Liam Coen knows Jacksonville Jaguars' defense is ahead of offense. It's part of the plan
The Jacksonville Jaguars are continuing through their offseason program with the start of Phase III.
They met for the first organized team activity practice on May 19, marking the first time the offense and defense could face each other on the grass since the season ended.
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Jacksonville's defense was noticeably ahead of the offense, coming away with five takeaways during team periods during the two-hour practice.
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Trevor Lawrence threw two interceptions, an overthrow when targeting Travis Hunter that was snagged by Darnell Savage, and a miscommunication with Parker Washington that was tipped and picked off by Jarrian Jones.
'This is the time of year when you work that stuff out. Obviously, you never want to have interceptions,' Lawrence said after the practice. 'You never want to have balls on the ground, you want to be clean. But on the other hand, you want to see the miscommunication or some of that so you can fix it now and not carry that over later on.'
Liam Coen provides insight to why Jacksonville's defense is ahead of the offense
Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen greets quarterback Nick Mullens (12) during the first organized team activity at Miller Electric Center Monday, May 19, 2025 in Jacksonville, Fla.
First-year head coach Liam Coen had an interesting experience while conducting the OTA. He was initially upset when the turnovers happened as any offensive minded coach would be.
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However, he quickly realized he's the coach for the entire team and should be proud of the plays the defense made.
'We had a couple of guys trying to be intentional about getting the ball out and getting their hands on the football,' Coen said of the defense. '[That's] something that we're actively trying to be intentional about this whole offseason.'
Jacksonville's defense struggled last season, coming in last in pass defense for the league and were one of the main reasons for the sweeping changes made this offseason.
But during OTA No. 1, they were the better side by a sizeable margin. Why is that?
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'I'm not diminishing what they have to learn defensively. There are a lot of calls, a lot of different fundamentals, communication that has to occur,' Coen said. 'I think, naturally, you would say that offensively there's a lot more that ends up maybe slowing you down pre-snap and post-snap. But I would hope that the defense would be a little further ahead, to be honest with you.'
Liam Coen explains philosophy for distribution of reps during OTAs, says offense looks 'young'
Coen is building the offense from ground zero, essentially.
Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen is interviewed by members of the media during a rookie minicamp at Miller Electric Center Saturday, May 10, 2025 in Jacksonville, Fla. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]
Lawrence only appeared in 10 games last season and will be learning his third new system while playing under his fifth play caller. The team brought in four new players who'll be presumed starters on offense and will have several others behind them jockeying for playing time.
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There's a relative youth to the group at this point in their development.
'In terms of just, first day putting it all together, it's not going to be as clean as you'd like it to be,' Coen said.
It seems the Jaguars have their starters, but that isn't completely locked in. In fact, Coen shed some light on his thought process when it comes to reps at this time of the year.
'We always want to compete in everything that we're doing, but ultimately, it's about trying to create that continuity at times within the system, within the offense and defense, and the calls,' Coen said.
That means it's fully possible to see rookies mixing it up with the starters. Or free agents, who were thought to be brought in as depth players, getting opportunities with the top guys.
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Or vice-versa where those players who were presumed starters are playing next to the reserves. At this time of the year, it's about displaying understanding of system and presenting capabilities.
'There's really no, hey, these are the starters that are going to be out there first game against Carolina,' Coen continued. 'Do you have some ideas? Sure, but ultimately, there is a lot of competition that will occur, especially throughout this offseason and as we get into training camp.'
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jacksonville Jaguars' Liam Coen knows why offense struggling in OTAs
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