{"id":11063,"date":"2025-08-13T05:50:21","date_gmt":"2025-08-13T05:50:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/?p=11063"},"modified":"2025-08-13T05:50:25","modified_gmt":"2025-08-13T05:50:25","slug":"jaguars-2025-nfl-season-preview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wordpress.365scores.com\/news\/jaguars-2025-nfl-season-preview","title":{"rendered":"Jacksonville Jaguars 2025 NFL Season Preview and Picks: Will the \u2018Duuuval\u2019 Dark Horses Win the AFC South Behind Liam Coen and Travis Hunter?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>It was 30 years ago when the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/a.-football\/team\/jacksonville-jaguars-6676\">Jacksonville Jaguars<\/a> started playing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/a.-football\/league\/nfl-352\">NFL<\/a> games in the 1995 season. Early on, they looked like they\u2019d be one of the league\u2019s best instant success stories, making the playoffs four years in a row in 1996-99. But they\u2019ve made it back to the playoffs just four times in the 25 seasons since.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Let 2025 begin a new era for Jacksonville after the hiring of coach Liam Coen and the bold draft trade to move up for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/a.-football\/player\/travis-hunter-140034\">Travis Hunter<\/a>, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/2025-nfl-draft-preview-travis-hunter\">most interesting draft prospect in years<\/a>. Hunter could be the Shohei Ohtani of the NFL if he is able to excel at wide receiver and cornerback as he plans to do the way he did at Colorado when he won the 2024 Heisman Trophy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There\u2019s a lot on Coen\u2019s plate here as a rookie coach. But if he shows he can handle it in maybe the NFL\u2019s easiest division, he just may have a good argument for Coach of the Year this season if the Jaguars exceed expectations. The sportsbooks are making it a coin flip for this team to win over 7.5 games coming off a 4-13 finish. But when you are paying quarterback <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/a.-football\/player\/trevor-lawrence-93649\">Trevor Lawrence<\/a> this much money and make a hire and draft pick like this, you should have loftier expectations than 8-9.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Let\u2019s put a bow on the Doug Pederson era, look at Coen\u2019s cringeworthy press conference to start his tenure, and why he just may be the right guy to unlock the full potential in Lawrence and Hunter for a surprise season from the Jaguars. We also have our best Jaguars bets for 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-rank-math-toc-block\" id=\"rank-math-toc\"><nav><ul><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#previously-on-jaguars-the-season-ended-in-september\">Previously on JAGUARS: The Season Ended in September<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#liam-coen-the-football-nerd-the-jaguars-needed-and-an-nfl-coach-of-the-year-candidate\">Liam Coen: The Football Nerd the Jaguars Needed and an NFL Coach of the Year Candidate<\/a><ul><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#the-viral-duuuval-moment\">The Viral \u201cDuuuval\u201d Moment<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#coen-helping-the-jaguars-get-the-best-version-of-trevor-lawrence-yet\">Coen Helping the Jaguars Get the Best Version of Trevor Lawrence Yet<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#the-travis-hunter-experiment\">The Travis Hunter Experiment<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#jacksonville-jaguars-offseason-review\">Jacksonville Jaguars Offseason Review<\/a><ul><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#offense-new-security-blankets-for-lawrence\">Offense: New Security Blankets for Lawrence<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#defense-who-is-anthony-campanile\">Defense: Who Is Anthony Campanile?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#best-bets-for-the-2025-jaguars\">Best Bets for the 2025 Jaguars \u00a0\u00a0<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"previously-on-jaguars-the-season-ended-in-september\">Previously on JAGUARS: The Season Ended in September<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/boxscores\/202409080mia.htm\">2024 Jaguars<\/a> did little to keep anyone\u2019s attention after starting 0-4 in September. The passing game was missing in action, and the defense showed forcing turnovers would be a real struggle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>About the only thing the Jaguars did well was beat the Colts in Jacksonville for a ninth time in a row. They had their season highs in points (37) and yards (497) that day. But their only other win with Lawrence was 32-16 over the rebuilding Patriots in London.