at the tight end position, but is he much better than Brenton Strange? Maybe, but the Jags could create a bit over $6 million in space if they trade him. Jacksonville would have no shortage of suitors for the veteran tight end, and they could use whatever compensation they get to bring in a player who fits Coen's vision.

Devin Lloyd, linebacker

Linebacker Devin Lloyd has flashed since the Jaguars drafted him 27th overall in 2022, but you want a first-round pick to be a game-changer, not just show potential. Granted, the former Utah Ute hasn't been outright bad, but he hasn't been great either.

Meanwhile, 2023 fourth-round pick Ventrell Miller showed last year that he deserves to start next to veteran Foyesade Oluokun. Surprisingly, the coaching staff kept giving Lloyd playing time. Perhaps the team's brass wanted to validate the decision to use a first-round pick on him.

Regardless of the reason, the regime that drafted Lloyd is gone, and if he cannot beat Miller in a competition, the Jags should consider trading him.

DaVon Hamilton, defensive tackle

You have to give defensive tackle DaVon Hamilton for earning a starting job in his rookie season and making strides the next two years. In fact, the Jags were so pleased with his development that they gave him an extension in 2023. Unfortunately, he hasn't lived up to his contract.

Heading into the 2023 season, Hamilton suffered a non-football back injury that sidelined him for several games. Once he returned, he wasn't 100 percent. And that's fine. In a sport as violent as football, players need time to get acclimated after missing time. The trouble is that the former Ohio State Buckeye was expected to bounce back in 2024. However, he was unremarkable and was even outplayed at times by then-rookie Maason Smith.

Due to Smith's presence and Arik Armstead's return to defensive tackle in 2025, Hamilton shouldn't feel safe now that Coen has taken over. Keep in mind that he inherited his roster, so everyone will get a clean start. If Hamilton does get back on track, he could get the boot.

Christian Kirk, wide receiver

It looks like the writing is on the wall for Christian Kirk. Even before general manager Trent Baalke and Doug Pederson got the boot, the veteran receiver didn't appear to be part of the team's future. Just before the 2024 trade deadline, Jacksonville was in talks to send him to the Pittsburgh Steelers. However, Kirk got hurt before they got a deal done and he stayed in Duval the remainder of the year.

There's now a new regime, but Kirk won't probably stick around. After all, releasing him or trading him would create $10 million in space. When you take into account that the Jaguars have an in-house replacement for him in Parker Washington, it's easy to see the former Texas A&M Aggie leaving in the offseason.

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