JACKSONVILLE – The Jaguars on Friday practiced at the Miller Electric Center.
The Jaguars will play the Cincinnati Bengals in a 2025 Week 2 game at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio, Sunday. Here's a look at Friday around the Jaguars – with Head Coach Liam Coen speaking to the media for the last time before Sunday:
Coen liked the Jaguars' physicality in Week 1. The task now?
Maintain that physicality in Week 2.
"It's definitely an expectation," Coen said.
The Jaguars rushed for 200 yards on 32 carries in a Week 1 victory last Sunday, holding the Carolina Panthers to 255 yards rushing while forcing three turnovers. Coen has emphasized the running game and physical play since taking over as head coach in January.
"It's something we've preached and talked about pretty relentlessly," Coen said. "You're hoping that's becoming part of your DNA and part of your identity. In the NFL, with the amount of games these guys play, it's definitely challenging to go out and do it week in and week out."
Running back Travis Etienne Jr. remains a major storyline around the Jaguars, with the fifth-year veteran rushing for 143 yards on 16 carries against the Panthers.
The Jaguars on Tuesday traded third-year running back Tank Bigsby to the Philadelphia Eagles, a move that left Etienne, rookies Bhayshul Tuten and LeQuint Allen Jr. and veteran Cody Schrader as the four running backs on the roster.
Coen said while trading Bigsby "no question" was difficult, Etienne's fit in Coen's offensive system "absolutely" made the move possible.
"It was a luxury to have," Coen said of Bigsby, adding that Etienne "set a high standard in Week 1."
"I've just been pleased with the way he has gone about it and he obviously proved it on Sunday," Coen said of Etienne, who rushed for 558 yards and two touchdowns in 2024 after 1,000-yard rushing seasons in 2022 and 2023. "After I got the job, I went back to '22, '23 – a lot of '22, '23. You saw a guy get involved in space and make people miss and hit the holes hard. Sometimes timing and circumstances happen. The way that he was portrayed coming off of a tough year, coming into a new setting .. everybody's got a fresh op here. He took advantage of it. It took some time early on in terms of understanding the demands and the standards.
"Once he really got on the same page, it's been doing this [upwards motion]. I've really appreciated his preparation of the system, his knowledge and the way that obviously he played on Sunday."
Coen on Friday also discussed the desire for balance versus the reality of adapting when balance is unattainable.
"Some games, the pass game is going to have to come really alive for us to go win," he said. "There are some games where the run game carries you. There are some games that the pass game carries you. You want balance. We all want balance. To say that you're going to execute perfect balance each week is why the defensive guys get paid.
"That's where the balance comes in. Once we get good at both, if they're stopping one, you get to deploy the other and still have success. You want to sit there and say, 'Yes, we rushed for 200 yards and we threw for 225 a game.' That's the ideal, that's the goal but some games may change the past of the group that gets deployed more just based on how we're doing and how the defense is doing."
The Jaguars on Friday released their third and final injury report of the week, with rookie reserve offensive lineman Wyatt Milum ruled out for a second consecutive game with a knee injury.
Veteran reserve offensive lineman Cole Van Lanen was listed with no status on the injury report Friday after missing Week 1 with a shoulder injury. Starting linebacker Foyesade Oluokun was listed with no status after missing Thursday with an illness and starting right tackle Anton Harrison was listed with no status after leaving the regular-season opener with a back injury.
Cornerback Montaric Brown was listed as doubtful after missing Week 1 with an ankle injury that kept him out since early in training camp.
