The Biggest Question Nobody Is Asking About the Jaguars (And How They Answer It)

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- There are more than a few questions we have been asking the Jacksonville Jaguars throughout the offseason.

Will Bhayshul Tuten and Chris Rodriguez Jr. be up to the task of replacing Travis Etienne? What kind of role will Travis Hunter play when he returns, and when exactly will he return? Do the Jaguars have the pass-rush depth they need to win?

These are not new questions, nor are they the only important ones we must be asking the Jaguars ahead of the start of training camp. Which, of course, begs the question of what is one question we are not yet asking enough when it comes to the Jaguars, and how can they find the answers they need?

liam coen — Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen laughs with coaches before the Jaguars held their final Organized Team Activity on Monday, June 15, 2026 at the Miller Electric Center in Jacksonville, Fla. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union] | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The One Question We Must Ask the Jaguars

The biggest question we must ask the Jaguars is on the defensive side of the ball, it is a fairly simple one: can the turnovers be sustained?

The Jaguars were one of the best teams in the entire NFL at forcing takeaways last season, but turnovers are already one of the most volatile stats in all of football to begin with. Outside of that fact, the Jaguars had linebacker Devin Lloyd leave in free agency after he was a part of six takeaways (five interceptions, one fumble recovery) the year before.

After forcing only nine takeaways in the NFL, the Jaguars were able to get a staggering 31 in the first year under defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile. Only three of the Jaguars' games last year did not consist of a takeaway; they went 1-2 in those games, and the win was an overtime victory over a bad Arizona Cardinals team.

To the Jaguars' credit, they were cognizant of the turnover spikes during the season. The Jaguars forced 14 takeaways in the first five games, including a four-game streak to start the year where they recorded three or more turnovers in each game. After the Jaguars had four turnovers to fuel a five-point win over the San Francisco 49ers, Jaguars head coach Liam Coen was asked about exactly that factor.

“Yeah, I mean, look, we've talked about at what point are these going to not maybe come in bunches like this, and so defensively, although there's so many good things going on, there's still a lot of things to clean up that, okay, you don't get those turnovers." Coen said last September.

"Well, what is the execution and the situational football and all that stuff looking like, and then offensively, well, we're not getting all these, we may not get all these different ops and field position. That is truly the process over results and the process that drives results. But it is what it is right now, we've got to continue to… The good thing is, guys, the players know, I mean, being on the plane with these guys for five hours, they know this. They understand that this is unique in what's happening right now from a turnover situation, and we have got to execute much better in order for us to go play a game that maybe these turnovers don't exactly happen.”

So, how can the Jaguars make sure the turnovers don't dry up in 2026? Simply relying on their replacement for Lloyd is not going to be a sound decision. It remains to be seen who that replacement will be exactly, but the leading favorite is fourth-year linebacker Ventrell Miller. Miller only has one interception in his career and is more of a downhill run defender, while many of Lloyd's biggest plays came when using his length in zone coverage.

Simply put, the Jaguars will have to make sure that their secondary is better than it was a year ago to ensure to turnovers keep flowing. Offenses got the ball out of their hands against the Jaguars' defense at one of the fastest rates in the entire NFL last season, and the Jaguars' hope is that better play in the secondary will force quarterbacks to hold onto the ball longer, which in theory could lead to the pass-rush impacting more plays and potentially leading to turnover chances.

Is the Jaguars' belief in the secondary improvement worth betting on? They had Travis Hunter for just stretches at the cornerback position for seven weeks last year, and he is now expected to take on a significantly larger role. It is asking a lot to ask him to almost single-handedly make that kind of impact, of course, but he is also a special player who the Jaguars made a massive move for. If anyone is worth making that bet on, it is him.

Another factor could be an expanded role for fourth-year safety Antonio Johnson. Johnson was a ballhawk for the Jaguars a year ago, tying Lloyd with the team lead in interceptions with five despite being a backup for half the season. Johnson is set to be an every-down player in 2026, though, and his increased role could mean even more takeaways.

The Jaguars, like all defenses, will also need some pure and simple luck. The Jaguars created the circumstances for their own takeaways in many instances last season, such as with punch-out forced fumbles like the ones Dennis Gardeck and even LeQuint Allen had on special teams. The Jaguars made those plays happen because they were coached well and they played detailed, consistent football when it came to doing the little things.

But other times, the Jaguars were also in the right place at the right time. Interceptions off tipped passes, the perfect play-caller in the red-zone against Patrick Mahomes, and so on and so forth. The Jaguars had luck on their side at the right times last season, and they will need to pull the rabbit out of the hat a few times again in 2026 to ensure turnovers remain a key part of the Jaguars' success.

Turnovers helped define the Jaguars' defensive improvement last year. Whether the same will happen in 2026 could determine just how far the Jaguars go.

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