One of the biggest reasons the Jacksonville Jaguars hired Liam Coen is to get the offense going and help Trevor Lawrence bounce back. Based on his work with Baker Mayfield, he should be able to pull it off. That said, he won't be doing it alone. The Jags head coach has brought in the cavalry to get the best out of No. 16.
Adam Schefter of ESPN reported that Jacksonville has hired former Arizona Cardinals passing game coordinator Spence Whipple as their new quarterbacks coach. Mike McCoy held the position since Doug Pederson brought him in back in 2022.
Jaguars are hiring Cardinals pass game specialist Spencer Whipple as their new quarterbacks coach. Whipple - the son of former UMass HC and longtime NFL assistant Mark Whipple - spent the last six seasons in Arizona in multiple roles under Kliff Kingsbury and Jonathan Gannon.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 4, 2025
Whipple began his coaching career at Pittsburgh in 2012 and bolted for UMass in 2023. He filled multiple roles on the Minutemen offense before joining then-head coach Kliff Kingsbury's staff with the Cards in 2019.
In Arizona, Whipple originally was an offensive quality control coach but worked his way up to pass game specialist in 2023. It's worth noting that head coach Jonathan Gannon could've moved on from him when he took over that year but chose to keep him around. That speaks positively of his work on offense.
On a related note, the Jaguars are coming close to rounding out their coaching staff. They're still missing an offensive coordinator and an offensive line coach. However, they've filled several vacancies in recent days.
Aside from retaining tight ends coach Richard Angulo and special teams head coach Heath Farwell, Jacksonville hired Anthony Campanile as their defensive coordinator, and Matt Edwards and Tem Lukabu to coach the defensive line and the linebackers, respectively.
Moreover, John Shipley of Sports Illustrated reports that the Jags are trending toward keeping assistant special teams coach Luke Thompson. This would provide consistency on special teams and ensure it remains one of the top units in the league in 2025.
Why the Spencer Whipple hire is important for the Jaguars and Trevor Lawrence
Liam Coen will be tasked with getting the most out of Trevor Lawrence and an offense that underachieved in 2024 even though it had no shortage of talent. One area he'll focus on will be the running game. That said, the passing game won't be neglected, and that's where Spence Whipple's expertise will come in handy.
Whipple has coached multiple positions throughout his coaching career, and as a pass game specialist for the Arizona Cardinals, he was able to see how all the pieces work together. That will help him coach Lawrence.
Even though No. 16 is still the same talented prospect he was coming out of college, several things have hampered his performance the past two seasons. His mechanics and decision-making, in particular, weren't nearly as good as they were in prior years. Whipple was brought in to ensure he works on both areas.
There's still work left before the Jacksonville Jaguars complete their coaching staff, but it's shaping up to be a well-rounded group that will put players in a position to succeed. Spence Whipple should be able to do just that with Trevor Lawrence.