Jaguars' Cornerstone Making Strides Ahead of Playoffs

When the Jacksonville Jaguars hired Liam Coen to take over as head coach, the hope was that he could get the best out of the talented pieces on this roster and build an elite, cohesive offense out of the sum of its parts.

This team has come along slower on the attack than most hoped before the season, but they have made strides on that side of the ball.

The primary storyline coming into the year was what Coen might be able to do for Trevor Lawrence, a blue-chip quarterback with elite tools who hadn't had the sustained success or consistency necessary to justify his new $250 million contract or the status as a franchise cornerstone.

So far, T-Law is showing some encouraging signs of growth right at the perfect time, leading this team to the top of the AFC South and hitting his stride ahead of a potential playoff run. However, he's not the only promising piece that's thriving under Coen.

Jacksonville Jaguars, NFL, Indianapolis Colts, Travis Etienne Jr. — Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne Jr. (1) scores a rushing touchdown during the second quarter of an NFL football game at EverBank Stadium, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] | Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Jaguars will continue to lean on Travis Etienne Jr.

While Liam Coen did coax a career year out of Baker Mayfield as the offensive coordinator of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2024, that wasn't the only way he maximized their attack. Last season, he took a ground game that ranked at the bottom in the league in both yards per game and yards per carry to fourth and third in those categories, respectively.

The Jacksonville Jaguars' rushing attack was highly discouraging last year. Now, under Coen, they might not be the most consistent team running the ball, but they're adamant about it, explosive at times, and more than successful enough to keep defenses honest. Coen has revived Travis Etienne Jr.'s career, and according to the head coach, he'll be crucial to their plans moving forward:

Travis Etienne's improvement with his vision and finishing runs between the tackles has been so cool to watch this season. Not sure what happens with him in the offseason, but he's a darn good back pic.twitter.com/FcxIJGzNpX
— JP Acosta (@acosta32_jp) December 9, 2025

"Yeah, TJ, he's been huge for us. When he gets going for us, he's definitely a really impactful player in both — we've seen in the screen game as well, but not just that. Being able to hit, I think the good run on the first touchdown was a really good run.

Because you're in goal line and somebody's going to be free, and so he ends up doing a great job of just hitting it and running through contact and falling forward into the end zone. And then you see on the second one where he is now a little bit behind a few blockers, but it’s him in space being able to go make somebody miss and score, as we've seen a few times this season. So, the more we can get him going, the better."

ETN is a free agent after this season, and the Jaguars have two impressive rookie running backs in Bhayshul Tuten and LeQuint Allen Jr. With the way he's playing, though, he's earned every touch this offense gives him. And if he can keep growing and help lead this team into the playoffs and make some noise in the postseason, it'll be difficult to justify letting him go.

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