One Big Change Liam Coen Wants For the Jaguars in 2026

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen pushed all the right buttons and pulled all the right levels in 2025.

For 2026, though, do not expect the Jaguars to be content to run back the same old process. There are some changes they want to make and lessons they have learned.

From the league meetings in Phoenix this week, Coen made clear there is one big change he wants for his team compared to their 2025 preparation: joint practices.

Coen on Joint Practices

The Jaguars and Coen had just one joint practice for the entire 2025 training camp. A few hours spent in Miami before the Jaguars played their final preseason game was ultimately fine, but far from what Coen wants for the Jaguars in 2026 -- esppecially now that they are a team on the rise.

“Yeah, look, I think there's some different ways that this is going right now. Last year we were in a first-year spot, so we didn't get a ton of juice and help on that front, so we ended up having one joint practice against Miami and that was it in [Preseason] Week 3. So, we chose to play our players in preseason games, which was against my inclination," Coen said at the league meetings on Tuesday.

It remains to be seen who could qualify as potential joint practice participants, though the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are an obvious option. The two franchises had joint practices in 2024 when Coen was the Buccaneers' offensive coordinator, and the two franchises have a close off-field relationship. This would be an easy match to make happen considering the relationships, history, and proximity of the franchises.

liam coen — Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen speaks during a press conference at the Miller Electric Center, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla. | Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Jaguars played their starters in the first two preseason games last year, a result of the need to get quality reps against a live opponent. The Jaguars could not get joint practices with the New Orleans Saints and Pittsburgh Steelers, and the lone practice with the Dolphins was just that.

"It was against my belief. Let's just put it that way," Coen said.

"I just have a hard time putting a guy in a game that doesn't count technically towards the real season and real competition, I guess you could call it, and those games that really matter. At the end of the day, that's reality and I have a hard time putting somebody in a game for an exhibition like that.”

That can likely point us in one clear direction for what the Jaguars' 2026 preseason could look like. As long as the Jaguars work out some joint practices, they will likely lean against playing Trevor Lawrence and company in games that do not actually count toward their 2026 record and progress.

“My preference would be to do joint and not play them. But last year, we actually—it was good for us. We saw our players in some live situations that we hadn't been in yet, and it brought up some stuff that we needed to fix and address and we had to," Coen said.

"So, it was a great learning experience regardless, I think. There's a preference that I personally have and maybe others do but you’ve got to go with the flow. It's not something I'm going to be so adamant against and about that you're not fluid about coaching your team.”

The Jaguars got the value they needed out of the 2025 process, but every season is different. Now, we know at least one way Coen wants the 2026 process to look, and it does not involve the Jaguars' stars playing many snaps before Week 1 officially kicks off.