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A week later, the Jaguars pushed Green Bay in a tight 30-27 loss. The season effectively died in Philadelphia in Week 9, a strange game where the Jaguars trailed 22-0 with Lawrence having one of the least-effective games of his career. That was the day Saquon Barkley did his reverse hurdle over the defense, but things kept happening in the second half to benefit Jacksonville, and they found themselves 13 yards away from the go-ahead touchdown with 1:42 left.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But that\u2019s when Lawrence forced a bad interception, killing the rally attempt. Lawrence missed the next two games with injury, the Lions blasted Jacksonville 52-6 with Mac Jones starting, then Lawrence suffered a concussion on a nasty, cheap hit by the Texans that ended his season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed aligncenter is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Watch Trevor Lawrence immediately after this horrific hit. His right arm suddenly flexes as his left arm simultaneously extends. This is known as the \u201cfencing posture\u201d\u2014an involuntary reflex that occurs after impact in blunt head trauma. It signifies a traumatic brain injury with\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Saa8j8cffJ\">pic.twitter.com\/Saa8j8cffJ<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Sam Ghali, M.D. (@EM_RESUS) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/EM_RESUS\/status\/1863321210655838547?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">December 1, 2024<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The Jaguars swept the Titans late in the season, which actually ended up determining the No. 1 pick and sending <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/titans-2025-nfl-season-preview\">Cam Ward to Tennessee<\/a>. Not that the Jaguars were going to take him, but interesting to note there if Ward turns into a franchise player.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But even if Lawrence doesn\u2019t get injured in 2024, the results on either side of the ball weren\u2019t good enough, so it made perfect sense why coach Doug Pederson was let go after three seasons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Time for a new era.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"liam-coen-the-football-nerd-the-jaguars-needed-and-an-nfl-coach-of-the-year-candidate\">Liam Coen: The Football Nerd the Jaguars Needed and an NFL Coach of the Year Candidate<\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"660\" src=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/duuuval-1024x660.jpeg\" alt=\"Jacksonville Jaguars 2025 Liam Coen\" class=\"wp-image-11070\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">&#8220;Come with me, and you&#8217;ll be, in a world of pure imagination.&#8221;<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>One of the main reasons the Jaguars haven\u2019t continued their 1990\u2019s success has been hiring the wrong coaches. They initially had Tom Coughlin (1995-02), a disciplinarian who came from the Bill Parcells coaching tree and was a stickler for time and doing things the right way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Then they hired Jack Del Rio (2003-11), a former linebacker who was more of a meathead and one of the last guys you\u2019d want trying to cook up defenses to slow down Peyton Manning and Tom Brady.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Mike Mularkey (2012) was a one-and-done retread who inexplicably kept getting opportunities around the league.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Gus Bradley (2013-16) had one of the worst records ever (14-48) with his bland defensive schemes and the offense was not good in those years.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The team promoted interim coach Doug Marrone to full-time coach in 2017, had that magical run to the AFC Championship Game, but the defense proved to be a one-year wonder (helps when Andrew Luck and Deshaun Watson suffer season-ending injuries in the AFC South), and it was only diminishing returns after that.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Jaguars dug into the college game to pair Urban Meyer with Trevor Lawrence for 2021, but Meyer still had a frat-boy mentality off the field and treated people poorly while doing a terrible job as a coach \u2013 fired during his first season.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Doug Pederson was a solid hire as someone who had a ring and could help Lawrence develop with his second chance at head coach, but he was on the older side (54) and still had some of those Andy Reid flaws with clock management and balancing the offense. One fluke playoff run in 2022 was the high point.