The Jacksonville Jaguars had a few bright spots during the Doug Pederson era. The running game was most definitely one of them. During his three-year stint in Duval, Doug P had an affinity for throwing the football even when toting the rock made sense.
After three years, the Jags had had enough and ousted Pederson. To replace him, they hired Liam Coen, and he's quickly turning the team into a rushing juggernaut like he did with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2024.
The Jaguars are doing a great job of running the football under Liam Coen
There are several reasons the Jaguars hired Liam Coen after an extensive search for their head-coaching opening. Their knowledge of Xs and Os was one. His leadership skills was another, and his work with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was a sample of what he was going to do in Jacksonville.
Coen became the Bucs' offensive coordinator last year and kickstarted their running game, going from one of the worst in the league the season prior to one of the best in 2024. Four weeks into the current season, he's having a similar impact with the Jags.
Jacksonville is currently fourth in rushing yards in the NFL with 574, and its four rushing touchdowns rank 10th in the league. They had 13 rushing touchdowns last year, so they're well on pace to surpass that amount.
Free-agent acquisition Robert Hainsay, for one, isn't surprised about the team's success running the ball, crediting Coen for putting together a versatile scheme.
"I think the first thing I would say is that we have so much left on there. I'm really glad we brushed away," Coen responded when asked why the Jags are good at running the football (9:37 mark). "To answer your question, the way Liam builds this offense, the way Grant [Udinski], and Shaun [Sarrett], and then Shaun with Cle, they marry it with the pass game with Shane and John Van Damme. Everything is married together really well. It makes it hard to see what we're going to do. And they've done an excellent job of marrying the run and the pass, and they play pass with the screens, all that stuff."
Hainsey continued, "I give a ton of credit there, because like I said to you, I watched it in Tampa make a huge difference. Giving us the opportunity to execute the scheme is called, when we're playing well with our technique and fundamentals, and Liam's calling it well, it's really hard to stop. And we haven't reached the level that we're capable of yet, which is exciting. So just continuing to try to grow in the run game, keep protecting, as far as talking about the offensive line unit."
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Having 3 talented running backs also helps the Jaguars
Of course, it helps that the Jags beefed up the offensive line in the offseason. Similarly, they have a backfield rotation that helps everyone stay fresh.
Travis Etienne is enjoying a career revival after an underwhelming 2024, toting the rock 65 times for 395 yards with two touchdowns. Rookie Bhayshul Tuten, for his part, has developed into a complementary back, while LeQuint Allen has carved a niche in pass protection.
When you add it all up, it's easy to see why the Jaguars have been so successful at pounding the rock. Don't expect them to deviate from the formula anytime soon.