How new Jaguars HC Liam Coen can unlock Brian Thomas Jr.'s full potential

There’s an old saying if it aint broke don’t fix it, though that may not be how Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen approaches star receiver Brian Thomas Jr. next season.

The offensive guru, who came to Duval from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, has a star wideout in Brian Thomas Jr., who was easily the best offensive weapon on the Jags roster in 2024. When you put 1,282 yards and 10 touchdowns while averaging 14.7 yards-per-catch, as Thomas did in 2024, conventional wisdom would tell you to have Thomas run similar routes and plays.

Despite what Thomas displayed in 2024 primarily out wide, his new head coach might not put him in the same schemes as often next season.

Liam Coen’s plan for Brian Thomas Jr.

Like a lot of young head coaches in the NFL today, Coen is a big analytics and fantasy guy who did a stellar job of getting the best of his offensive weapons in Tampa.

Nathan Jahnke of Pro Football Focus (PFF) suggested the 39-year-old coach could use Thomas in a different area next season.

“Coen has a history of great fantasy performances from the slot,” Jahnke wrote. This is noteworthy when you take into account that Chris Godwin finished ninth in fantasy points per game in 2024, playing out of the slot in Coen’s offence.

Similarly, Cooper Kupp led all fantasy wide receivers in fantasy points per game in 2022 when Coen was his offensive coordinator.”

Thomas’ size at 6’3” and nearly 210 pounds doesn’t suggest he’s well suited to play in the slot often, though it’s not an area he’s completely unfamiliar with either. In Press Taylor’s offensive setup last year, the LSU product played about 30 percent of his 2024 snaps in the slot.

How can Brian Thomas Jr. be effective in the slot?

For Thomas to be effective in a role he’s not quite as familiar with, plain and simple, he needs some help in the pass-catching department. Chris Godwin is one veteran name being thrown around who could join the Jaguars and serve as another weapon to Trevor Lawrence alongside Thomas Jr. for a coach he knows well.

Meanwhile, Thomas Jr.’s huge season in 2024 has enticed other wide-receiving prospects in this year’s draft to want to potentially play alongside him.

Tetairoa McMillan recently met with the Jaguars and named Thomas Jr. as one of the best receivers in the NFL today.

The Arizona product was a Consensus All-American in 2024, posting back-to-back 1,000-yard receiving campaigns in college. If the Jaguars want to take their chances on another receiver who could develop quickly, McMilan could fit that mould.

The versatile Travis Hunter is another option they could consider when they pick at No. 5. He can play both corners and receivers, putting elite numbers together at both positions. Hunter recently said playing both ways is harder than what Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani does as a pitcher and hitter.

Brian Thomas Jr’s numbers out wide vs the slot

Thomas Jr. did most of his damage out wide last season, though moving to the slot wasn’t exactly a huge deterrent either.

In 2024, he averaged 3.12 yards per route run in the slot compared to 2.19 out wide. His PFF grade was 89.2 from the slot and 79.3 when he lined up out wide.

Heading into his sophomore campaign, opposing defences will have their eye on Thomas Jr. and know what he did well last year, so Coen’s thought process might make a lot of sense. He’s already an elite receiver, and next year, we should see just how versatile and outstanding he is as a pass catcher.

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