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>What the Jaguars really need is a younger offensive mind who will incorporate all the latest NFL trends, including more play-action passing, motion, varied formations, and utilizing your quarterback\u2019s mobility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"the-viral-duuuval-moment\">The Viral \u201cDuuuval\u201d Moment<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The Jaguars hired <strong>Liam Coen<\/strong>, who turns 40 in November, and he has spent multiple seasons on the Rams under Sean McVay, including as their offensive coordinator in 2022. He also served as the offensive coordinator for Kentucky in 2021 when Will Levis threw a career-high 24 touchdowns and again in 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But the main reason Coen got the job is the work he did with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2024 as their offensive coordinator. Baker Mayfield had a career year with 71.4% completions, 4,500 passing yards, 41 touchdown passes, and the Bucs also rushed for 2,536 yards with the third-highest yards per carry (5.3). They were also No. 1 on third down (50.9% conversion rate).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Coen\u2019s offense shredded the Eagles better than any other team did in 2024. He also dropped 40 points on Jim Harbaugh\u2019s Chargers defense, which ranked No. 1 in points allowed. The Bucs also pushed the Chiefs to overtime in Arrowhead despite missing their best wide receivers that night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Coen joins a Jacksonville team that has a lot of solid pieces to work with, but hardly anyone has come close to reaching their full potential in the NFL yet. That\u2019s why this could be one of the surprise teams this year if he can get everyone on the same page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But first impressions can go a long way in shaping narratives. Coen didn\u2019t do himself many favors when the Jaguars introduced him and he delivered this cringeworthy \u201cDuuuuval!\u201d to appease the locals in Jacksonville. It naturally went viral right away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed aligncenter is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">you could watch some shitty half-hour sitcom<br><br>or you could watch a half-hour of Liam Coen saying \u201cDuval\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/smWO6uQyZu\">pic.twitter.com\/smWO6uQyZu<\/a><\/p>&mdash; The Coachspeak Index (@CoachspeakIndex) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/CoachspeakIndex\/status\/1884831419307876674?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">January 30, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>I can\u2019t tell if he\u2019s trying to win a Brandon Weeden lookalike contest or inviting you to the grand opening of <em>Willy Wonka\u2019s Football Factory<\/em>. Given a redo in January, Coen still didn\u2019t quite nail it:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed aligncenter is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">No way: <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Jaguars?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Jaguars<\/a> new HC Liam Coen gave another Duval to get Jacksonville fans excited for the upcoming season:<br><br>\u201cDUUUVVVAAAALLLL\u201d<br><br>\ud83d\ude02\ud83d\ude02\ud83d\ude02 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/1QmmMrFHPE\">pic.twitter.com\/1QmmMrFHPE<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NFL_DovKleiman\/status\/1885006553364713621?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">January 30, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>But we\u2019ve learned you can\u2019t hold it against a coach if his opening team presser gets a bit weird or uncomfortable. We\u2019ve seen it happen already with Doug Pederson (2016 Eagles), Nick Sirianni (2021 Eagles), and Dan Campbell (2021 Lions), and they still got the job done for their teams. Coen might not have the best camera charisma, but all that matters is if he can coach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"coen-helping-the-jaguars-get-the-best-version-of-trevor-lawrence-yet\"><strong>Coen Helping the Jaguars Get the Best Version of Trevor Lawrence Yet<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>It&#8217;s also one of the more fascinating spots in the league that\u2019s dying for someone to step in and get instant improvement. A quarterback like Lawrence has always been more potential than production, but going into Year 5 with arguably his best supporting cast, we need to see more. Let\u2019s see if Coen can give him the \u201cBaker Bump\u201d he produced for Mayfield a year ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This was a stat we talked about going into 2024 with Lawrence, but no quarterback in NFL history needs to get in a rhythm more to have a good game than Lawrence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed aligncenter is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Looked into it more and it is historic.<br><br>Worst record since 1970 in games with sub-60% comp%:<br><br>1. Daniel Jones 1-16 (.059)<br>2. Trevor Lawrence 2-20 (.091)<br><br>Lawrence&#39;s record goes up 52.2 points when he completes over 60%, largest increase among all 179 QBs. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/tH9u3mRnu1\">https:\/\/t.co\/tH9u3mRnu1<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Scott Kacsmar (@ScottKacsmar) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ScottKacsmar\/status\/1834062262228640003?