Jacksonville Jaguars 2026 NFL Season Preview

Offense

This side of the ball is a strength, with the potential to get stronger. Lawrence has emerged as one of the NFL’s most rapidly improving franchise quarterbacks entering his sixth season as a starter. He and the rest of a solid offensive core should be even more comfortable entering a second season in Coen’s scheme.

Pre-snap reads and getting the offense into the correct play are critical in Coen’s “kill-and-change-at-the-line” scheme. Lawrence improved quickly in that area in 2025, and his continued development could determine how much the offense will ascend in 2026.

Wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter, the No. 2 overall selection in the 2025 NFL Draft, is expected to play a smaller role offensively after missing the final 10 games of his rookie season with a knee injury. His explosiveness should make the Jaguars more difficult to defend from sideline to sideline, though the specifics of the 2024 Heisman Trophy winner’s offensive role remain uncertain.

The Jaguars’ receivers are a team strength, with Jakobi Meyers, Parker Washington and Brian Thomas Jr. all finishing with more than 700 receiving yards in 2025 (352 of Meyers’ yards came with the Las Vegas Raiders). Brenton Strange emerged at the tight end position, with his physicality setting a tone offensively as a receiver and blocker. Tight end will be a key storyline for the Jaguars offensively, with the team selecting two in the 2026 NFL Draft — Nate Boerkircher in Round 2 and Tanner Koziol in Round 5 — with the idea of using more multiple-tight end sets moving forward.

A major objective for the Jaguars is improving a run game that was explosive in 2025 but must be more consistent — and better in short-yardage situations. Running back Chris Rodriguez Jr., effective at yards above expectation, signed as a restricted free agent from the Washington Commanders. He will be key in that area, and he could form a strong backfield committee with second-year running backs Bhayshul Tuten and LeQuint Allen Jr.

The Jaguars return eight offensive linemen with NFL starting experience, with left tackle Cole Van Lanen emerging as a starter late in the season on a unit that helped establish the Jaguars as one of the NFL’s most physical teams in 2025. A position to watch: right guard, where Wyatt Milum — a third-round selection in the 2025 NFL Draft — could push 2025 starter Patrick Mekari.

Defense

The Jaguars featured the NFL’s top run defense in 2025, and they were one of the NFL’s best teams at creating turnovers. The major question entering 2026 is whether an already good pass rush can improve enough to make the defense elite.

The elements are there for the unit to remain strong. Nose tackle DaVon Hamilton is an elite interior run defender, with Foyesade Oluokun one of the league’s most consistent middle linebackers. Defensive end Travon Walker may be the league’s best edge run defender, with defensive end Josh Hines-Allen strong in that department, too.

Walker and Hines-Allen have been good at rushing the passer from the outside, but the team must find a better and more consistent interior pass rush to increase sack numbers and help close out games. Expect Walker to move inside in passing situations at times to address this deficiency.

While All-Pro linebacker Devin Lloyd signed with the Carolina Panthers in free agency, his replacement outside — Ventrell Miller — was a co-starter entering 2025, and the team feels that he can fill the role without a drop-off.

The secondary also is a major area to watch entering ’26. While the Jaguars registered 22 interceptions in 2025 — up from six the previous season — the defense allowed some critical deep plays in big games, particularly in a wild-card loss to the Buffalo Bills.

Improvement on the back end could come from two second-year veterans, most notably Hunter, who has All-Pro tools as an outside corner and is expected to play a full-time role there. Safety Caleb Ransaw, a third-round selection in the 2025 NFL Draft, is expected to push to start after missing his rookie season with a foot injury.

Safety Antonio Johnson flourished as a run defender and in coverage in a breakout season in 2025, tying with Lloyd for the team lead with five interceptions. He and Ransaw, along with veteran Eric Murray, figure to play key roles in a Jaguars system that emphasizes multiple safety packages.

Also key in the secondary: Montaric Brown, who emerged in 2025 as a solid corner opposite Hunter. Veteran nickel Jourdan Lewis, a leader with a knack for the ball who missed the postseason with a foot injury, is also expected to return to what on paper could be a vastly improved unit.

Specialists

The Jaguars have been as strong as any team in the NFL on special teams, and they figure to remain so. Third-year placekicker Cam Little is one of the NFL’s best long-distance kickers, turning in the two longest field goals in NFL history last season — 68 and 67 yards, respectively — and gives the Jaguars a chance to score anytime the offense moves past the 50. Logan Cooke, a Pro Bowl selection following the 2024 season, remains among the NFL’s best and most consistent punters with a strong combination of distance and ability to pin opponents inside the 20. Long-snapper Ross Matiscik has made the Pro Bowl each of the past three seasons.

Washington, who emerged as one of the team’s top receivers in 2025, was also among the NFL’s most dangerous punt returners, with a 13.6-yard average and two returned for touchdowns.

Final analysis

This feels like a franchise on the rise, and 2026 could determine if it has a place in the NFL’s upper echelon. The Jaguars figure to contend for a second consecutive AFC South title, and with Lawrence ascending into the NFL’s elite, they have the ability to mount an extended run as contenders. Whether they can make a second consecutive playoff appearance and a deeper run in the postseason could depend on their ability to rush the passer in critical situations and to make the desired improvements in the running game. A play or two in the postseason determined the Jaguars’ fate in 2025. That easily could be the case again.