JACKSONVILLE – This week is equal parts opportunity and unknowns.
That's the nature of NFL Week 1, and Head Coach Liam Coen spoke about both on Wednesday as the Jaguars prepared for the 2026 regular-season opener. Week 1 is weird in the NFL, with a clear and urgent flair.
"You want to start fast," he said.
Coen, entering his second season as the Jaguars' head coach, spoke Wednesday about facing fewer unknowns than this time a year ago. He spoke, too, of the gray areas facing the Jaguars (13-4, AFC South Champions in 2025) as they prepare to play the Cleveland Browns (5-12) at EverBank Stadium Sunday at 1 p.m.
"You're settled a little bit more in terms of the operation, the weekly schedule, the rhythm, the routine, the game management aspect of it, and trusting and knowing the guys that you've hired," Coen said on Wednesday.
That operation worked last season, with the Jaguars winning nine of their final 10 games to win the AFC South for the first time since 2022. They defeated five playoff teams, ranking second in the NFL in such victories.
"I do think that you have a routine in place that we feel has worked," Coen said. "That's where I feel a little bit more settled, I would say, in terms of just trusting our process that we do feel like it works. Our process works.
"The result, obviously, we have to see a new 2026 Jacksonville Jaguars team; those results, I'm unsure of."
Among the unknowns Sunday: A Browns team that turned over much of its roster and coaching staff in the offseason, with former Jaguars assistant Todd Monken entering his first season as head coach.
Monken, who spent the last three seasons as the offensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens, hired first-time defensive coordinator Mike Rutenberg to replace Jim Schwartz. That means there is limited video tape on what the Browns do defensively.
"You're always a little bit … I don't want to say at a disadvantage because we're all very even in terms of going into Week One," Coen said. "We could have wrinkles obviously that they're not aware of that we didn't put on tape last year. But we're kind of going in a little bit more blind than maybe they are."
There is no shortage of tape on the Jaguars offensively or defensively, with Sunday against the Browns serving as an important first test for Coen and the Jaguars after an offseason spent developing and refining what they do best.
"You always want to start off fast," Coen said. "You want to win for momentum purposes, whatever the next steps are. There's enough on these guys as it is. There's enough anxiety for Week One in general. It's wild to say that we're here. It's here, it's now, we want to try to stay in the moment, but it's important to have a fast start and to set the tone of kind of how you want these guys to play.
"You hope that your play style does show up in Week One because that gives you the best chance to win, is when we play the way that we have proven to be able to do so at times."
NOTABLE
- Cole Van Lanen on Wednesday called his status "day by day," with Coen saying he expected Van Lanen will be a game-time decision Sunday. "You want to be able to get him some work, get him some reps, get him feeling confident in a game-like setting," Coen said. "I've really liked his mindset. I've liked the way he's attacked, putting himself in maybe precarious positions and owning it. Like, 'Ah, man, I wasn't great when that happened,' or, 'Man, I felt really good when I got stuck and I was sideways.' He has been very intentional about that and has been fearless with putting himself in some of the positions that he has throughout the course of practice. I've really appreciated that. We'll see what it looks like on Sunday." Van Lanen, projected to start at right tackle this season when healthy, missed the offseason and spent much of training camp on the Physically Unable to Perform list after he sustained a season-ending knee injury in Week 18 last season. "It's been really good – slowly but surely adding reps," Van Lanen said Wednesday. "Things have been going smooth. Everything's just: A little more load, see how it feels, a little more load. Things have been going good. We just have to continue to put more load and see how it goes." Sixth-year veteran Walker Little, who has started 39 games at various positions for the Jaguars, will start at right tackle Sunday if Van Lanen does not.
NOTABLE II
- Van Lanen was listed as limited on Wednesday's first official injury report of the week, with wide receiver Jakobi Meyers (thumb) also listed as limited and running back LeQuint Allen Jr. (hip) listed as not practicing. Meyers on Wednesday said he will play Sunday.