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">September 12, 2024<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Lawrence is now 2-25 (.074) when he doesn\u2019t complete better than 60% of his passes in a game.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Lawrence is 4-24 (.143) when his average depth of target is higher than 8.0 yards (worst record in NFL since 2018).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>In Lawrence\u2019s only two wins last year (Colts and Patriots), he completed at least 75% of his passes in each game and threw the ball short (ADOT of 6.6 and 5.6 yards).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Between playing from behind and struggling in the passing game, Lawrence\u2019s ADOT was 9.3 in 2024, the second-highest average in the NFL. That\u2019s not his game. Meanwhile, Mayfield was 28th at 7.0 as the Buccaneers had a strong screen game and a lot of short passes by design helped him to that career-high completion percentage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If Coen can help Lawrence achieve the quick game he needs to win, this team should be much better. Don\u2019t forget they were 8-3 in 2023 before Lawrence was injured, so he needs to stay healthy too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But getting the best season yet out of Lawrence would be a major hat tip in Coen\u2019s favor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"the-travis-hunter-experiment\">The Travis Hunter Experiment<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The other crowning achievement for Coen\u2019s season could be making this Travis Hunter experiment work. You can <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/2025-nfl-draft-preview-travis-hunter\">read our take on the history of two-way players<\/a> in the NFL and Hunter\u2019s ambitious goals from April before the Jaguars traded up to take him with the No. 2 pick. It\u2019s certainly going to be hard for him to play the record number of snaps he wants to in the NFL, but they seem to want to give him the opportunity to try it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Snap counts will never be studied harder than they will this year for Hunter in Jacksonville:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed aligncenter is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Travis Hunter \ud83d\ude80<br><br>\ud83d\udd25 10\/11 offense snaps<br>\ud83d\udd25 5\/10 from the slot<br>\ud83e\udd71 2nd team defense<br><br>This couldn\u2019t have been much better for Hunter believers. He\u2019s going to play A LOT on offense and he\u2019s going to be more than fantasy relevant.<a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/G9LVZAkW0y\">pic.twitter.com\/G9LVZAkW0y<\/a><\/p>&mdash; All Goats FF \ud83c\udfc8 (@AllGoatsFF) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AllGoatsFF\/status\/1955023541256003629?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">August 11, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed aligncenter is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Total Travis Hunter snaps through 13 camp practices: 301 snaps (171 on offense, 130 on defense)<br><br>7-on-7: 23 snaps (15 offense, 8 defense)<br><br>11-on-11: 278 snaps (156 offense, 122 defense)<br><br>Jaguars have run 717 total snaps, so Hunter has been on the field for 42% of all snaps.<\/p>&mdash; Michael DiRocco (@ESPNdirocco) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ESPNdirocco\/status\/1954926759964561531?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">August 11, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Reaction is mixed on what his usage will ultimately look like, but it would seem apparent that he\u2019ll play the slot receiver for a team that let Chrisitan Kirk, a favorite receiver for Lawrence, go in the offseason.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I think ideally, you\u2019d have Hunter as your best cornerback, then you\u2019d use him in several offensive packages. He never has to be the No. 1 wide receiver because they have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/a.-football\/player\/brian-thomas-jr.-118205\">Brian Thomas Jr.<\/a>, last year\u2019s rookie standout, to fill that role. But it\u2019s also quite possible they play Hunter a ton on offense in the slot, move him all over the field, and he may only check in for nickel and dime packages occasionally on defense. A lot to be determined there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Frankly, I don\u2019t think Hunter is a good bet for either Rookie of the Year award (Offense and Defense), assuming we can trust the voters to show integrity and not consider his dual responsibilities. But if you judge him only on what he does on that side of the ball, he shouldn\u2019t have the volume at wideout to garner enough OROY votes, and it\u2019s hard to win that award as a corner unless he makes quite a few interceptions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But if Coen\u2019s staff can work out a plan