The Jacksonville Jaguars will open the 2026 regular season against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday at 1 p.m. at EverBank Stadium, with head coach Liam Coen emphasizing the importance of starting quickly.
“You want to start fast,” Coen said Wednesday.
Jacksonville Jaguars Enter With More Continuity
Coen is entering his second season as the Jacksonville Jaguars’ head coach after leading the team to a 13-4 record and the AFC South championship in 2025. The Jaguars won nine of their final 10 games last season and defeated five playoff teams, ranking second in the NFL in such victories.
Coen said the Jaguars are more settled in their operation than they were at this point last season. He pointed to the weekly schedule, rhythm, routine, game management and familiarity with the people the team hired as areas where the Jaguars have greater continuity.
“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.”
Week 1 Brings Unknowns
The Cleveland Browns finished 5-12 in 2025 and enter Sunday’s opener with changes on their coaching staff. Todd Monken is entering his first season as the Cleveland Browns’ head coach after spending the previous three seasons as the Baltimore Ravens’ offensive coordinator.
Mike Rutenberg is the Cleveland Browns’ first-time defensive coordinator, replacing Jim Schwartz. Coen said the Jaguars and Browns could have wrinkles that were not previously on tape, leaving the teams with some uncertainty entering Week 1.
“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.”
Coen said the Jaguars’ established play style must show up in the opener because it gives the team its best chance to win.
“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.”
Right Tackle Decision Remains Open
Cole Van Lanen described his status as day by day, and Coen said Van Lanen is expected to be a game-time decision Sunday. Van Lanen is projected to start at right tackle when healthy after missing the offseason and much of training camp following a season-ending knee injury in Week 18 last season.
Van Lanen was listed as limited on the first official injury report of the week. He described his return to practice as a gradual process.
“It’s been really good – slowly but surely adding reps,” Van Lanen said. “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.”
Walker Little will start at right tackle Sunday if Van Lanen does not play. Little has started 39 games at various positions for the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Wide receiver Jakobi Meyers was listed as limited with a thumb injury and said Wednesday that he will play Sunday. Running back LeQuint Allen Jr. was listed as not practicing with a hip injury.
Source: Original report