The Jacksonville Jaguars are back on the prowl. As 2026 NFL training camps kick off around the league, head coach Liam Coen\u2019s message to his team is: \u201cLet\u2019s go earn something.\u201d<\/p>\n
Above all else, the Jags are hunting for wins \u2014 but their desire for respect is no secret either.<\/p>\n
\u201cNothing in this league is given. Every year is a brand new year. Yes, we have a lot of returning, a lot of coaches returning, a lot of staff members returning, a lot of players returning. But we have to treat it as new, right? In a lot of ways, we have to reconnect our relationships and be intentional about the way that we communicate and practice and meet with each other.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese guys know, I mean, what is it, 30-something out of the next 40 games in the next two years? They\u2019re not going to be played here in Jacksonville. So we\u2019re not going to use it as an excuse. We\u2019re not going to use it as a \u2018but\u2019. It\u2019s just, it is what it is. And our mindset and mentality is going to be: drop us off in a plane anywhere, and we\u2019ll go play you.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Jags will scrimmage at the Miller Electric Center over the next month before starting to compete against other teams at joint practices, preseason games, and finally, regular season football.<\/p>\n
Wednesday marked the first day of training camp in Jacksonville. Here\u2019s everything we saw and heard from along the sidelines.<\/p>\n
Secondary Steals the Show<\/p>\n
It very much looked like Day 1 for the offense. While there weren\u2019t too many takeaways to be had from the trenches, considering that pads won\u2019t be going on until August 3, some uncharacteristic sloppiness from skill-position players allowed several defensive backs to have a day.<\/p>\n
Jakobi Meyers dropped a wide-open pass over the middle; Eric Murray intercepted an overthrow from Trevor Lawrence; and I noted pass breakups for Montaric Brown, Jabbar Muhammad, Caleb Ransaw, Jalen Huskey, and Dennis Gardeck.<\/p>\n
It was great to see sticky coverage from a secondary aiming for improvement in that area specifically, but as Coen said after practice, \u201cI thought [practice] was a little sloppy in terms of drops and some inaccuracy.\u201d Trevor Lawrence admitted, \u201cI didn\u2019t think I had the best day today necessarily.\u201d<\/p>\n
The expectation is that Jacksonville\u2019s offense won\u2019t be rusty for long. Lawrence added, \u201cI feel like this whole offseason and even today, I threw it well and just missed a couple. But I feel really healthy. I feel like I\u2019m in great shape. I think I\u2019m throwing it as good as ever. I think the chemistry with the guys is really, really good. I like where our team\u2019s at. So, I\u2019m excited, really excited for this training camp.\u201d<\/p>\n
The franchise quarterback is \u201cvery optimistic\u201d that the offense can pick up where it left off in 2025.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo be honest, we should be able to do that, and we should do that day one. Not every day\u2019s going to be perfect. We\u2019re going to have some days. We have a good defense too, so we\u2019ll have some days. Like today, the guys on defense made some great plays and made some adjustments and made some really good plays in the ball. That\u2019s going to happen but for us to operate smoothly, get in and out of the huddle, to know all the checks, to know all the changes that we\u2019re making at the line of scrimmage, get the ball snapped to play clean football \u2026 the plays will come.\u201d<\/p>\n
One of the most hyped individuals in franchise history got back on the grass on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Travis Hunter, the two-way phenom drafted second overall last year, wore a teal (offensive) jersey that would be covered by a white (defensive) pinnie at various points throughout practice.<\/p>\n
According to ESPN\u2019s Michael DiRocco<\/a>, No. 12 played 12 total snaps during 11-on-11 team drills: eight on defense, four on offense. The plan has not changed. Hunter will focus on being a starting cornerback while continuing to cross-train on offense.<\/p>\n \u201cI got to give a lot of credit to Shane Waldron, Jay Kaiser, and Chris Bach, our sports science [director]. Those guys put in countless hours and time, really looking at the reps, where he needs to be now, right? How do we balance his reps here, knowing that we\u2019re trying to ease him in, but he also at some point needs to get double the amount that a normal player gets \u2026 We\u2019ve been extremely intentional about it. So there\u2019s no hiccups, miscommunication, and everybody\u2019s got confidence knowing exactly where he\u2019s at and what plays he\u2019s in on.\u201d<\/p>\n Hunter had a strong rep against rookie wideout Josh Cameron to force an out-of-bounds pass, then a climb-the-ladder catch that was knocked out of his hands as he was going to the ground. The fireworks haven\u2019t quite started but the flashes are certainly there. It doesn\u2019t really look like Hunter is recovering from an injury.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s definitely got some of those freaky traits,\u201d Coen said. \u201cHe made a comment to me on the grass the other day that he feels, when he\u2019s running, he feels lighter. So, you put on 10 pounds of muscle, he feels lighter. I mean, that\u2019s a good thing, right? So, I feel like he\u2019s confident in himself, in his physicality right now. I think he\u2019s going to go into the season feeling more confident in what he\u2019s been able to put on his body, for armor purposes and physicality. And, you know, he\u2019s got to get in football shape, that\u2019s for sure. But it\u2019s exciting to see.\u201d<\/p>\n