No Member of Jaguars Has More to Gain vs. Saints than Grant Udinski

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- There are not many things at stake when it comes to the preseason.

Some players are fighting for jobs and roster spots of course, but the games do not count, starters play sparingly, and nothing is really taken too seriously until Week 1 rolls around a month from now.

So when the Jaguars enter the first week of the preseason this weekend against the New Orleans Saints, there will not exactly be many high stakes attached for much of the Jaguars' organization. That is unless you count offensive coordinator Grant Udinski, of course.

udinski jaguars — Jacksonville Jaguars offensive coordinator Grant Udinski, left, and head coach Liam Coen talk as they walk off the field after the sixth day of NFL training camp at the Miller Electric Center on Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Udinski's Stakes

With Udinski already getting several head coach interviews during the 2026 coaching cycle, it seems like a foregone conclusion that he will once again be at the top of some wish lists entering next year's cycle. The Jaguars have to do their part and win enough games for Udinski and the offense to get that kind of attention, but that feels like it is due.

For Udinski, it feels like there is little else he can do to raise his stock between Week 1 and the offseason beside help guide the Jaguars and their offense to another year of success. That is why the preseason in general is a massive oppurtunity for him.

Just like he did in the preseason finale a year ago, Udinski is set to call plays for the offense against the Saints on Saturday and then throughout the rest of the preseason after that. It will be one of the few chances he has to call plays for a team that is led by one of the NFL's top offensive minds in Liam Coen, which is why it is such an important stage.

grant udinski — Jacksonville Jaguars offensive coordinator Grant Udinski instructs during the sixth day of NFL training camp at the Miller Electric Center on Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

"Looking forward to it and part of it is because I have that group of guys to call plays for that are guys that are, so focused on their craft and have been so diligent with the way they study, which makes it nice for me because a lot of times in preseason you're going out there and just trying to get kind of the basic plays snapped and executed and see if guys can go out there and communicate," Udinski said after Sunday's training camp practice.

"Now there will still absolutely be an element of that where we want to be able to find out what we have with those guys. So, I understand going into it that we always go out and compete every single time we're going out there to play, whether it's a seven-on-seven or a preseason game. But we know that there are other things we want to accomplish to set ourselves up and set each player up for success going into the season, so we'll put together a call sheet and a game plan accordingly so that way we can see what these guys can do and let them go out there and hopefully compete and have some fun.”

Is it calling plays in the regular season? Of course not. But it is a chance for Udinski to show other NFL franchises what kind of instincts he has as a play-caller, a chance that he otherwise would not get before the next hiring cycle.

No team is going to make Udinski their next head coach because of how the Jaguars' offense performs in the preseason against the Saints. But with a strong outing this weekend and in the two games to follow, it could be another feather in the cap of one of the NFL's fastest-rising assistants.

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