The winds of change are blowing in Jacksonville as the Jaguars finalize their new coaching staff for the 2025 NFL season. After a disappointing campaign marred by a punchless defense and untimely injuries to key players, the Jags are hoping a fresh perspective can right the ship. The team moved quickly to secure Liam Coen as their new head coach and bolstered the leadership ranks with the promotions of Grant Udinski to offensive coordinator and Anthony Campanile to the defensive coordinator role.
Revamping a Listless Defense
Priority number one for Campanile will be diagnosing how a defense with largely the same personnel went from consistently generating takeaways to posting a league-worst nine turnovers in 2024. The new DC is preaching a renewed emphasis on ball-hawking, noting the need to drill “violent” turnover attempts on every snap. Beyond the intangibles, Campanile is diving into the details to identify exploitable tendencies in opponents’ ball security.
“Is a guy late to the tuck after he catches the ball? Does he carry the ball on his inside arm, near the sideline? Those are the guys that you want to target, and you want to target them in specific ways.”
– Anthony Campanile, Jaguars Defensive Coordinator
Crucial Roster Decisions Loom
On the personnel front, the Jaguars have to make some tough calls on offense, particularly regarding the futures of wide receiver Christian Kirk and tight end Evan Engram. Both are under contract through 2025 but releasing them would net $17 million in cap savings. After a breakout 2022, Kirk has battled injuries and inconsistency the past two years. Engram set a tight end record with 114 catches in 2023 but is coming off an injury-hampered down year himself.
The team has potential replacements in house with 2024 draftee Parker Washington flashing promise in the slot and 2023 second-rounder Brenton Strange as the lone tight end under contract for 2025. But jettisoning proven if pricey vets like Kirk and Engram would leave the cupboard awfully bare. Restructures or extensions to lower their cap hits could be a possibility if the Jags believe they can still be productive.
Patching the Holes in Free Agency
With only about $32 million in projected cap space, Jacksonville won’t be major players in free agency. But they have some clear needs, especially at right guard with the expected departure of veteran Brandon Scherff and injury question marks around prospective replacement Cooper Hodges. Safety is another spot the Jaguars could look to upgrade alongside Darnell Savage. Expect them to target a starting-caliber guard and possibly a safety in the second or third contract tiers.
- Right Guard Targets: Dalton Risner (Vikings), Evan Brown (Cardinals)
- Safety Targets: Mid-tier starters to push/replace incumbents
There’s also the matter of finding a backup quarterback with Mac Jones and C.J. Beathard hitting free agency. Jones is open to returning but will test the market for starting opportunities first. One name to watch is Kyle Trask, current Bucs backup and former pupil of Coen. His familiarity with the offense could make him an ideal QB2 candidate.
All told, it’s shaping up as a pivotal offseason for a Jaguars team at a crossroads. If Coen and his staff can galvanize the defense, coax more consistency from the offense, and successfully integrate some key roster additions, Jacksonville has a chance to rebound in a big way in 2025. But if the losing culture lingers and the front office swings and misses on critical decisions, the Jags could be mired in mediocrity for the foreseeable future.
