The Jacksonville Jaguars announced that they've placed Cole Van Lanen on the Physically Unable to Perform list to start training camp while he continues his recovery from a knee injury he suffered late in the 2026 season.
Van Lanen will probably miss a few practices, and it's hard to tell from an outside perspective just how far he's in his recovery. However, Liam Coen doesn't think that his potential absence will be a reason for concern.
Liam Coen isn't worried about the Jaguars placing Cole Van Lanen on PUP
Liam Coen made an appearance on the Brent & Austin Show and said that he feels good about Cole Van Lanen, noting that he's used his recovery to see in what areas he can improve.
"I feel very confident in that right now," Coen said when asked how Van Lanen's recovery is coming along (1:27:39 mark). "I think he's looking great in terms of, throughout his rehab process, he's the type of person that has taken this and used it to find maybe some areas of weakness in his game or in his body that he can go attack, and that's how he's used this entire rehab process."
Coen continued, "'Yes, I have to rehab a knee, but man, where are some of the areas in which I was deficient, whether it's in the weight room, in strength and conditioning, in the therapy, in the fundamentals, technique, his scheme, whatever it is.' I think he's attacked it the right way. He'll continue to attack it the right way, and when he's able to go on the grass for us, I feel very confident that he'll be able to get back to his self and his best self quickly."
Coen played multiple positions on the offensive line last season before supplanting Walker Little at left tackle. He eventually signed a three-year extension late in the 2025 season but suffered a knee injury just a few days later. The former Wisconsin Badger has spent the offseason attacking his recovery but may still need a bit of time before rejoining the team.
The Jaguars can afford not to rush Cole Van Lanen back
As of the publishing of this article, the regular season is nearly seven weeks away, so Cole Van Lanen still has time to return. For the time being, Little can fill in for him. The last thing Jacksonville wants is to rush Van Lanen back only to see him hurt his knee again.
Ideally, you'd like to see Van Lanen practice with the first unit. But that may not help much if he isn't 100 percent. The best course of action then becomes for Little to hold the fort and be ready in case he has to play left tackle, regardless of the amount of time.
When you add it all up, it's easy to see why Liam Coen isn't worried about Cole Van Lanen's recovery. Even if he needs a bit more time to get back at full strength, the Jaguars can wait since they know that they're better when he's on the field.
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