It is the dawn of a new day for the Jacksonville Jaguars franchise. Changing head coaches typically marks a humongous change for any organization. But the Jaguars went a step ahead in a wildly exciting offseason. After installing Liam Coen as the new head coach, they also saw a change in the general manager position, in the form of James Gladstone, who immediately orchestrated a draft day trade to bring in two-way superstar Travis Hunter.
However, even with their new star on the roster, the fan base did not get a full glimpse of what the new starting unit would look like. Most of the starters did not take part in Week 1 of the preseason, except for rookies. Heading into Week 2 against the New Orleans Saints, though, is there going to be a change in Coen’s plan for his roster? Or do fans in Duval have to wait a little longer?
Will Travis Hunter and Key Jaguars Starters Play Against the Saints?
The Jaguars had a solid outing in Week 1 of the preseason against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Even though they fell 31-25, there were a lot of positives to take away for the group, particularly the play of Hunter, who did get some playing time on both sides of the football.
In Week 2, though, the story is entirely different. Even after Friday’s joint practice against New Orleans, their first-time head coach was undecided on his plan for the starters. Some of it was based on an accurate injury report, and making sure his players would have the right protection.
Ultimately, though, he chose to go ahead with the starting unit, getting playing time in Week 2 of the preseason. As Paul Bretl of the Jaguars Wire reported, Coen was viewing it exclusively as preparation for the eventual regular season.
After a particularly sloppy practice session, which resulted in Hunter getting injured, Trevor Lawrence’s mindset for the game against New Orleans was clear. “It’s just another opportunity for us to get better. You gotta take it for what it is and learn from it and watch the tape.”
What he said next is the ideal response you want from your franchise quarterback. “You can’t be doom-and-gloom come game time because you had a rough practice. You have to be able to bounce back. We do have to clean the stuff up. Some of the stuff showed up all camp, so we gotta be deliberate in what we do to change it.”
Against the Saints, the team will have the perfect chance to change its approach and find the synergy that can make it a playoff team instantaneously. “You gotta do something different in order to get different results.”
The only starter whose status is in jeopardy is their superstar offseason acquisition, Hunter. Thanks to the injury, it seems likely that Jacksonville will not want to risk making the situation worse in a preseason game. But an official decision has yet to be made.