After Liam Coen became the head coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars, he wasted no time putting together an intriguing staff stacked with ascending assistants, including Grant Udinski and Anthony Campanile. On the other hand, he wanted to bring in some of the coaches he had worked with during his stint with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2024.
In particular, Coen was zeroing in on either Brian Picucci or Kevin Carberry to coach the offensive line, but the Bucs blocked both moves. Fast forward to 2026, and he once again was unable to land a coach he met during his Tampa Bay days. This time, though, it was Josh Grizzard.
The Jaguars wanted to hire Josh Grizzard before the Eagles swooped in
Josh Grizzard replaced Liam Coen as the offensive coordinator for the Bucs last year. However, he was given a boot after just one season on the job. Apparently, Coen wanted to add him to his staff, but the Philadelphia Eagles swooped in and hired him first, via Ryan O'Halloran of The Florida Times-Union.
Now, it's hard to tell what kind of role Grizzard would've had in Jacksonville. After the 2025 season ended, Grant Udinski garnered plenty of interest for head-coaching vacancies. Specifically, the Cleveland Browns and the Buffalo Bills interviewed him for their respective openings. But Udinski opted to return to the Jags (and got a pay bump).
It's possible that Grizzard would have joined the Jaguars in a consultant role, or perhaps, he could've been the pass game coordinator. That's the role he got with Philly and the one he held in Tampa before he was promoted to offensive coordinator.
Either way, Grizzard's expertise would have benefited the Jaguars. The silver lining is that Coen managed to bring in another of the guys on his wish list, Brian Picucci, to serve as the run game coordinator.
The Jaguars should be fine even after missing out on Josh Grizzard
Liam Coen would surely love to have Josh Grizzard on his staff, but the truth is that the Jaguars will be just fine without him. After all, they went 13-4 last year, and the offense ranked sixth in points scored. Sure, having him around would've provided a boost, but Jacksonville did fine without him.
Moreover, you could make the case that landing Brian Picucci will have an even bigger impact, as he'll focus on helping the Jags improve in what was their "stink" in 2025: The running game. Now, it's possible that Coen might have wanted to bring in Grizzard to groom him as a potential heir apparent for Grant Udinski in case he leaves in 2027. But if that's what ends up happening, Jacksonville will have other options when it's time to cross that bridge.
Liam Coen has an eye for talent, and the fact that the Eagles snatched Josh Grizzard shows just how huge his addition would've been. Having said that, the Jaguars have more than enough talent to pick up where they left off last year.