Jacksonville

Jaguars

“He does not tire,” Gladstone said of Hunter during a radio interview. “He’s got a spark, he’s got the energy, the capacity from a physical standpoint to be able to be able to do it is certainly there.” Hunter has so far practiced primarily with the Jacksonville offense since the team used the second overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft on the dynamic wideout and cornerback. Gladstone conceded that “certain game plans might dictate usage differently” for Hunter in 2025. ESPN’s Cameron Wolfe said in May that Hunter is “going to major on offense, at wide receiver first,” and that the Jaguars “hope that he can eventually double major” in both wide receiver and cornerback. It would be surprising if Hunter was not an every-down receiver this season.

Shipley adds that “all four (running backs) get some run at some point,” but believes Etienne will have a chance to hold on to his new role under the new regime. Etienne is coming off a second-straight season in which he averaged less than 4.0 YPC and less than 5.0 yards per touch. The former first-round pick has struggled to match the success he enjoyed in 2022, and lost work to Tank Bigsby during parts of last season. The addition of speedster Bhayshul Tuten in the fourth round of this year’s draft immediately led to speculation that Etienne’s time as the Jaguars’ lead back could be coming to an end. While that still may be the case, it sounds as if he’ll have every chance to prove he’s deserving of the top role to open the season in Week 1 against the Panthers. Bigsby and Tuten still make for interesting late-round values given Etienne’s recent track history, but they shouldn’t be viewed as anything more than high-end handcuffs at this time.

Thomas reportedly went down with an injury earlier in the week and was held off the field the rest of the practice for precautionary reasons. June fantasy drafters can continue drafting Thomas as a high-upside WR1.

“We threw a lot of balls last week. (Trevor) feels good. He said it wasn’t really an issue,” added Coen, who is entering his first season as Jaguars head coach. Lawrence is looking to bounce back from a tough 2024, where he dealt with multiple injuries, including a concussion in Week 13, which led him being placed on injured reserve. Lawrence had season-ending surgery on his non-throwing shoulder in December. Prior to the 2024 season, Lawrence signed a five-year, $275 million contract extension. He’ll have a dynamic wideout duo this season in Brian Thomas, Jr. and first-round pick Travis Hunter.

The seven-year veteran, who turns 30 next month, is coming off a strong year. In 2024, Cooke earned his first Pro Bowl selection after setting a career high in net punting average (44.8), which ranked second highest in the NFL. Cooke also pinned 34 of his 68 punts (50 percent) inside the 20, which tied for fourth most in the NFL. Cooke has spent his entire career with the Jaguars, who drafted him in the seventh round in 2018.

Brown had previously been mentioned in the same breath as incumbent receiver Parker Washington, but here, Oehser lists Brown among the Jaguars’ top receivers along with Brian Thomas Jr. and Travis Hunter. Oehser describes all three as being fast and fluid while noting “Brown in particular continues to show easy speed.” Technically, stretching the field while Thomas and Hunter rack up targets could qualify as playing a huge role in the offense for Brown, so June drafters should take a measured approach in responding to Oehser’s commentary. Still, if he’s able to lock up the No. 3 wideout role on a fantasy-friendly aerial attack, Brown should be on late-round radars.

In April, Coen made clear that improving Lawrence’s footwork was his first order of business. Now two months removed from those comments, Coen is promisingly praising Lawrence’s progress in this regard while highlighting the critical role footwork plays in progressing through reads and maintaining the play design’s timing. Coen’s methods helped Baker Mayfield complete the second-most first-read passes (225) of the 2024 regular season while serving as the Buccaneers’ offensive coordinator. Coen adds that while his focus has largely been on Lawrence’s footwork, he is also pleased with how well Lawrence is “running the show.”

A former UDFA, Gardeck spent the first seven years of his NFL tenure in Arizona, working his way up from a special teams role as a rookie to pass-rush specialist duties later in his career. He broke out with seven sacks in 2020 and reached six sacks in 2023. Primed for a 2024 breakout, Gardeck notched three sacks before tearing his ACL in Week 7. Assuming his recovery goes well, Gardeck projects for a part-time role on the Jags defense to open the year.

In May, it was reported by ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler that “multiple people in the league” believed the Jaguars were “not so high” on Etienne. Their decision to select running back Bayshul Tuten in the fourth round of April’s draft certainly lends some credence to that thought, but according to Coen, Etienne has done “everything we’ve asked him to do” while dismissing any ideas of a split between the two sides. Etienne had his worst season as a pro in 2025, rushing for 150-558-2 in 15 games while catching another 39 passes for 254 yards and no touchdowns. The addition of Tuten certainly makes for an interesting development to watch as we draw closer to training camp, and could put Etienne on a short leash with the new regime if he’s viewed as the lesser of the three backs between himself, Bigsby, and Tuten. While the team may not be looking to move on from him, it’s safe to assume he’s far from a lock to be a 200-plus touch back in 2025.