The Jacksonville Jaguars shook the NFL when they went 13-4 and made the playoffs in 2025. However, every year presents a new face of challenges, and they'll have to face one they haven't dealt with in recent years.
The Jags plan to run more two and three tight-end sets next season. This will undoubtedly create mismatches on offense. On the other hand, it could create discontent among their receivers, as they will have to leave the field more than they'd probably like.
The good news is that Jacksonville may just have the perfect head coach to keep everyone on the same page.
Using more tight end sets could give the Jaguars an unintended issue
When the Jaguars drafted Nate Boerkircher and Tanner Koziol, they made it clear that they want to use more tight-end formations next season. This could, in turn, make it difficult for opposing teams to defend their offense, as the Jags now have the personnel to either run or pass without tipping their hand. That said, Pete Prisco of CBS Sports believes this approach could have an unintended consequence.
Prisco made an apperance on 1010 XL and said that Jacksonville could deal with an unexpected challenge, noting that Liam Coen may have to appease the receivers if they don't get the ball nearly as much as they'd like.
"They got so many different playmakers in the passing game now that guys are going to complain about not getting the football. When has that been a problem? It's been a long time," Prisco said (5:39 mark). "You're going to have on third down if you have two or three tight ends, or in second down, you have two or three tight ends on the field, that means some of your receivers are going to be sitting on their butts, and they're going to not be happy about it."
Prisco continued, "So I think that's the toughest challenge for Liam Coen this year is massaging egos as you try and do different things in terms of formation because everybody wants to use three tight ends. That's the whole rage now in the league, 'Oh, you can create mismatches, you can move them around.' So you'll see more of that, and I think Jacksonville's going to do more of that. But when they do, what's that mean? It means that the receivers are going to be sitting on their butt watching."
The Jaguars hardly used two or three tight end sets last year because they didn't have the personnel. Instead, they frequently had a sixth offensive lineman on the field as an extra blocker. The issue is that defenses knew Jacksonville was going to run the ball because that extra hog molly wasn't going to get targeted. That no longer will be a problem with Nate Boerkircher and Tanner Koziol in the mix.
Liam Coen should have no trouble managing the Jaguars receivers
You will always want your players to compete you also want them to put the team first. Fortunately, the Jaguars have focused on bringing team-first players who love football, or as they call them, intangibly rich.
Of course, every now and then, there will be a player who won't be happy with the role he gets. That's where Liam Coen comes in, and he showed that he's up to the task last year, when he adjusted Brian Thomas Jr.'s role on offense after not flourishing as the bona fide No. 1 the team expected.
There's a chance Thomas or fellow receiver Parker Washington will see a drop-off in targets, but you can bet Liam Coen will know how to navigate the situation and successfully deal with it.
Simply put, this appears to be a non-issue heading itno the regular season.
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