JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — There’s already some noticeable differences between the Jaguars under head coach Liam Coen. What’s changed most is likely the one that needed to the most, supporting QB Trevor Lawrence and creating an offense built for him.
So far, the results are promising. Through two games, Lawrence is 14 of 17 passing for 119 yards, one touchdown and zero turnovers. It is important to note the fumble, however, that was more of a fluke thing than something Lawrence necessarily did wrong.
Lawrence looks great in Liam Coen’s offense. He’s calm, methodical, and decisive, as opposed to the frantic version we saw on occasion under Doug Pederson’s tutelage. The mechanics also look much cleaner as he is now stepping up into the pocket and stepping into throws with confidence.
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Lawrence has an impressive adjusted completion rate of 88.2%, according to Pro Football Focus. This statistic eliminates the throws that are drops, throwaways, spikes, or throws where the quarterback was hit while thrown, trying to get a more accurate representation of accuracy.
His adjusted completion % ranks fourth among QBs who have played in two preseason games.
His time in the pocket is also noticeably higher as is his level of comfort. In Pederson’s offense, the Jaguars were among the fastest in the NFL at getting rid of the ball. While that will likely be the case again under Coen too, Lawrence has had the time to work through his progressions and make the right choices this preseason.
Thus far, Lawrence has had an average time to throw of 2.91 seconds this season, much higher than his 2.63 seconds in 2024. In both 2022 and 2023, Lawrence’s average times to throw were in the 2.50 second range. It’s both a testament to the offensive line and Lawrence’s comfort in Liam Coen’s system that he’s able to hold the ball for so much longer.
Another key difference under the Jaguars’ new staff is their open-mindedness on defense. The Jaguars’ previous staff really didn’t change things up much. As Shad Khan said, they were very predictable. They ran man coverage by far the most of any team and the defense rarely changed up roles or positions.
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This preseason, however, we have gotten a sneak peak at the Jaguars utilizing defenders in different ways. The one most intriguing is using Travon Walker as an interior defender on obvious pass-rushing downs.
In 2024, Walker played just 3.8% of his snaps aligned on or inside the tackle. This preseason, that number is up to 25%. While it’s extremely doubtful that the number will be that high, it goes to show Anthony Campanile’s willingness to find mismatches and exploit them.
Walker had a pressure against the Saints from an inside alignment, along with Dawuane Smoot. Walker is one of just eight players to post doubt-digit sack seasons each of the last two seasons. If the shedded weight and Campanile’s leadership can help him take another step, watch out.
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