JACKSONVILLE — The Jaguars’ brain trust is banking on a retooled backfield and a deep tight end room to elevate an offense that was already one of the best in the league last season, according to a panel of nine team analysts who weighed in ahead of the 2026 NFL season.
The consensus: run-game efficiency is the storyline that will define whether Head Coach Liam Coen and offensive coordinator Grant Udinski can push quarterback Trevor Lawrence and the offense to another level. Jaguars.com senior writer John Oehser said the team “were often more explosive running than they were efficient, and the belief within the organization is they can run more effectively in more situations — particularly on early downs — with the addition of running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. as a restricted free agent.”
With running back Travis Etienne Jr. gone in free agency, Jacksonville will distribute carries among Rodriguez, second-year veteran Bhayshul Tuten and LeQuint Allen Jr., along with veteran addition Ameer Abdullah. J.P. Shadrick, a jaguars.com reporter and editor, said “it really feels all about how Tuten and LeQuint Allen Jr. emerge. This offense must run the ball to keep defenses guessing in the passing game.” Frank Frangie, the Radio Voice of the Jaguars, put it more bluntly: the offensive line “must run block better” and “must stay healthy.”
The other dominant thread among the analysts is what rookie tight ends Nate Boerkircher and Tanner Koziol can do alongside fourth-year tight end Brenton Strange in 12 and 13 personnel groupings. Mark Duffner, a former longtime NFL and Jaguars assistant coach now serving as a media analyst, said he was “impressed with the athleticism of Koziol and Boerkircher during the offseason program” and noted that “defenses struggle versus 13 personnel in scheme and alignments.” Jaguars.com senior correspondent Brian Sexton pointed to the Los Angeles Rams taking advantage of Jacksonville in London last season with four tight ends and said that if Coen can create something similar, “imagine how difficult it will be to cover wide receivers Thomas, Jakobi Meyers and Parker Washington — let alone how Strange might create havoc in the middle of the field.”
Action Sports Jax Sports Director Brent Martineau said Udinski “recently said he will change the offense” and that the key question is what heavier personnel packages actually do for Lawrence and the running game. Former Jaguars defensive end and media analyst Austen Lane cautioned against assuming the team will lean exclusively on heavy sets, calling the roster’s real strength its “ability to adapt.”
On the perimeter, Jaguars Media correspondent John Shipley identified third-year receiver Brian Thomas Jr. as a critical storyline, noting Thomas “had a strong offseason in which he made numerous standout plays” and that both Coen and Lawrence praised his work since the 2025 season ended. Shipley said Thomas’ numbers “could look closer to 2024 than 2025” if the chemistry with Lawrence holds into September.
The Jaguars open the 2026 NFL season in September, with training camp expected to provide the first live test of the revamped backfield and expanded tight end packages.