Like many NFL teams coming into the season, the Jacksonville Jaguars have a slew of question marks floating around their organization. Will new head coach Liam Coen be able to elevate a squad that went 4-13 last year? Will quarterback Trebor Lawrence finally play up to the hype? Can rookie wide receiver and cornerback Travis Hunter play both sides like he did in college?
Time will answer most of these questions, but ESPN asked another: Removing head coaches, quarterbacks, and rookies, who is the X-Factor that might impact the Jaguars' success more than any other?
What is an X-Factor
ESPN gives us their definition of an X-Factor: "The performance of X factors has a disproportionate amount of leverage in their team's outcomes. If they're good, it might clarify an entire unit that needed just one more player. If they're bad, it might make a team one-dimensional and easily exploitable."
Basically, the X-Factor is a linchpin—play well, and the team is elevated. Play poorly, and everyone suffers. So, who did Ben Solak of ESPN decide was the biggest X-Factor for the Jaguars? Out of all the question marks and players on a roster that saw almost a 50 percent turnover, Solak thinks third-year offensive lineman Anton Harrison is the Jaguars' X-Factor.
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Why is Anton Harrison the Jaguars X-Factor for 2025?
Drafted number 27 overall in the 2023 NFL Draft, Harrison started all 17 games in his rookie season and 16 games last year, all of which were at right tackle. He's had a middling two seasons with Jacksonville, and Pro Football Focus rightly stacks him in the middle of the pack.
ESPN's Solak seems to have Harrison's number. "The Jags need more from Harrison," he says. "He was a young draftee -- he just turned 23 -- and has flashed plenty. But he can lose to technicians and to power alike, and his bad plays tend to snowball as he loses confidence or starts guessing." And he's not wrong. Harrison hasn't been bad—far from it. He's been a consistent, middle-grade tackle.
For example, he only allowed four sacks last year—not great, but not terrible. He's been consistently available, ranking near the top when it comes to snaps played. However, he racked up four penalties last year—three for holding—and allowed 31 pressures. Again, middling: not terrible, but not good, either.
Then, the offseason came, and Harrison had to split first-team reps with Chuma Edoga, showcasing that he had his work cut out. The good news is that the Oklahoma product put it all together and displayed more consistency by training camp.
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Final thoughts
If the Jacksonville Jaguars want to adopt Coen's style of offense, then Harrison is going to have to play better. They don't necessarily need a Pro Bowl-worthy performance—it sure wouldn't hurt—but they need Harrison's "flashes" to become his norm. With a new coaching staff and high expectations, they can't hope for anything less.