There's no doubt that Doug Pederson had a positive impact early in his stint with the Jacksonville Jaguars. In his first season at the helm, he helped them heal from the Urban Meyer fiasco. On top of that, Doug P led the Jags to a winning record in back-to-back years. However, his philosophy progressively became stagnant, which is why he was given the boot early in 2025. To replace him, the organization hired Liam Coen, an ascending offensive mind in coaching circles.
Coen's biggest red flag at the time he landed in Duval was his dearth of experience. However, he quickly proved to be the right man for the job, leading Jacksonville to a 13-4 record and an AFC South title in his first season at the helm.
But despite Coen's impressive exploits, he was able to land a spot in a recent NFL head coach rankings.
B/R outright snubs Jaguars head coach Liam Coen in latest ranking
Gary Davenport of Bleacher Report ranked the top 10 head coaches in the NFL heading into the 2026 season. Liam Coen was nowhere to be seen. DeMeco Ryans made the cut at No. 10, though. Shockingly, Dan Campbell got the ninth spot even though the Detroit Lions didn't qualify for the postseason last year. His inclusion stems from the fact that they did reach the NFC Championship the year prior and that he turned the culture around.
Outside of Campbell, all the other coaches on the list made the playoffs, with Mike Macdonald landing at No. 4 after leading the Seattle Seahawks to the Super Bowl. And in case you were wondering, Sean McVay (Los Angeles Rams) got the top spot, Andy Reid (Kansas City Chiefs) was second, and Kyle Shanahan popped up at No. 3.
By now, you may have noticed a trend: All the coaches who got the nod have noticeable accomplishments and longer tenures. Meanwhile, Coen is coming off his first season with the Jaguars.
Another successful season with the Jaguars will help Liam Coen move up in rankings
The truth is that it was hard to include Liam Coen without leaving any of the coaches who made the list out. All of them have enjoyed sustained success throughout their respective careers, while Coen has been at the helm for just one season.
Having said that, Coen has a prime opportunity to establish a long-term culture shift with the Jaguars. They haven't had continuity at head coach since Jack Del Rio and haven't been a perennial playoff team since Tom Coughlin was at the helm in the late 1990s.
Working in Coen's favor is that he has enough talent on both sides of the ball to defend the AFC South crown and make the playoffs for a second year in a row, a feat the Jags haven't accomplished since the late 2000s.
If that wasn't enough, Coen isn't satisfied. Despite his impressive first season in Jacksonville, he hasn't lost sight of the main goal: Winning it all.
When you add it all up, the Jaguars have the right head coach in Liam Coen, who should have no trouble rising through the ranks next season.
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