Oct 16, 2024; Watford, United Kingdom; A general overall view of helmets at the line of scrimmage as Jacksonville Jaguars long snapper Ross Matiscik (46) snaps the ball during practice at The Grove. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Jaguars Will Need Wins To Gain Fair Respect

Originally posted on Jacksonville Jaguars on SI
By John Shipley | Last updated Jul 17, 2025 1:00 PM ET

The Jacksonville Jaguars have plenty of talented players up and down their roster. Blue-chip, Pro Bowl-level players.

“I mentioned to this to the guys, this isn't a four-win team. Yes, that is the record, but this is not a four-win team. How do we go from winning games to not losing them? I think that's something we've got to address," new Jaguars head coach Liam Coen said in January after being hired.

"That has got to be in our veins, in our DNA: the culture of winning. I've learned it from the Los Angeles Rams and from a ton of other great organizations on how to go win football games. I think that's something that we have to start as a team, as a group and show how we're going to go do it.”

But for the rest of the NFL to accept that truth, it will take the Jaguars finding the on-field success to prove it first.

There is no greater proof of this than the recent top-10 positional rankings from ESPN, which are based on votes from coaches, scouts and executive in the NFL.

Pro Bowl receiver Brian Thomas was kept off from ESPN's top-10 list of wide receivers and listed in the honorable mentions section. He isn't the only Jaguar to face this kind of circumstances in this year's polls; others like Josh Hines-Allen, Travis Etienne and Foyesade Oluokun have had similar results.

If ever uber-productive players like Thomas and consistent stalwarts like Hines-Allen are getting disrespected in the rankings, that can only mean one thing.

The Jaguars and their stars are underrated. And for them to get properly rated, they will need better showings than their 4-13 season a year ago.

Injuries and issues with the coaching staff and schemes played a big role in the Jaguars' difficult season, but so did the Jaguars' inability to finish close games. The Jaguars lost 10 games by one-score in 2024, setting an NFL record and displaying the need for wins to get back into the franchise's DNA.

Until Coen turns the Jaguars into a winning team, nobody will be afraid to underrate the Jaguars' top players -- even if they deserve better.