Will Liam Coen Be the Answer to Jaguars Run Game?

The Jacksonville Jaguars are in a new era of football this season with new head coach Liam Coen and general manager James Gladstone. These are younger heads of the organization looking to revitalize a team that reached new but old lows in 2024 in the previously failed regime of Doug Pederson and Trent Baalke.

Jacksonville made significant moves across the roster this offseason with key additions on the offensive side of the ball. The signings of offensive linemen Robert Hainsey and Patrick Mekari, along with the draft choices of running backs Bhayshul Tuten and LeQuint Allen, have shown the Jaguars to be a team that will look to run the ball under Coen, one of the most creative run game coaches in the league.

Coen's offenses work from the wide-zone system and zone-blocking scheme up front in the run game, where the linemen are moving laterally and forcing tailbacks to use their vision to attack open creases and pop through with burst and acceleration for big gains. It's why they drafted Tuten, who thrived in Virginia Tech's run game, and Allen, along with veterans Tank Bigsby and Travis Etienne.

This run game will be diverse with all sorts of run concepts that create havoc for front-seven defenders. Coen will use exit motions from the tight ends to kick out defensive ends and box defenders while utilizing the wideouts on the perimeters as key blockers on the off-tackle stretch plays.

The Athletic's Ted Nguyen wrote a fantastic film study on the return of the modern-day Wing-T run game that teams have begun to showcase in different variations. This includes Coen, who uses two-back sets or 21 personnel packages to get his running backs on the field to create mismatches and advantages against opposing defenses.

You can run a variation of Wing-T concepts with normal 11 personnel packages where you can get playmakers in space for run-after-catch opportunities. Just think of Travis Hunter or Parker Washington on reverses or jet sweeps. The possibilities of a creative run game are endless with the current skill position group the Jaguars have.

Coen will also run variations of other run game concepts, such as trap, wham, counter, and duo. He has the offensive line to do it, along with the tailbacks to thrive in it. This could be a great opportunity for someone like Bigsby to emerge as a top runner for the team with one more year left on his rookie contract after this season. Brenton Strange's blocking ability will also be key on the edge to seal off backside defenders or kickout edge-setting players that could be force players in the run game.

Jaguars fans should be excited for the potential their offense could have with the run game, especially with Coen as the coach and play-caller of the unit. If this area of the offense takes off in 2025, the rest will follow with potential wins as a result.

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