JACKSONVILLE – Let's get to it …

John from Jax

Hi, KOAGF. I hope Jaguars Head Coach Liam Coen doesn't play starters in Friday's game. It avoids the potential injury and the regret afterwards. I doubt if he doesn't play starters that he will be saying "I should have played my starters in Preseason Game 2" in his postgame remarks after playing one or two regular-season games. Also: Although the offensive line injuries don't seem to be long-term, the loss of time during training camp of the starting five working together is going to cause some issues early on during the season. Do you agree on both counts?

A couple of thoughts on your thoughts. One is that Coen on Monday said he likely will play starters against the Carolina Panthers in Preseason Week 2 at EverBank Stadium Friday, thereby dashing your hope and incurring a bit of injury risk. Coen's reasoning for doing this is that the starters/front-line players – particularly along the offensive line – haven't gotten as much quality work/preparation as Coen would like. This is mainly because of injuries. Speaking to the media following practice Monday, Coen spoke of running out of padded practices as the September 13 regular-season opener approaches – and he wants to see better preparation and intensity in the next two weeks. These two weeks are key preparation time, which has meant – as Coen put it Monday – having to "pivot" a bit from his ideal approach of playing starters and front-line players in joint practices rather than preseason games. While I lean toward not playing starters in preseason games because of the injury risk, Coen has a far better feel for what this team needs on that front. If he's willing to play starters in the preseason, he believes that's worth the risk. As for your second point … the preseason offensive line injuries absolutely mean continuity and cohesion could be an issue. That doesn't mean the group can't play well, but it's a legitimate storyline.

Brandon from Yulee

I think preseason is a good reminder that the NFL is made up of some of the best players on the planet and that pro football is really, really hard. Some of those guys struggling hard Saturday were the one percent of the one percent of football players, just not in the top half or so of that cohort. Tangentially, which players do you think exceeded expectations the most against the Saints?

I don't know how much was or wasn't expected of certain Jaguars players. I do know young players such as defensive ends B.J. Green and Brian Thomas Jr.; defensive tackle Albert Regis; wide receivers Trebor Peña, CJ Williams and Josh Cameron; guard Emmanuel Pregnon; cornerback Jabbar Muhammed and running back J'Mari Taylor had significant good moments Saturday. They weren't alone, but they were noticed by this writer.

Yeti Daddy from Somewhere and Yet Nowhere

Mighty O, it is still preseason, right? Doesn't that matter, but the wins don't? Didn't our projected starters sit out? Ok, just checking, because I heard the sky was falling.

Preseason is for evaluation, preparation and staying healthy. Winning is cool and striving to win is important. Whether or not a team actually wins matters a very little bit for a very short time – if it matters at all. The sky is not falling.

HD from Jacksonville

How did the Jags go from rags to riches at the wide receiver position? How many receivers will be left on the roster (including practice squad) Week 1? More importantly. will the Jaguars have to cut Austin Trammell or Peña or Chandler Brayboy after what they have shown in this first preseason game. Peña especially had a huge game Granted, he dropped a touchdown but not much else went wrong for him against the Saints.

The Jaguars began transforming the wide receiver position in 2025 by giving Parker Washington well-earned opportunities, then trading for Jakobi Meyers. They continued transforming it by drafting Williams and Cameron and signing Peña as a collegiate free agent this past offseason. I expect five receivers – Washington, Thomas, Meyers, Williams and Cameron – on the active roster in addition to Travis Hunter and I will be surprised if Peña and Trammel – at least – aren't on the practice squad with the potential to contribute in the regular season if needed.

Johnny B from Howey In The Hills

Dr. O: So much for the draft naysayers. While not the "bling" type "grab the stars" draft that every fan always looks for, I think the Jags did a really good job of selecting very solid players that fit the role and mentality Coach Coen is looking for. The two tight ends looked solid and while not a glamor pick, Regis was really solid on the front defensive line as well as defensive ends Zach Durfee and two very promising wide receivers along with big Pregnon who could become a starter or a solid offensive line rotational player. Look at Washington and cornerback Buster Brown: Both later picks but worked hard to evolve into starting roles. Also, the undrafted free agent class looks really good for a second year in a row adding Taylor and others. Some definite diamonds in the rough are now with the Jags. Gooo Jaggggggssss!!

A lot of young players showed good things Saturday. History tells us that not all players who flash against other young, "flashing" players become what they initially look like they might become. It's fair in that vein to reserve judgment on the 2026 draft/free agent class until they play a regular season game, just as it would be fair to do if all struggled. But there were some good signs in this vein Saturday.

Mark from Davenport

First game, on par with what I expected. Can I assume that the playcalling is about putting players in position to be evaluated? I assume that the coaching staff has a list of things to get done during a preseason game, and that is why they coach and we just armchair quarterback. I don't think that we would see or hear all this noise if we knew what was going on with the dual workouts. Thank you for keeping pre-season real for us.

Playcalling in the preseason often is very much about putting players in situations to be evaluated. How much of the playbook can be used in the preseason often also depends largely on how much the young players know of the playbook – and that knowledge is often far less than more experienced veterans. This makes preseason play-calling trickier than it might seem.

Kaydie from Riverside, Jacksonville, Florida

It struck me that the Jaguars' depth players seemed to have played better than the Saints' depth players. Did you see it that way?

Most of the players playing for both teams throughout Saturday's preseason opener were "depth." The Saints' depth players for the most part outplayed the Jaguars' depth players early. The Jaguars' depth players for the most part outplayed the Saints' depth players late.

JAY from THE BURG FL

The players that took the field Saturday battled for the full 60 minutes. They kept playing and making plays in all three phases and won the game on the final play. And they all want to be Jaguars. That's a pretty good start.

Let's go, Jaguars.

Bradley from Death Valley, CA

I thought you nailed it when you mentioned Lawrence improving dramatically when it came to confidence, field awareness and understanding of the offense. He seemed much better last season when the offensive line got beat, which it did at a rate that would put it in the bottom 25 percent of the NFL. He was also elite at the end of games even during the first half of the season when he was statistically one of worst starters in the NFL. What is the one tangible area and the one intangible area he needs to improve in 2026?

Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence from this view could still start better and be more consistent. He mostly must continue developing the areas where he developed so dramatically last season.

Paul from Jax

KOAF. I understand the benefits the team gets from joint practices where they can get the starters playing time against players in a different uniform. They can focus on specific situations while minimizing the risks inherent in a game environment. This also leads to more time to evaluate rest of the roster in the high intensity of an actual game. With joint practices scheduled for all three of our preseason opponents this year, are we going to get any glimpse of what this team will actually look like before the Browns game?

A glimpse? Certainly. Any view of a practice or preseason game is by definition a glimpse into what a team will be in the regular season. But the difference in a glimpse and the total vision is mammoth in the NFL, and we won't know the total vision for at least another month. Maybe more.