What Should Liam Coen's Concern Level Be With Jaguars' Banged-Up OL?

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- If the Jacksonville Jaguars weren't already planning to sit Trevor Lawrence against the New Orleans in Saturday's season-opener, their hand might have already been forced by some recent bumps and bruises along the offensive line.

Nearly a dozen practices into training camp, the injuries along the offensive line have suddenly become the topic of camp. A group that entered camp with two veterans dealing with injuries (Cole Van Lanen & Patrick Mekari) has now seen several names get added to that list over the last few weeks, which has directly impacted practices like Tuesday's.

“Yeah, you just get thin. You get thin. You start putting more reps on other guys that may not be truly prepared for the amount of reps that they then have to take, which, as you could see today, thins out a little bit of the groups," Jaguars head coach Liam Coen said after practice. "Your twos are more so mixed of threes and fours and it just kind of gets a little bit thinned out, unfortunately.”

So, just how concerned should Coen and the Jaguars be about their offensive line moving forward? We break it down below.

liam coe — Jacksonville Jaguars Head Coach Liam Coen answers questions after the Jacksonville Jaguars eighth day of NFL Training Camp at the Miller Electric Center in Jacksonville, Fla., Friday, August 7, 2026. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union] | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The Short-Term

This feels like a big issue for the Jaguars in the short-term, mostly because the Jaguars are set to have joint practices with the New Orleans Saints before they play them in the preseason opener on Saturday. Lawrence and the rest of the starters will not play against the Saints in the preseason game, which puts a big focus on the joint practice on Thursday.

“Hopefully get somebody back before that, one of the guys. I mean, the ones we're planning on getting the majority of the work anyway in the joint, so hopefully we can survive with the ones and twos getting the majority of the joint, and then the younger guys, give them a little bit of a break so that they can play in the game," Coen said.

That focus will primarily be along the offensive line; no, Lawrence will not be a live target for the Saints' pass-rush, but it could impact how the Jaguars are able to run the ball and evaluate their ground game. The Jaguars had a number of backups along their starting offensive line in Tuesday's practice, and it was difficult for the Jaguars to get anything at all going on the ground against the Jaguars' defense.

So as far as one can be concerned about a joint practice setting, that seems like the biggest current hang-up for the Jaguars. That, of course, is much better than the short-term issues arising during the regular-season, but that does bring us to ...

The Long-Term

lia — Aug 3, 2026; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen talks to media after training camp at Miller Electric Center. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The long-term outlook for the Jaguars' offensive line has to be about Week 1 vs. the Cleveland Browns. And in terms of where the offensive line is right now, it seems like it is far too early for the Jaguars to start hitting any panic buttons or raising any alarms. This would be a different case if the Jaguars played the Browns on Sunday, but we are still 33 days away from the Jaguars' offense lining up against Cleveland.

The biggest concern for Week 1 is likely Cole Van Lanen considering he is still on the Active/PUP list. Patrick Mekari has not taken team reps but is at least present on the field and not actively sidelined, so perhaps he could be back for Week 1 too. Walker Little's injury looks like it could need to be monitored, but it is too early to say the same about the likes of Ezra Cleveland and Emmanuel Pregnon.

It is not a great outlook for today and right now, but the Jaguars do have the gift of time on their side. Coen will likely want to pull his hair out over the next few days, but it is not yet time for the concern level to be peaking.

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