The Jaguars’ 2026 season is going to be shaped by more than just the obvious names.
Trevor Lawrence, Liam Coen and Josh Hines-Allen already sit at the center of the conversation, but with training camp only days away, the real question is which other players and staffers can swing the Jaguars’ ceiling. There are a handful of candidates, and several of them sit in the middle of the roster moves and schematic tweaks that could define what this team becomes.
Brian Thomas Jr. is the first big one. Jacksonville has options in the pass-catching group - Parker Washington in his first full season as a starter, Brenton Strange after his big pay-day, and Jakobi Meyers with more time in the system - but Thomas stands out as the most likely difference-maker.
The third-year receiver has the kind of vertical ability that can change a game in a hurry, and he’s healthy again after an injury-filled 2025 season. The Jaguars know his game better now, and there’s a real path to him and Lawrence getting back in sync when the offense pushes the ball downfield.
On the defensive side, Anthony Campanile may end up being one of the most important figures in the building. If the Jaguars put together another strong year on that side of the ball, his name could start popping up elsewhere again, just as it did during last season’s head coach hiring cycle.
Campanile already guided Jacksonville to the No. 1 run defense ranking a year ago and put together some of the best gameplans the team has seen from a defensive coordinator in recent memory. The next step is about more than stopping the run, though.
The pass rush and coverage still need work, and how much he can lift those areas in 2026 could decide how far the Jaguars go.
Travis Hunter is another major swing piece, even if his exact return date is still unknown. He played only seven games as a rookie after a season-ending knee injury in practice following the bye week, but he was starting to find his footing before the injury hit.
Now he’s back bigger and stronger, and while he’ll still have a role in Coen’s offense, the bigger impact may come on defense. Hunter is the most talented cornerback Jacksonville has had since Jalen Ramsey, and by the end of the season there’s a path to him being viewed as a top-10 corner.
With top receivers in the AFC South and on the schedule, Hunter could be the player who determines whether the secondary makes the leap the staff expects.
Then there’s Travon Walker, who may be the clearest barometer for the pass rush. Jacksonville got by last season with only one reliable edge threat over a 17-game stretch in Josh Hines-Allen, and injuries to Walker and Arik Armstead were a big reason why.
Walker opened the year fast, but wrist and knee injuries pulled his sack production back to his 2022 rookie levels. This is the year the Jaguars need him to put it together.
There are plenty of reasons to believe he can, but the bottom line is simple: if Walker becomes the dominant player they drafted him to be, the pass rush changes shape in a hurry.
One of the quieter offseason moves may wind up mattering just as much. Brian Picucci is a name that doesn’t jump off the page, but his connection to Coen runs deep.
He was on the UMass staff when Coen was the quarterback there, and the two later reconnected at Kentucky and then Tampa Bay. Jacksonville tried to bring Picucci in last season, but the Buccaneers blocked the move after Coen left.
This offseason, once his contract expired, the Jaguars were able to add him. His job will include helping oversee a running game that was arguably the weakest part of the team during last year’s 13-4 run.
The numbers from NextGenStats underscore the issue: “the Jaguars recorded a 33.7% success rate on designed runs during their current eight-game winning streak dating back to Week 11, a mark higher than only the Raiders (27.0%). Notably, their ball-carriers averaged just 0.6 yards before contact per carry, the sixth-fewest in the NFL over that span.”
Picucci has spent years around strong offensive line play and has a clear feel for running the football. If Jacksonville’s ground game takes a real step forward, he’ll be a major reason why.
The backfield itself is still a little murky, which is why Bhayshul Tuten and Chris Rodriguez Jr. land in the X-factor conversation together. Tuten turned in an encouraging offseason after limited snaps and touches behind Travis Etienne last year.
Rodriguez, meanwhile, missed the offseason program because of an injury. There just hasn’t been enough of a sample yet to know exactly how Jacksonville plans to use them.
What is clear is that the Jaguars made the run game a priority. Their most notable free-agent addition was a power back, their top draft pick was a tight end who, for now, is more blocker than receiver, and their second-highest pick was Emmanuel Pregnon, a mauling run-blocking guard. Coen has already called the running game the “stink” that the Jaguars’ wins were able to cover a year ago.
Tuten brings traits and has clearly impressed Coen and general manager James Gladstone. Rodriguez brings efficient rushing metrics and a long history with Coen, and the contract suggests the Jaguars believe there’s real talent there. Whether they form a duo or one of them emerges as the lead back, their production will go a long way toward deciding whether Jacksonville’s running game finally turns the corner.
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Travis Hunter Could Change Everything For A Jaguars Defense Fans Distrust
Travis Hunters second NFL season is already carrying a lot more weight than most young players ever face. After his rookie year was cut short by a knee injury, the Jaguars are counting on him to return as a major piece on defense while still finding ways to get him involved on offense, a dual role that has kept him at the center of the conversation around Jacksonvilles future.
The reason the buzz has stuck is simple: even with limited snaps last season, NFL insiders have continued to view Hunter as a rare cornerback talent, and the Jaguars badly need that kind of impact in a secondary that has drawn distrust from fans. Cameron Wolfe has noted the internal belief that Hunter can be elite on defense, and if that comes to pass, it could change the way this unit is judged almost immediately. [Read more 🡒]
Jaguars Backfield Suddenly Has One Huge Chris Rodriguez Question
The Jaguars backfield is one of the most open spots on the roster heading into training camp, and the shape of it will go a long way toward defining how the offense replaces Travis Etienne. Chris Rodriguez Jr. is expected to be part of that conversation after an injury kept him out of offseason work, while second-year back Bhayshul Tuten is also in the mix for the lead job as Jacksonville sorts through its next step at running back.
LeQuint Allen adds another layer to the competition, since the Jaguars are also looking at whether his role can grow after a rookie year spent mostly on pass protection and special teams. All of that leaves Jacksonville with a real possibility of spreading the workload around instead of settling quickly on one primary back, which makes the early days of camp especially important for a group still trying to define itself. [Read more 🡒]
This Jaguars Defender Could Change A Problem Fans Know Too Well
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Orhorhoros profile is part production, part projection. He showed some disruption last season with four sacks and 30 quarterback pressures, and his pass-rush productivity grade from PFF placed him in the middle of the pack among defensive tackles. For a Jaguars defense looking for more consistent answers up front, that makes him one of the more interesting players to watch once camp opens. [Read more 🡒]