that maximizes the unique talent of Hunter and makes him the most successful two-way player in the modern NFL, that\u2019s another argument for Coen to win Coach of the Year, assuming the Jaguars can get to a winning record too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"jacksonville-jaguars-offseason-review\">Jacksonville Jaguars Offseason Review<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>We\u2019ve already covered the arrival of Coen and Hunter. With a new head coach, that also means new coordinators on both sides of the ball. Let\u2019s meet them along with the rest of Jacksonville\u2019s prominent draft picks and free agent moves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"offense-new-security-blankets-for-lawrence\"><strong>Offense: New Security Blankets for Lawrence<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Coen will have his fingerprints all over the offense the way Sean McVay (Rams), Kyle Shanahan (49ers), and Kevin O\u2019Connell (Vikings) do with their teams. But he still hired an offensive coordinator in 29-year-old Grant Udinski. He\u2019s spent the last three years as an offensive assistant to O\u2019Connell in Minnesota, and we know O\u2019Connell is another McVay disciple as Coen is. Nothing like starting the next wave on this coaching tree.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Adding Travis Hunter was the right move for an offense that let go of two of Trevor Lawrence\u2019s most reliable targets in Chrisitan Kirk (Texans) and tight end Evan Engram (Broncos). We know Hunter can replace the slot production, but the team also signed Dyami Brown from the Commanders, who looked really good in the playoffs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With Brian Thomas Jr. looking so good as a rookie, Lawrence could have his best receiving trio ever this year. But replacing Engram at tight end is a bit tougher as they\u2019re down to Brenton Strange (2023 second-round pick) and Johnny Mundt (Vikings). There\u2019s not a ton of production there, but Strange at least caught 40 balls for 411 yards last year, so he\u2019ll just have to step up in Engram\u2019s absence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Speaking of stepping up, Tank Bigsby went from averaging 2.6 yards per carry as a 2023 rookie to 4.6 last season. He\u2019s not much of a receiver, so Coen should view Bigsby as his Bucky Irving (from Tampa) while Travis Etienne, entering a contract year, could take on a bigger receiving back role, something he did well at Clemson with Lawrence as his quarterback.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As for those big uglies up front, the Jaguars have two new starters. Center Robert Hainsey followed Coen from Tampa Bay where he was a reserve last year, but he started 34 games in 2022-23. He\u2019s likely not a standout but he\u2019ll adapt quickly. New right guard Patrick Mekari spent his first six seasons in Baltimore (53 starts) and is versatile enough to start at any position on the line. He\u2019s not an elite player, but he should be an improvement for Jacksonville.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"defense-who-is-anthony-campanile\">Defense: Who Is Anthony Campanile?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>While there\u2019s always so much attention on the new offensive coaches in the NFL, we need a new supply of defensive coaches too that can push the game forward with evolving tactics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Anthony Campanile turns 43 this week and will be a first-time NFL defensive coordinator. He coached the Dolphins\u2019 linebackers in 2020-23 before doing the same with run game coordinator responsibility in Green Bay last season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He inherits a Jacksonville defense that is still on the young side with quality edge rushers in Travon Walker and Josh Hines-Allen. Those are guys looking for more opportunities to play with leads and hunt quarterbacks. For the interior line, the Jaguars added a potential future starter in the second round in Maason Smith (LSU).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The secondary is where there should be new starters in 2025. We\u2019ll see how they deploy Travis Hunter at corner, but he has a chance to be their best corner this season. Veteran Jourdan Lewis comes over from the Cowboys where he spent the last eight seasons, and he could cover the slot for this defense. Safety Eric Murray (31) is another vet the defense added, and he started 14 games for the Texans last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It&#8217;s not great to say the Jaguars are returning so many players from a defense that ranked near the bottom in yards and points. However, the 2024 Jaguars forced just 9 takeaways on defense, tied for the second fewest in NFL history, and tied with the 2021 Jaguars for the fewest in a 17-game season. The 2022 Jaguars improved to 27 takeaways (+18) in a playoff season as turnovers will often regress to the mean.