Arik Armstead reveals the key reason the Jaguars are thriving under Liam Coen

After the 2024 season, the Jacksonville Jaguars were in dire need of a major shake-up. Although they made the playoffs under Doug Pederson in 2022, they failed to qualify the following two years and were progressively getting worse. This is why the Jags ousted Pederson and hired Liam Coen as the head coach to oversee a turnaround. It worked.

In Coen's first season at the helm, Jacksonville went 13-4 and became a tough, physical team. Similarly, players like Trevor Lawrence went on to have banner years.

Fast forward to 2026, and the Jaguars are poised to win the AFC South title and make the playoffs for the second-year in a row for the first time since 1999. Veteran defensive tackle Arik Armstead recently talked about what makes his head coach so successful.

Arik Armstead argues Liam Coen lead a cultural shift with the Jaguars

Arik Armstead had a sitdown with DJ Siddiqi of RG and discussed several topics, including his career and how much longer he plans to continue playing. The former Oregon Duck heaped praise on Liam Coen, arguing he was a main reason the Jaguars turned the corner last year.

"Liam, man, he's been amazing. The new regime coming in, and for him to come in and where we were at," Armstead told Siddiqi. "Obviously the year before, his big message to us was creating an identity and a culture and an edge for ourselves and our building to just be different, and I feel that football is the culture of your team."

Armstead continued, "The identity, the philosophy of your team is so important in football because it's a very physical, violent game that we play, and if you don't bring that week in and week out, you can lose to anybody."

Later in the exchange, Armstead goes on to say that he's excited, pointing out that culture Coen set helped the team build their identity.

The San Francisco 49ers drafted Armstead in the first round of the 2015 draft. He spent the first 10 seasons of his career in the Bay Area before bolting to Jacksonville in 2024, signing a three-year deal worth $44.5 million. However, his first year with the Jags left much to be desired. One big reason, though, was that the Sacramento, California native switched to defensive end.

Armstead returned to his more familiar defensive tackle spot in 2025 and had much more success, registering 5.5 sacks in the first games of the season. However, a hand injury slowed him down the remainder of the year.

Because of his big cap hit in 2026, Armstead was seen as a potential cut candidate, but he remains in Duval, and it doesn't seem like he'll go anywhere. In fact, he's the Jaguars' best defensive tackle, and a bounce-back season shouldn't be ruled out.

The Jaguars are in great shape because of Liam Coen

There's a honeymoon period every time a team hires a new head coach. Players will talk about how change is refreshing, so you could take Arik Armstead's remarks as a non-story. Having said that, he's a grizzled veteran and has witnessed what it takes for a club to be successful, so he wouldn't have praised Liam Coen if he didn't think it was warranted.

Heck, Jaguars players knew Urban Meyer was a fraud just a few weeks after arriving in Duval. They knew he was lying to them and witnessed firsthand his lack of seriousness. Meanwhile, Coen is the kind of head coach who knows what buttons to push. He'll demand the most from his team, but will also care about his players at a personal level. His approach works, as proven by Jacksonville's 13-4 record in 2025.

Now, the Jaguars are embarking on their second season under head coach Liam Coen. And as long as he leads the way, they should enjoy sustained success.

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