Widespread Liam Coen praise across NFL proves Jaguars hired the right coach

Late in 2024, it was becoming abundantly clear that Doug Pederson wasn't going to be with the Jacksonville Jaguars after the season ended. Around the same time, Ben Johnson became the hottest candidate to replace him. However, he ended up going to the Chicago Bears, and the Jags quickly zeroed in on Liam Coen. Looking back, it was the right call,

Coen has been working one-on-one with Trevor Lawrence to hone his mechanics. At the same time, he's trying to get Jacksonville back on track. While he's yet to win a game as a head coach, several defensive coordinators recently chimed in on how much of an offensive mind he is.

NFL coordinators praise Jaguars head coach Liam Coen

Ted Nguyen of The Athletic asked several defensive coaches across the NFL to talk about the best offensive playcallers in the NFL, and Coen made the cut. One coordinator talked about just how ahead of the curve he was with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2024, noting how he managed to stay ahead of them.

"It's not just the plays themselves, but the way the plays were sequenced. He was able to be one (step) ahead of us a lot, which is rare," an NFC defensive coach told Nguyen. "I would actually say he's probably the only guy that was one step ahead of us all year. I was really impressed with that. That guy's game plan against us got us to reassess so much stuff during the season and during the offseason. Honestly, I was so impressed by it."

In case you were wondering, Kyle Shanahan took the top spot in Nguyen's list. Sean McVay finished second and Ben Johnson landed at No. 3. Other coaches who made the cut were Kevin O'Connell, Andy Reid, and Shane Steichen.

Circling back to Coen, he was the Bucs offensive coordinator in 2024. With him at the helm, the Tampa Bay running game went from one of the worst in the league to one of the best five. Moreover, quarterback Baker Mayfield set career bests in several categories.

By the end of 2024, Coen had become a hot commodity in the hiring cycle. When he interviewed with the Jaguars brass, he impressed them with his knowledge of football and ability to lead a team. For a brief moment, though, it looked like he was going to return to Tampa, but Jacksonville fired general manager Trent Baalke to make the job more appealing.

It looked like it was enough to get the job done, as Coen reneged on the Buccaneers and accepted to be the head coach for the Jags. He says that the ousting of Baalke didn't play a role in his decision, but it wouldn't be surprising if it did play a bit of a factor. Either way, that no longer matters, as Jacksonville got its guy.

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The Jaguars are trending up with Liam Coen at the helm

One of the biggest red flags surrounding Liam Coen in the coaching cycle is that he's had five different jobs with three different teams from 2020-2024. Then again, he went back and forth between Kentucky and the Los Angeles Rams.

Nevertheless, there were questions about Coen's commitment or lack thereof. So far, it hasn't been an issue. Trevor Lawrence has shown notable improvement under his watch. The running game looks much better, and the defense appears to be in great position with Anthony Campanile at the helm.

Of course, Coen is enjoying a honeymoon period like most first-time head coaches, but he most definitely has the Jaguars trending in the right direction, and nobody will bat an eye if they're a playoff team and he's garnering consideration for NFL honors.

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