Liam Coen Has 1 Clear Decision When it Comes to Jaguars Starters vs. Panthers

The Jacksonville Jaguars head coach will have to decide whether starters play in Week 2 of the preseason, but there is only one choice he can really make.

Aug 15, 2026; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen reacts during the fourth quarter against the New Orleans Saints at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- When the Jacksonville Jaguars kick off the second week of the preseason tonight against the Carolina Panthers, the first snap from scrimmage should tell us everything we need to know.

The biggest question facing the Jaguars and head coach Liam Coen on Friday night at EverBank Stadium is whether the Jaguars will play their starters against the Panthers, including franchise quarterback Trevor Lawrence. The first play will give us our answer, though the Jaguars' decision is easy enough to make well before then.

From left, Jacksonville Jaguars general manager James Gladstone, Executive Vice President of football operations Tony Boselli, head coach Liam Coen talk after Day 15 of NFL training camp at the Miller Electric Center on Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Coen's Decision

Simply put, there is no real reason for the Jaguars to put Lawrence and the rest of their starters on either side of the ball out on the field on Friday. There can be some exceptions, such as rookie guard Emmanuel Pregnon and linebackers Ventrell Miller and Branson Combs, but for the most part the Jaguars' key players should do what they did last week vs. the New Orleans Saints and simply watch.

Coen indicated earlier in the week that there was a chance the Jaguars' starters would play, a shift from the messaging this offseason that indicated the Jaguars would rather have their starters get reps in joint practices and not play in games that, at the end of the day, do not count.

It made sense for Coen to say so on Monday. The Jaguars were dealing with an injury bug that had clearly impacted their practice plans early in the week, and it is now also clear that Coen wanted his starters to look a bit sharper than they did in joint practices with the Saints last Thursday.

Aug 15, 2026; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen, left, talks to New Orleans Saints head coach Kellen Moore before a game at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

“I'm trending towards us potentially playing Friday night a little bit with the ones. Yeah, so that's the goal right now, is to look at potentially playing him a little Friday night," Coen said on Monday afterthe Jaguars ended practice with padless periods over the final portion of the day.

"You just look at the amount of padded days that we actually have left until the game week and it's very few and far between. So, you set a schedule, you set it, and you're like, well, timing and circumstances, things change and when you have to pivot a little bit. I think we need a little bit more work in terms of coming off of the Saints joint and the Saints game, I think we just need a little bit more padded work against each other, good on good. Can't really do it today."

The Jaguars had two more days of practice after that: a day without complete pads on Tuesday and then a physical padded joint practice with the Panthers on Wednesday. Coming off the heels of a practice against the Panthers where the Jaguars' offense looked sharp throughout the day, Coen's feelings on the starters playing seemed to change.

Jacksonville Jaguars Head Coach Liam Coen and Jacksonville Jaguars General Manager James Gladstone talk on the field during the Jacksonville Jaguars 14th session of NFL Training Camp at the Miller Electric Center in Jacksonville, Fla., Monday, August 17, 2026. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union] | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

“I'm not sure. I got to see how we came out of today. I don't want to say either way yet. I really got to go look at this tape, see how we kind of come out of it. I'll make probably a decision over the next 24 hours," Coen said after Wednesday's joint practice.

“Yeah, I don't want to necessarily go out there with not your full group, right? The whole point of it is to try to get more continued continuity and chemistry and some game experience. So, I'm just not quite sure yet.”

This is the right move for Coen and the Jaguars, especially when you consider the next week. The Jaguars still have 23 days until they host the Cleveland Browns in Week 1, and they have four practices from Sunday - Wednesday to prepare the starters -- including two joint practices against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen talks with the media after a joint practice with the Carolina Panthers on the 16th session of NFL training camp at the Miller Electric Center on Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union] | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

If after all that Coen is still needing to see more from his starting group before Week 1, then he could opt to get a drive or so from the top of the depth chart in the preseason finale against the Buccaneers when the Jaguars are likely to be healthier, such as with Parker Washington. But the Jaguars have next week to consider that, and they do not need to be making Week 1 decisions now.

It is understandable for Coen to want to see a bit more considering the ways injuries have impacted Jaguars camp so far. But there is just zero upside to the Jaguars playing their starters and other key pieces against the Panthers, and all signs indicate that Coen and the Jaguars' brass feel the same way.