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That\u2019s why there should be real optimism for this defense to perk up by adding a potential ball-hawk to the secondary like Hunter, the potential for simple regression to the mean with more bounces going their way, and a better offense could also help the team play with more favorable circumstances to create turnovers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"best-bets-for-the-2025-jaguars\">Best Bets for the 2025 Jaguars &nbsp;&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>With the Titans going with a rookie quarterback and the Colts having no quarterback, it really should be the Jaguars who offer the most resistance to Houston winning the AFC South for a third year in a row. The same way DeMeco Ryans came in and took the division in 2023, Liam Coen could do the same this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Coen is tied for the third-best odds (+1000 at BetOnline) to win Coach of the Year too, and if he gets this team to a winning record and the playoffs (especially division title), I think he wins it. I don\u2019t see Ben Johnson (Bears) or Mike Vrabel (Patriots) making the playoffs, so there\u2019s good value in Coen for the award right now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But can we find enough wins for that on Jacksonville\u2019s schedule? I think so:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Good opportunity right away with a home opener against Carolina, a team also looking to improve greatly.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A trip to the Bengals in Week 2, and we know that team has slow starts and the defense is unlikely to be great.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>First big matchup is Week 3 in hosting the Texans, so they\u2019ll need to get at least a split there to win the division.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Tough two weeks with a trip to San Francisco before hosting the Chiefs on a Monday night in Week 5.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Seahawks come to Jacksonville in an early body clock game, and then it\u2019s the Rams in London where we don\u2019t know how Matthew Stafford\u2019s back is going to be.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>After a bye week, it\u2019s a trip to Vegas that will be winnable.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Houston rematch is in Week 10.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Chargers will be a tough matchup at home, but it\u2019s winnable before a fairly winnable trip to Arizona.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Jaguars play four of their last six games against the Colts and Titans, so there\u2019s a huge opportunity to clean up big there. We know the Colts haven\u2019t won in Jacksonville since 2014 and the Jags swept Tennessee last year.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Jets come to Jacksonville in Week 15, and we know Justin Fields is 0-22 when his team allows more than 20 points.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A trip to Denver (Week 16) is one of the toughest road games, but the Jaguars don\u2019t have to play teams like the Bills, Ravens, Eagles, or Lions (elite teams they were 0-3 against last year).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Week 18 is hosting Tennessee, so you always like to be home against a subpar team in the finale if you need a win for tie-breaker purposes.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The over\/under on this team is 7.5 wins, but this schedule looks so favorable to me that I\u2019m going with over 8.5 wins on an alternate line. They could even get to 10 wins (+240 at FanDuel) if things click really well with Coen and Hunter bringing out the best in Lawrence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Maybe the best value is +1000 for Coen to win Coach of the Year, but you also should take a look at the Jaguars to simply win the AFC South (+300 at FanDuel). Houston feels vulnerable and the Jaguars made big changes that should benefit them right away. This team isn\u2019t ready to get past the divisional round yet, but I\u2019m taking a chance on this team to be a division winner after a 4-13 season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>NFL Pick<\/strong>: Jacksonville Jaguars over 8.5 wins (+145) at FanDuel<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>NFL Pick<\/strong>: Jacksonville Jaguars to win AFC South (+300) at FanDuel<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>NFL Pick<\/strong>: Liam Coen to win NFL Coach of the Year (+1000) at BetOnline<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Related Articles:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/titans-2025-nfl-season-preview\">Tennessee Titans 2025 NFL Season Preview and Picks: Will Cam Ward Be Great Enough for Us To Remember the Titans?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/lions-2025-nfl-season-preview\">Detroit Lions 2025 NFL Season Preview and Picks: Is Dan Campbell\u2019s Super Bowl Window Closing?