After going 4-12 in 2024, not much was expected from the Jacksonville Jaguars last year, and understandably so. Trevor Lawrence was coming off an injury-marred season, their defense was one of the worst, and to turn things around, the Jags turned to a first-time head coach Liam Coen.
Aside from his age — he was 39 when Jacksonville hired him — he raised concerns about his abilities to be a head coach because he hadn't lasted on a job for more than a year dating back to 2021. However, it took him just one season to prove that the Jags hit it out of the ballpark when they chose him over more experienced candidates.
Fast forward to 2026, and the Jags are in a great position to pick up where they left off after making the playoffs and winning the AFC South last year. Heck, Matt Verderame of Sports Illustrated believes he's their biggest reason for optimism.
Liam Coen gives the Jaguars a huge reason for optimisim in 2026
Matt Verderame drew up a list of reasons for optimism for each NFL team heading into 2026. He chose Liam Coen for the Jaguars, noting that he gives them an opportunity to repeat as division champions. Here's the skinny.
"Liam Coen is a terrific coach and should create a stronger bond with Trevor Lawrence. If Travis Hunter can stay on the field in his sophomore season, the Jaguars have a mix capable of another AFC South title and more."
Coen began to get head-coaching consideration for his work as the offensive coordinator with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2024. With him at the helm, the Bucs' running games went from one of the worst in the league the year prior to one of the best. Moreover, Baker Mayfield posted career numbers under his tutelage. Following the dismissal of Doug Pederson, Jacksonville interviewed him for its vacancy.
Right off the bat, Coen impressed the Jacksonville brass not only for his knowledge of Xs and Os on both offense and defense but also because of his leadership skills.
With him at the helm, the Jags went 13-4 in 2025, and their offense was among the top 10. Similarly, the defense ranked in the top 10 in most meaningful categories. Sure, defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile had a bigger impact in that area, but Coen deserves credit for rightly identifying him as the man to oversee the defense.
The Jaguars need to take the next step under Liam Coen
Liam Coen raised the bar with his impressive first season as the head coach, and expectations will be higher in Year 2. The issue is that he now faces a different set of challenges.
For starters, the defense has several glaring holes. This begs the question: Can the Jags win a shootout if the defense is unable to stop opposing teams from reaching the end zone? Moreover, Coen will need to get the most out of two-way Travis Hunter, regardless of whether he spends more time on offense or defense after he suffered a knee injury that cut his rookie season short.
Similarly, Coen will show that Lawrence's 2025 season wasn't a one-time thing and is instead the sign of things to come. Working in his favor is that he now has a better understanding of everything that comes with being a head coach. Furthermore, his top lieutenants, Grant Udinski and Anthony Campanile, returned to Jacksonville after drawing head-coaching buzz in the offseason.
When you add it all up, Coen should have no trouble engineering a deep playoff run with the Jaguars.