JACKSONVILLE – Senior writer John Oehser, senior correspondent Brian Sexton, team reporter Kainani Stevens and correspondent John Shipley offer quick thoughts on the Jaguars as they prepare to play the Cleveland Browns at EverBank Stadium Sunday

Oehser …

1. Reasons to believe. Two areas of offseason focus for the Jaguars – the secondary and the running game – will help determine how this team will look early in the season. The Jaguars were one of the league's best offenses late last season, but the goal entering the 2026 regular season is to run more consistently. The belief is that the addition of running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. and the development of Bhayshul Tuten will more than counter the offseason loss of 2025 leading rusher Travis Etienne Jr. If so, this offense can be as efficient this season as it was explosive last season. The secondary was strong at times last season, but also allowed big plays in big situations – particularly in an AFC Wild Card Playoff loss to the Buffalo Bills. Safety Antonio Johnson has developed into one of the NFL's better players at his position, and cornerback Travis Hunter figures to make the Jaguars' coverage significantly "stickier." If these two areas are as improved as the team expects, this team could quickly be one of the NFL's best.
2. Beware the Week 1 "thing." The Jaguars are considered favorites Sunday – and that's understandable considering their status as 2025 AFC South champions and the Browns having a first-year head coach with a 5-12 record last season. But Week 1 is perhaps the most consistently unpredictable week of the NFL. This is the case because teams have yet to put multiple games of tendencies on video, which is one reason Jaguars Head Coach Liam Coen spoke this week of this game being more about the Jaguars than the Browns. It's also why teams approach Week 1 with a bit more caution and trepidation than usual. That's the effect of the unknown and not being able to prepare in quite as much detail as usual. Winning always is paramount in the NFL and style points never matter. That's particularly true in Week 1. Just win. Period.

Sexton…

1. Defend DeShaun. Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson isn't the same guy he was with the Houston Texans when the Jaguars had no answers for his strong arm or shifty feet, with an Achilles injury slowing what once seemed a limitless career. But he doesn't have to put up big numbers to win – as he proved in September of 2024 in an 18-13 Browns victory over the Jaguars in Jacksonville. He passed for 186 yards with no touchdowns and ran for just 20 yards that day, but what mattered was how he kept drives alive. He has just had a knack for extending drives with quick passes or short runs, and he leaned heavily on those sorts of plays and an excellent Browns defense that day. He isn't likely to put up heroic numbers Sunday, but he doesn't have to. The Jaguars must get him on the ground.
2. Ground and pound. The Jaguars' run game disappeared late in 2025 and they still kept winning. That speaks to how good quarterback Trevor Lawrence and the passing game played, but it also leaves you wondering how good the offense can be if it can re-ignite the running game. I fully expect the Jaguars to want to impose their will on a very good Browns defense. Restarting the running game is about owning a physical mindset and that was a big part of what the Jaguars wanted to accomplish in August. The actual yards aren't the bottom line; it's what they do on first down to get ahead of the chains and open the playbook. They were not afraid to let Etienne leave in free agency because they believe in what Tuten and Rodriguez can create with what they believe is an improved offensive line.

Shipley…

1. A matchup for the Jaguars to target: The Jaguars will face a physical defense built from the inside out Sunday. While there are still questions about the exact style of defense that first-year coordinator Mike Rutenberg will deploy, it is clear the Browns will lean on their strong cornerback duo of Denzel Ward and Tyson Campbell. "Every week when you play good defensive backs in this league, that's a battle," Lawrence said Wednesday. "A lot of respect for those guys. Those guys are good players. We got good players too. They know that we're going to throw at them, that we're going to get opportunities to go at them and we got to make them count." While the Jaguars will still take shots outside, this could mean a big week for wide receiver Parker Washington in the slot when the Jaguars have three receivers on the field.
2. Slowing down Jared Verse. While the Browns no longer have All-World defensive end Myles Garrett, they do have one of the league's top pass-rushers in his place with third-year defensive end Jared Verse. The former Los Angeles Rams' first-round pick recorded a sack and two quarterback hits against the Jaguars in Week 7 in London last season, and there will surely be a big focus on finding a way to slow him down come kickoff.  "He's got a relentless motor," Coen said Wednesday. "He's wiry in his physicality. He's strong, he's rocked up and he can run down your face. He's rangy, wiry, he's slippery in ways. He's crafty. He understands the game of football."

​Stevens…

1. Time to get the ball snapped. Eight months after a disappointing playoff loss to the Bills, the Jaguars will return to EverBank Stadium to play a regular-season football game. Coen during his Wednesday press conference said even he feels torn between wanting to focus on detailed work at practice while also wishing he could fast forward to Sunday. Coen may lack a time machine, but he does benefit from the Jags returning the bulk of last year's roster and both coordinators – Grant Udinski on offense and Anthony Campanile on defense – returning as well. Week 1 in the NFL can be wacky, but I expect Coen will have the Jaguars ready.
2. Familiar faces in different places. The Jaguars' starting offensive line Sunday won't feature many different players compared to last season's Week 1 lineup, but only center Robert Hainsey will be in the same position. Anton Harrison moved from right tackle to left tackle during training camp and so far, it has been a seamless transition. Ezra Cleveland had an outstanding training camp after moving from left guard to right guard. The starting right tackle on Sunday will be either Cole Van Lanen or Walker Little, who have each played multiple positions on the line throughout their careers. The only new starter: Rookie guard Emmanuel Pregnon, a physical and talented "people mover" who brings tenacity to the left side of the offensive line. The group must protect Lawrence but also establish the run game against an attacking Cleveland defense. While I expect bumps in the road, I think the familiarity within the group will greatly benefit them Sunday.