The Jacksonville Jaguars are flying under the radar ahead of the 2025 season, and rightly so. They failed to make the playoffs each of the past two years and have a first-time coach in Liam Coen leading the way. That said, they did enough moves in the offseason to make you think that maybe they could be sneaky good.
Nick Wright of FS1 is among the pundits who are buying into the hype. Similarly, Aaron Schatz of FTN has Jacksonville as the narrow favorite to win the AFC South next season. It's easy to see why.
Apart from trading up for Travis Hunter in the NFL draft, the Jags did a good job of bolstering virtually every position group. Couple that with Trevor Lawrence's notable improvement, and nobody will bat an eye if they dethrone Houston.
Having said that, there have been overreactions about Jacksonville. A few of them could be true, so here's a look at the biggest three, and whether they're a myth or reality.
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Jaguars' Trevor Lawrence will be a top 10 quarterback in 2025
Overreaction or reality? Reality
Trevor Lawrence hasn't lived up to his draft billing, but expectations were absurdly high to begin with. Dubbed a generational talent, he struggled as a rookie and showed massive improvement in 2022. The former Clemson Tiger then had a pair of injury-marred seasons and is entering what appears to be a make-or-break year. Working in his favor is that the Jaguars have done a great job of putting him in a position to succeed.
Lawrence is coming off a shoulder injury but says he's as healthy as he's been in years. He spent the offseason working with head coach Liam Coen to hone his mechanics and fundamentals. Not surprisingly, the fifth-year quarterback showed notable growth in the offseason. Couple that with his improved supporting cast, and it's easy to picture him taking a massive step forward.
The talent is still there, and Lawrence, for once, has enough help around him, so don't be surprised if he regains the top-10 quarterback conversation.
Travis Hunter will win win both Rookie of the Year Awards for the Jaguars
Overreaction or reality? Overreaction
Travis Hunter turned heads when he played both ways full-time at Colorado and made it clear that he would rather leave football than go to a team that would limit him to one side of the ball. The Jaguars traded up for him in the NFL draft and outlined a plan to grant his unwavering request.
So far, Jacksonville has done a good job of developing Hunter and getting him up to speed. He's trending toward playing corner and receiver in his rookie season, but he may not be able to do it on a full-time basis. This would, in turn, make it difficult for Liam Coen's bold prediction to come to fruition.
Coen says that Hunter can win Offensive and Defensive Rookie of the Year. For that to happen, though, he would have to make a big impact as a corner or a receiver, which may not be possible if he sees limited time.
This doesn't mean the reigning Heisman Trophy winner won't make an impact for the Jags. Simply, expecting him to earn both awards is an unrealistic expectation.
Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker will help the Jaguars have a top 10 defense
Overreaction or reality: Reality
The Jaguars have a highly productive pass-rush duo in Travon Walker and Josh Hines-Allen. However, the duo combined for 18.5 sacks in 2024 and 27.5 the year prior. That said, the rest of the defense left much to be desired last season.
Apart from missing tackles at an alarming rate, the secondary routinely got torched. To nobody's surprise, defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen got the boot. Jacksonville replaced him with Anthony Campanile, and to ensure he has success, the team's brass bolstered all three levels of the defense.
Now, there's a deep rotation behind Walker and Hines-Allen. The lienbacker corps is stacked with talent and is among the best in the NFL. On top of that, Jourdan Lewis and Travis Hunter will join Jarrian Jones and Tyson Campbell at corner while Eric Murray brings stability at safety.
Sure, the Jags are a bit thin at corner because of injuries, but when you add it all up, the pieces are there to field a top 10 defense in 2025.