Riding an explosive offensive surge under Liam Coen, Jacksonville looks to sustain its elite form. However, a wide-open backfield battle must replace star power to meet soaring expectations.
FOX Sports' Ralph Vacchiano arranged all 32 NFL teams into tiers on Wednesday and labeled the Jacksonville Jaguars as "playoff locks," after going 13-4 last season.
Vacchiano's "playoff locks" tier includes these teams: the Houston Texans, Cincinnati Bengals, Chicago Bears and the Jaguars. He highlighted Jacksonville's strong finish to the year and coach Liam Coen's offensive brilliance.
Coen and offensive coordinator Grant Udinski guided the team to score 36.6 points per game during their eight-game winning streak. In his rookie year as a head coach, Coen has earned high praise from former Baltimore Ravens linebacker Kyle Van Noy.
"I think he's an awesome coordinator," Van Noy said on the "Up and Adams Show" on May 5. "I think he's only going to be more and more successful as he gets comfortable in his head coaching role as well as calling the plays. He does a phenomenal job."
While the second-year coach's offensive mind helped turn around the Jaguars offense, they lost their best running back, Travis Etienne Jr. He signed a four-year, $52 million contract with the New Orleans Saints in the offseason.
Jacksonville lost a consistent 1,000-yard rusher, and that is one concern Vacchiano has with the team. He highlighted that it'll take a committee to replace Etienne Jr.'s production, and it's the approach the Jaguars are taking.
Bhayshul Tuten and LeQuint Allen Jr. are the returning running backs, while Chris Rodriguez Jr. and Ameer Abdullah are free agent additions. Coen said the room is wide open, confirming the starting position is up for grabs.
"Bringing Chris in, um, you know, only continues to provide those opportunities for those guys," Coen told reporters on May 26. "I've really liked how Tuten's run it this spring so far and the way he looks as opposed to last year."
There are some signs Tuten could win the starting position come Week 1. Coen has said he'd lean more into his strengths, and the former Virginia Tech Hokie is the projected starter in Bleacher Report's starting lineup projections from last month.
Although Tuten could win the starting position, it is not final. Coen is using the preseason to evaluate the running backs.
"I think some of those guys will play in preseason games and be able to provide some of that opportunity because it's so hard to evaluate a running back until you're playing tackle football," Coen said.
Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence said the team ran the ball well at the start of last season. The passing game lagged, but caught up during their eight-game winning streak.
Losing Etienne Jr. is a blow to the productivity of the running back room, but Jacksonville is aiming to mitigate that loss with multiple running backs. Coen and Udinski's offense should get many of the running backs involved in various ways.
The Jaguars recorded their second-best season in franchise history, and if they carry over that same performance, they'll be the playoff locks Vacchiano predicts them to be.
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