Cole Van Lanen is nearing a return for the Jacksonville Jaguars after recovering from a knee injury sustained in Week 18 of the 2025 regular season. The offensive lineman missed the Jaguars’ AFC Wild Card playoff loss to the Buffalo Bills on January 11 because of the injury. He began 2026 training camp on the Physically Unable to Perform list before Jacksonville activated him Aug. 20.
Van Lanen returned to individual drills in practice ahead of the Jacksonville Jaguars’ Week 1 game against the Cleveland Browns on Sept. 13 at EverBank Stadium. The return marked another step in his recovery as the 2026 regular season approached. “It just feels really good to put myself in a spot to be back, be with the guys again, feel the game again, be in the huddle again,” Van Lanen said.
Jacksonville Jaguars Head Coach Liam Coen said Van Lanen has looked good in practice and has shown confidence. Coen also said Van Lanen felt good after doing one-on-one work against defensive players during the Jaguars’ preseason game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. “I know Cole’s looked good – I know he has looked really good,” Coen said.
Cole Van Lanen expected to return at right tackle
Van Lanen finished the previous season as the starting left tackle after starting at five different line positions during the season. He is expected to start at right tackle when he returns to the starting lineup. For now, Van Lanen said his focus is on getting back to feeling right and ready to play at his standard of football.
“I’ve missed a lot of football the past year, this 2026, and just taking all these reps extremely seriously,” Van Lanen said. “I really have to work on my craft, and there is only going to be so many reps before we’re back in the games.” He added that he is studying his play and working to be better than he was before.
Van Lanen said the rehabilitation process has centered on reaching smaller goals and collecting small wins. He credited the Jacksonville Jaguars’ training and support staff, which he described as “amazing,” with helping him progress. “You can’t attain your large goals without hitting the small ones,” Van Lanen said.
Van Lanen was acquired by the Jacksonville Jaguars in an August 2022 trade with the Green Bay Packers. He said returning to practice and being back with his teammates has been meaningful after spending so much time away from the team. “A lot of this stuff, you’re on your own,” Van Lanen said. “You have your own schedule. You have your own process. It’s been great [to be back with teammates]. When you’re away from it for so long, you’re just so excited to be back and it has been really, really fun.”
Source: Original report