JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Jacksonville Jaguars' group of offensive playmakers has a markedly different look from the past three seasons after two weeks of free agency.
Receiver Christian Kirk and tight end Evan Engram -- the team's top two pass-catchers -- are gone. There's a new receiver in Dyami Brown, two new tight ends in Johnny Mundt and Hunter Long, and more significant roles ahead for tight end Brenton Strange and receiver Parker Washington.
That's a lot of change -- along with a new head coach, playcaller, and offensive system -- for quarterback Trevor Lawrence. With the NFL draft next month, there's still more change on the horizon. It's safe to say that the 2025 season will largely depend on how quickly and efficiently Lawrence can adjust to his new surroundings.
"How do we make Trevor Lawrence and this offense as dynamic and explosive as we can be?" head coach Liam Coen said at his introductory news conference. "We've got to build it around him as well. We've got to make every part of this about improvement, and he will be part of that process."
Lawrence's biggest adjustment will be not having Kirk and Engram, two of his most trusted pass-catchers since 2022. It's a huge loss because Lawrence was a better quarterback when throwing to those two than anyone else.
According to ESPN Research, when targeting Kirk and Engram since 2022, Lawrence completed 70.2% of his passes, had 21 touchdown passes, 10 interceptions, an off-target percentage of 14.3%, and got rid of the ball in 2.42 seconds. When targeting any other player on the field: 61.9% completions, 36 touchdown passes to 19 interceptions, an off-target percentage of 17.2%, and got rid of the ball in 2.67 seconds.
Lawrence got the ball out quicker and averaged more than a yard more per attempt (7.8 to 6.7) when throwing to Kirk and Engram, a clear sign that he was comfortable when throwing to those two.
With Kirk traded to Houston and Engram cut in moves that saved the team $16.4 million in salary cap space in 2025 -- receiver Brian Thomas Jr. is set to become the focal point of the pass game. Coen said at the NFL combine last month that the offense will run through the second-year player, who finished third in the NFL with 1,282 receiving yards and set franchise rookie records in receiving yards and catches (87) and tied the rookie record with 10 TD catches.
"He's so dynamic," Coen said. "Being able to move him around, where you saw him at LSU, maybe not do some of those things, right? Where he was mostly outside, running more linear routes, vertical posts, some overs and then the stop. So, the ability for him to snap down, get in the slot, be able to run some of the choice routes, looky routes, and then, oh, by the way, you can throw him a screen and he can go do something with it.
"Our pass game will run through him, and [I'm] super excited to get to work with him."
Right now, Gabe Davis projects to be the WR2 behind Thomas. Davis had a disappointing first season in Jacksonville (20 catches for 239 yards) before a knee injury cost him the final seven games of the season. Brown, who signed a one-year, $10 million contract in free agency, is someone the Jaguars expect to figure prominently in the offense in 2025 as well.
"I think it's easy to look at Dyami's career path and trajectory and know that he's ascending, right?" GM James Gladstone said of Brown, who had 30 of his 59 career catches with Washington last season. "The way that he closed out last season was nothing short of impressive ...
"What he provides just on a vertical plane and in run-after-catch scenarios is something that is extremely exciting, extremely alluring for our offensive staff and I think that he'll be able to take another step to expand his game."
Gladstone also hinted that Strange is in line for a much bigger role in his third year. The tight end had 29 of his 40 receptions in 2024 in the eight games in which Engram missed with hamstring and shoulder injuries.
"Really excited about his ascension in year two and I think he'll have a part in the offense moving forward in a way that we haven't seen yet," Gladstone said.
Adjusting to new pass catchers isn't unusual for quarterbacks, but in Lawrence's case it's compounded by having to learn his third offensive system since he entered the NFL in 2021. However, the Jaguars have significant help in place for him.
Coen's offense is similar to Sean McVay's offense, which makes sense because Coen spent four seasons working under McVay with the Los Angeles Rams. Offensive coordinator Grant Udinski spent the past three seasons working in Minnesota under head coach Kevin O'Connell -- who spent two seasons as McVay's offensive coordinator in Los Angeles and runs a similar system.
Passing game coordinator Shane Waldron also spent four seasons with McVay in Los Angeles. Quarterback Nick Mullens, whom the Jaguars signed to a two-year contract this month, spent the past three seasons with the Vikings under O'Connell. Center Robert Hainsey, whom the Jaguars signed to a three-year contract this month, played the last four seasons in Tampa Bay and Coen was his offensive coordinator in 2024.
Gladstone said Hainsey will be a massive help to Lawrence early in the process because he'll be able to help with line calls and blocking adjustments as Lawrence grows more comfortable in the system.
There are plenty of tutors for Lawrence, which can hopefully speed up the process and allow him to start playing at a higher level -- something he's only done in spurts thus far in his career.
"I don't think we've seen the best of Trevor," Gladstone said. "I'm really excited for Liam to get a chance to work with him, support him and really bring the tools that he has in his arsenal to life."