Even with their blockbuster trade for Travis Hunter during the 2025 NFL Draft, the Jacksonville Jaguars have made more significant subtractions than additions during the first offseason of the Liam Coen era.
The Jaguars cut ties with Christian Kirk (trade), Evan Engram (release) and Gabe Davis (release), a trio that combined for over 600 targets over the past three seasons (including Davis’ lone year in 2024). While Jacksonville has a sure-fire No. 1 option in second-year superstar Brian Thomas Jr., the jury is still out on how the Jaguars’ young group of pass catchers will fare in Year 1 of Coen’s system.
Despite their offensive overhaul, the Jaguars got plenty of love from the analysts at Pro Football Focus in a recent ranking of the NFL’s top receiving corps entering training camp. Jacksonville was one of the more surprising teams in the rankings, cracking the top 16 overall.
“This might seem high for Jacksonville, but it’s a bet on Brian Thomas Jr. and Travis Hunter in a similar way to how one could view the Bengals with Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins,” PFF’s Trevor Sikkema wrote. “Thomas’ 83.4 PFF receiving grade as a rookie was a top-20 mark in the NFL, and his 1,282 receiving yards were the third most — behind only Justin Jefferson and Chase. Hunter likely won’t rack up as much yardage, but he could very well become an elite receiver for Trevor Lawrence after posting 85.8, 79.0 and 89.0 PFF receiving grades in his three college seasons. The Jaguars don’t have much depth at receiver or tight end, but Travis Etienne has been fine as a receiver in his three seasons.”
This is certainly high praise, as the Jaguars notably topped teams like the division rival Indianapolis Colts, Buffalo Bills and Green Bay Packers in these rankings. That may be a tad too aggressive, as the Jags will need a reliable third option to emerge among new TE1 Brenton Strange and receivers Dyami Brown and Parker Washington.
With that said, Thomas Jr. could be poised to take the NFL by storm, and Hunter’s talents in the screen game could be a nightmare for opposing defenses in Coen’s scheme. There’s still a lot of unknowns here, and the quarterback play from Trevor Lawrence will obviously need to improve, but the hype around Duval County is very real entering 2025.
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