Washburn: Jaguars Embracing Underdog Mentality Heading Into Preseason

Despite a stellar 13-4 season and an AFC South crown, the Jacksonville Jaguars are not being talked about as one of the top contenders heading into next season. For head coach Liam Coen and leaders within the locker room, they have embraced the lack of coverage and attention. On Monday, ahead of Jacksonville's first joint practices with the New Orleans Saints, CBS Sports reporter Evan Washburn talked about the team's mentality. "They're taking an underdog mentality into this season even though they're the reigning champs in the AFC South. It's just how they roll here in Duval," Washburn said. "They feel like they've got a chip on their shoulder and nobody really believes in them." Last season was a stark turnaround from the year prior, as Coen flipped Jacksonville's record on its head, winning the same amount of games that the team lost before he arrived in Duval. Starting quarterback Trevor Lawrence had not been trending in the right direction and the defense ranked No. 31 in total defense, last in pass defense, and forced a league-low nine turnovers. In 2025, Lawrence posted perhaps the best season from a quarterback in franchise history, with the defense ranking second in takeaways with 31. Entering this year, Coen has talked about his quarterback just scratching the surface of what he can become, while embracing the lack of media coverage. "This is the best part about coaching the Jacksonville Jaguars," Coen said on August 1. "You don't have to make up the fire. Its given to us everyday. I look at the NFL website, and see if there's anything on the Jacksonville Jaguars. I think I'll see 40 pictures of Caleb Williams. And nothing on any of our players! It's beautiful." Coen went on to say that he doesn't have to provide much additional motivation to his players because the lack of attention from media and various predictions do that for him. For Lawrence, who finished top-five in MVP voting last season, he has a real opportunity to enter bonafide top-10 quarterback in the league discussions going forward. In the final six games of the regular season, Lawrence threw for 15 touchdowns and just one interception while leading his team into the playoffs on an eight-game win streak. Lawrence also showed real dual-threat ability with his legs, rushing for a career-high 359 yards and shattering his previous rushing touchdown mark of five with nine last season. This part of his game going forward will be crucial as the team moves into the post-Travis Etienne era, balancing the workload between Bhayshul Tuten and Chris Rodriguez Jr. But, the collective comments from the team as a whole have been focused on growth, rather than complacency, which should apply to the new-look running game as well. With increased motivation to prove doubters wrong and most key pieces from last year's success growing and gaining experience, the Jaguars are positioned to once again threaten for the AFC's No. 1 seed.