The Jacksonville Jaguars have a lot of talented wide receivers, but Parker Washington is proving this season that he's among the best. Even during less-than-stellar games, Washington has come through, and he's making a name for himself, even without much hype surrounding him in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Each week, Washington has worked to keep the faith Liam Coen has in him well-placed, and while he may never end up as the Jaguars' #1 receiver, he's versatile and reliable, and has become a key playmaker for the offense.
Yet strangely, with the Jaguars facing the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 5 - arguably their first truly tough opponent - Washington isn't getting the ball nearly as much as he should be. The fact that he scored an incredible touchdown is proof that this needs to change... and fast.
Liam Coen needs to start using Parker Washington more
The Jaguars didn't look very good as the game started; Trevor Lawrence led the offense to two consecutive three-and-outs, and Patrick Mahomes easily led the Chiefs to two straight touchdowns. But from there, things started to look up for the Jaguars.
Lawrence marched the Jaguars down the field and ended it with a short pass to Washington, who managed to snag it despite being heavily covered. It was a thing of beauty.
Trevor Lawrence connects with Parker Washington to get the @Jaguars on the board!
— NFL (@NFL) October 7, 2025
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Yet Washington was only given the ball twice in the first half - something unacceptable, considering how reliable he has been overall this season.
Washington has put in serious work through the offseason to make up for the concerns many had about how he would fit into Liam Coen's new scheme. He performed well in training camp, and he has excelled so far throughout the 2025 season. So why, when facing such a tough opponent, would Coen and Lawrence not turn to him more?
He hasn't been getting nearly as many snaps as Dyami Brown, Travis Hunter, or Brian Thomas Jr., and while the former two can be excused, the latter cannot. As excellent as Thomas was during his rookie year, he's going through a major sophomore slump, while - again - Washington is only getting better and better.
It is long past time for the Jaguars to take advantage of a serious weapon they have, and one that is being ignored so far in this Jaguars-Chiefs game.