With head coach Liam Coen at the helm, the Jacksonville Jaguars are ready to welcome the Carolina Panthers in Week 1 of the regular season.
The Jags made several upgrades across the roster in the offseason, and Trevor Lawrence has made notable strides under Coen's tutelage. Couple that with the fact that only a handful of non-essential players will miss the bout, and they have a favorable chance to get their first win of the 2025 season.
The Jaguars will be without Montaric Brown and Wyatt Milum for the Panthers game
During the days preceding the Panthers matchup, cornerback Montaric Brown (ankle), offensive guard Wyatt Milum, and swing tackle Cole Van Lanen popped up on the injury report. This isn't surprising when you consider that all three missed portions of training camp in the preseason.
And in the final report, the Jags announced that Brown and Milum will miss the bout, while Van Lanen was listed as questionable. This is the right call, as neither of them was going to see significant playing time to begin with.
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Meanwhile, the Panthers have listed left tackle Ikem Ekwonu as doubtful as he recovers from an appendectomy.
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The Jaguars have enough depth to beat the Panthers in Week 1
All things considered, the Jaguars are in good shape for Week 1 even though they'll be without Montaric Brown, Cole Van Lanen, and Wyatt Milum.
Granted, Brown was having a strong training camp, potentially vying for a starting job. However, the Jags have Travis Hunter, Jarrian Jones, Jourdan Lewis, and Tyson Campbell in the mix. If anything, expect Hunter to get an expanded role against Carolina. Moreover, Campbell didn't pop up on the injury report, so he should be a full go.
On the offensive line, Milum was expected to earn a starting job at some point of his rookie campaign, but incumbent starting left guard Ezra Cleveland managed to hold him off. In case injury struck the interior line, Jacksonville can turn to Chuma Edoga or Jonah Monheim. Similarly, Edoga can step in at right tackle if needed.
This is especially true when you take into account that the coaching staff had the offensive linemen line up at different spots in training camp, so they can withstand a potential injury.
The bottom line is that the pieces are there for the Jaguars to beat the Panthers. It will be up to them to seize the opportunity and get their first win of the Liam Coen era.
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