Jacksonville Jaguars GM James Gladstone is reshaping the team.
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Jacksonville Jaguars GM James Gladstone is reshaping the team.
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a new-look franchise in 2025. The team has fresh new faces in general manager James Gladstone, head coach Liam Coen and shiny, sparkly rookie WR/CB Travis Hunter, whom the team moved small mountains to get at No. 2-overall in April’s NFL Draft.
After a 4-13 finish to the 2024 season, they should embrace the newcomers and hope they help wash the stink off of previous years. In Bleacher Reports recent NFL power rankings, writer Gary Davenport has the Jaguars at No. 24 in league, which is bad news for the Indianapolis Colts.
As has been the case since the Jaguars selected quarterback Trevor Lawrence first overall in the 2021 NFL Draft, this season’s [insert any year] hopes will rest on his shoulders.
“There’s a new head coach in Jacksonville in Liam Coen. A wildly exciting rookie wide receiver/cornerback in Travis Hunter,” Davenport writes. “But make no mistake, the Jaguars will go as far in 2025 as their highest-paid player takes them.
“After signing a five-year, $275 million extension last year, Lawrence suffered through a miserable season. The fifth-year veteran missed seven games, barely cleared 2,000 passing yards and threw just 11 touchdown passes.”
Jaguars know that they are running out of excuses
The NFL Draft is designed to give the worst teams the best chances at getting high-level talent. However, it doesn’t always work out that way because poor decision making is what likely led you to picking so high. Lawrence, running back Travis Etienne, edge rusher Travon Walker (also drafted No. 1 overall in 2022), offensive tackle Anton Harrison, wide receiver Brian Thomas, Jr. and Hunter are all top draft picks in recent years; they need to start playing like it.
And, the players know it.
“We all got a job to do,” said linebacker Josh Hines-Allen when asked about Lawrence. “But again, what coach Coen is doing, he’s not only hyping him up and pushing him, but the offensive line has to be better. The running backs, we are going to have to run this ball effectively, you know, in order for him to do what we need to do.”
Davenport still puts the onus on the quarterback though.
“The veteran pass-rusher has a point,” Davenport writes. “But if the Jags are going to make any noise in the NFC South, Lawrence needs to start playing like a $55 million quarterback.”
Can Liam Coen be the leader the team needs him to be?
Coen is brand new to the 904 area code, so he can’t be judged yet. It will probably take a few years before the Jags either sink or swim with Coen. He’s got a few pieces in place, but only time will tell if those are the right pieces.
“Is Liam Coen the man to lead the Jaguars? Urban Meyer certainly wasn’t,” writes Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski. “Doug Pederson failed as well. The Jaguars organization went so far as to fire general manager Trent Baalke just to hire Coen. The team became ultra-aggressive to trade up in the draft and select a truly unique talent in Travis Hunter. These moves make it feel like a paradigm shift occurred. Maybe it did. But the team has to prove it on the field first.”
After just four wins last year, Coen only has one place to go.