Jacksonville’s training camp opens with a lot more than the usual summer noise. The Jaguars have a real chance to make another playoff push and chase the AFC South in 2026, and Liam Coen’s first camp in charge is where that possibility starts to take shape. With practice getting underway Wednesday morning at the Miller Electric Center, the biggest questions are already lined up.
At the top of the list is Trevor Lawrence, and just about everything around him is pointing up. He’s coming off the best regular season of his career, he just had the best offseason of his career, and now he’s working with the best play-caller and the best supporting cast he’s ever had.
That’s a lot to stack in one direction, but that’s where the Jaguars are right now. Coen’s arrival has the feel of something that could change the trajectory of the franchise quarterback.
Lawrence looked like a natural fit in Coen’s offense last year, and if he carries that momentum into camp, Jacksonville’s passing game should be in strong shape. The receiver and pass-catching group around him is one of the better ones in the league, and if the running game takes a step forward too, this offense could wind up being the best version of the Lawrence era.
That run game is one of the most unsettled parts of the roster. Travis Etienne’s departure in free agency left a clear opening, and the backfield has become one of the most closely watched battles on the team.
Bhayshul Tuten and Chris Rodriguez Jr. are the main names in the mix, but the shape of the job is still wide open. It could end up being a split role, or one player could separate from the pack.
Coen already called the running back room “wide open” during the offseason program, and camp may be where the answer finally starts to emerge. Rodriguez first has to get healthy after missing the offseason program with an injury, which only adds more uncertainty to what looks like the most important position battle on the roster.
Another major camp storyline is Travis Hunter’s return to the practice field. Even after playing only seven games in his rookie season, he remains a huge piece of the puzzle, and his comeback is the biggest injury return this team has had in a long time. The No. 2 pick brings a rare skill set that changes how the Jaguars can build their roster, and if he gets back to full strength, that’s the best-case scenario for Jacksonville.
There’s no firm timeline yet for when Hunter will be a full participant. It could be Wednesday, next week, next month, or somewhere in between.
But once he’s back, the next question becomes how often he keeps working both sides of the ball. Seeing him bounce between offense and defense in the same practice during camp last year stood out, and this summer should bring even more attention.
Last year, Hunter split his time fairly evenly between wide receiver and cornerback in camp before eventually leaning more heavily on offense. This time, the cornerback snaps are the ones to watch. The matchup between Hunter and Brian Thomas Jr. should be a fun one.
On defense, the linebacker spot next to Foyesade Oluokun appears to be Ventrell Miller’s job to lose. That has been the expectation for a while, especially after the Jaguars went through the first six rounds of the draft without taking a linebacker. They did add Parker Hughes in the seventh round, but the offseason signs have pointed toward Miller stepping in for Devin Lloyd.
Still, Miller has to earn it. He is not an established veteran, and he has only started two games for this regime.
He’ll need to hold off Hughes, Branson Combs, Jack Kiser and any other linebacker pushing for a role in 2026. This coaching staff has made other players win jobs in camp before, and Miller will have to do the same.
There’s also the question of how much the Jaguars will even need that old Devin Lloyd role in the same form. Lloyd brought a rare blitzing skill set, but last season the defense leaned more and more into big nickel and dime looks under Anthony Campanile for a reason.
Among the rookies, Nate Boerkircher is the one who stands out most heading into camp. The No. 56 pick drew plenty of outside reaction in April, but his game should show better once the pads come on. He missed some offseason practices, so camp gives a better chance to see what he can really do.
The first thing to watch with Boerkircher is whether he can establish himself as a presence at the line of scrimmage. If the Jaguars are going to lean more on 12 personnel, they need him and the other backup tight ends to hold up as blockers.
His blocking could also help Brenton Strange in the passing game. Strange had 16 targets from the slot last year, which ranked No. 32 in the NFL according to Pro Football Focus. If Boerkircher can occupy that spot and handle the dirty work, it could free Strange to move around more effectively.
Then there’s the receiving side of Boerkircher’s game. The Jaguars don’t need him to become a high-volume target, and that’s not really the point anyway. What matters most is showing traits that make him useful, especially in a role where his impact may come more from what he opens up than from how many catches he makes.
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