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/vikings-2025-nfl-season-preview\">Minnesota Vikings 2025 NFL Season Preview and Picks: We Just Have to Choose Our Adventure with J.J. McCarthy This Year<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/packers-2025-nfl-season-preview\">Green Bay Packers 2025 NFL Season Preview and Picks: Should We Trust This Team to Reclaim the Tough NFC North?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/bears-2025-nfl-season-preview\">Chicago Bears 2025 NFL Season Preview and Picks: How Fast Can Ben Johnson Change the Offensive Culture?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/ravens-2025-nfl-season-preview\">Baltimore Ravens 2025 NFL Season Preview and Picks: Will Lamar Jackson and John Harbaugh Ever Win a Super Bowl Together?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/steelers-2025-nfl-season-preview\">Pittsburgh Steelers 2025 NFL Season Preview and Picks: Can Aaron Rodgers and Mike Tomlin Turn the Clock Back to 2010 for Super Bowl Push?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/bengals-2025-nfl-season-preview\">Cincinnati Bengals 2025 NFL Season Preview and Picks: Has Enough Been Done with the Defense to Save Zac Taylor\u2019s Job?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/browns-2025-nfl-season-preview\">Cleveland Browns 2025 NFL Season Preview and Picks: Does Kevin Stefanski Survive This Quarterback Mess?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/rams-2025-nfl-season-preview\">Los Angeles Rams 2025 NFL Season Preview and Picks: Is Sean McVay Primed for Another Super Bowl Run?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/seahawks-2025-nfl-season-preview\">Seattle Seahawks 2025 NFL Season Preview and Picks: Is Sam Darnold Legit Now or Will Old Ghosts Keep Haunting Him?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/cardinals-2025-nfl-season-preview\">Arizona Cardinals 2025 NFL Season Preview and Picks: Is Year 3 the Charm for Jonathan Gannon and Kyler Murray?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/49ers-2025-nfl-season-preview\">San Francisco 49ers 2025 NFL Season Preview and Picks: Does Kyle Shanahan\u2019s Talented Squad Have One Last Hurrah for a Super Bowl Run?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/raiders-2025-nfl-season-preview\">Las Vegas Raiders 2025 NFL Season Preview and Picks: Reunion for Pete Carroll and Geno Smith in an Elite Division<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/broncos-2025-nfl-season-preview\">Denver Broncos 2025 NFL Season Preview and Picks: Is Bo Nix the One Sean Payton\u2019s Been Waiting for?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/chargers-2025-nfl-season-preview\">Los Angeles Chargers 2025 NFL Season Preview and Picks: Making Justin Herbert Modernized<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/chiefs-2025-nfl-season-preview\">Kansas City Chiefs 2025 NFL Season Preview and Picks: Time to Reinvent the Offense Again<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/2025-nfl-quarterback-rankings\">2025 NFL Quarterback Rankings: This Is Still Patrick Mahomes\u2019 League<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/nfl-2025-schedule-release-top-stories\">NFL 2025 Schedule Release: The Top Stories to Follow on the Long Path to Super Bowl 60<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/2025-nfl-draft-recap-1st-round\">2025 NFL Draft Recap: A Shocking Travis Hunter Trade and a Shedeur Slanders Slide Highlight the First Round<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It was 30 years ago when the Jacksonville Jaguars started playing NFL games in the 1995 season. Early on, they looked like they\u2019d be one of the league\u2019s best instant success stories, making the playoffs four years in a row in 1996-99. But they\u2019ve made it back to the playoffs just four times in the &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":11089,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[46],"tags":[1473,1962,3343,2326,516,3454,751,1472,502,3888,47,3889,1143,356,763,1581,503,2352],"class_list":["post-11063","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl","tag-afc-south","tag-brian-thomas-jr","tag-cam-ward","tag-christian-kirk","tag-colts","tag-cornerback","tag-evan-engram","tag-jacksonville","tag-jaguars","tag-liam-coen","tag-nfl","tag-nfl-coach-of-the-year","tag-nfl-draft","tag-texans","tag-titans","tag-travis-hunter","tag-trevor-lawrence","tag-wide-receiver","article_type-discover","article_type-news","entity_type-competitor","inspiration-365s-articles","inspiration-planned"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11063","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11063"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11063\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11090,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11063\/revisions\/11090"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11089"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11063"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11063"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11063"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}