After a handful of unexpected twists and turns, the Jacksonville Jaguars have announced that they've hired Liam Coen as their next head coach. Their players and fans should be thrilled about what's next to come.
Fans have had to endure several rough seasons, but they should feel great about Coen's chances of turning things around. While the Tampa Bay Buccaneers weren't necessarily bad with Dave Canales in 2023, Coen took their offense to the next level last season.
One particular area where the Bucs' offense struggled under Canales was the running game. Once Coen took over, they became one of the best NFL teams at toting the rock, ranking fourth in rushing yards and 14th in touchdown runs last year.
On the other hand, several Jaguars players underperformed last year. Others showed flashes but had yet to reach their ceiling. All of them should get better with Coen leading the way.
With that in mind, here are five Jaguars who will flourish when Liam Coen becomes the head coach.
Trevor Lawrence, quarterback
Baker Mayfield has had a productive NFL career despite the fact that he's played for eight different offensive coordinators. If anything, that makes his success even more impressive. But as good as he's been, it wasn't until he played for Liam Coen that the 2018 NFL Draft pick hit his stride.
Under Coen's guidance, Mayfield posted career highs for passing yards, passing touchdowns, completion rate, and touchdown percentage rate in 2024. Meanwhile, Trevor Lawrence is coming off an underwhelming season. While his supporting cast wasn't great, he also regressed and didn't always make good decisions.
Coen will help Lawrence fix his mechanics and have him play like the top-10 quarterback that he is.
Tank Bigsby, running back
Running back Tank Bigsby is proof that players' readiness is always variable. His rookie season was plagued by costly mistakes. To make matters worse, he averaged a paltry 2.6 yards per carry. All things considered, it looked like the Jags had made a mistake. But then, something clicked and the Georgia native became a difference-maker in 2024.
Bigsby cut down on the mistakes and averaged 4.6 years per rush. Had he not shared the backfield with Travis Etienne, he would have probably crossed the 1,000-yard. That's what Bucky Irving did with Coen leading the way last year.
Expect Bigsby to show improvement under Coen whether Etienne stays or not.
Brian Thomas Jr., wide receiver
Brian Thomas Jr. was a bright spot for the Jaguars in 2024, hauling in 82 receptions for 1,282 yards with 10 touchdowns. He could've had better numbers if the coaching staff had involved him in the offseason early in the season. It wasn't until Christian Kirk and Gabe Davis landed on Injured Reserve that Jacksonville figured out how to use the former LSU Tiger.
Thomas now has one year of experience under his belt, so he should get off to a strong start to his sophomore campaign. Having Coen as the head coach should help him with that.
Chris Godwin has been a staple of the Buccaneers offense for several years. Had he not gotten hurt in 2024, he would've surely posted more than 1,000 yards for the sixth straight season. And throughout most of his career, he's lined up in the slot.
The Jags are expected to release or trade Christian Kirk to create $10 million in space. Leaving aside the cap savings, they must be comfortable moving on from him because they have an in-house replacement in Parker Washington.
When Kirk got hurt last year, Washington stepped in his place and routinely delivered when called up. Coincidentally, the former Nittany Lion lines up inside, so Coen could use him the way the Bucs have.
Cade Otton lacks name recognition outside of the Tampa Bay area but made up for it in 2024 by catching 59 receptions for 600 yards with four touchdowns. Brenton Strange could post similar numbers for the Jaguars next season, especially if they move on from Evan Engram.
Think about it. If Coen got the best out of Otton, he could do the same for Brenton Strange, which would make Engram expendable.