Jacksonville is finally at the point where all the summer talk turns into real football, and Jaguars coach Liam Coen spent Wednesday’s session at the Miller Electric Center laying out a few of the details that could shape Week 1 against the Cleveland Browns.
The clearest positive update centered on right tackle Walker Little Van Lanen. Coen has now given back-to-back encouraging reports, and this one sounded even stronger than the last.
A week ago, Coen said he was "hopeful" for Van Lanen's chances to be back in the lineup in Week 1, pointing to the way he had looked since coming off the Active/PUP list and getting back on the field. On Wednesday, Van Lanen was in full pads during the media viewing period and did not appear limited at all.
That matters because Van Lanen’s knee injury came on Jan. 4, and the Jaguars are already looking at a potential early return that would count as a win. Coen has now gone as far as calling him a game-time decision before three days of practice leading into Sunday.
The sense around this one is clear: Van Lanen looks like he has a real shot to play. If he doesn’t, the wait may not be much longer before he lands back in the starting lineup at right tackle.
The other big thread from Coen’s comments was the Jaguars’ defensive approach, especially on the back end. There’s been plenty of expectation that Jacksonville will mix things up more in the secondary this season, with Travis Hunter stepping into the role of the Jaguars’ No. 1 cornerback. But Coen’s comments suggested that doesn’t necessarily mean a total makeover in Anthony Campanile’s second year running the scheme.
Last season, the Jaguars were one of the league’s heavier zone teams, and that style helped fuel a bunch of important takeaways. This year, the idea is to vary things more and make quarterbacks hang onto the ball a little longer.
That could mean different looks in different situations rather than a full philosophical reset. The challenge now is finding the right balance between generating turnovers and tightening up coverage on specific downs and distances.
Sunday’s opponent adds another layer to that. Cleveland has fielded one of the NFL’s top defenses in recent years, but the Browns lost two major pieces this offseason: defensive end Myles Garrett and defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz. In their place are Jared Verse and first-year coordinator Mike Rutenberg.
That leaves the Jaguars in a familiar kind of opening-week puzzle. Just as opposing offenses last year had limited film to study on Jacksonville’s schemes, the Jaguars are now dealing with the same problem against Rutenberg and the Browns. Coen indicated that could keep the Jaguars from rolling out too many wrinkles early, especially compared with what might show up the following week against the Denver Broncos, a team Jacksonville has plenty of tape on from last season.
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Liam Coen has already had a chance to study Verses style, and the Jaguars know the challenge is not just the name on the back of the jersey. Verse has given Jacksonville trouble before, and with Cleveland building its opener around a player who can tilt protection plans on his own, the Jaguars will have to be ready from the first snap or risk seeing an old problem show up in a new place. [Read more 🡒]