The Jacksonville Jaguars saw massive improvement in 2025, with a 13-4 season and one of the best performances of quarterback Trevor Lawrence’s career. The Jaguars also had the best run defense in the NFL and were among the best at generating takeaways.
Expectations are high entering the 2026 season.
Much of this Year 1 success can be directly attributed to head coach Liam Coen and defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile, both of whom took on struggling units and turned them into powerhouses.
As such, both were included by Zachary Pereles on his list of the top 10 play callers for CBS Sports. Their panel of 12 experts ranked their top 10 choices for offensive play callers and defensive play callers, with each spot assigned a point value.
On offense, Coen ranked No. 7, with Pereles noting that he has quickly climbed the coaching ranks in the NFL. He received 44 overall points, with his highest ranking among experts at No. 4, and No. 10 his lowest.
“It took a bit, but Trevor Lawrence eventually caught fire as the Jaguars finished 13-4, their most wins in a season in the 21st century,” Pereles said of Coen’s 2025 performance on offense.
Lawrence has struggled with a lot of inconsistency and instability throughout his career, having played under three head coaches and multiple offensive schemes. Coen focused on tweaking the fundamentals with Lawrence, and by the time he was comfortable within Coen’s scheme, he took off and never looked back. Lawrence had his first-ever MVP nomination in 2025, and all signs indicate another strong performance from Lawrence in 2026.
For Coen himself, opposing defenders have spoken highly of his play calling, with Baltimore’s Kyle Van Noy specifically singling out Coen as the best play caller he’s seen in the past two years, but argued that he is overlooked because Jacksonville is a smaller market.
“I mean, they were a nightmare,” Van Noy said. “Everyone was like, holy hell. They were a problem, and you get back to the sideline and you’re like, ‘We’re gonna be in a dogfight, because these are crazy.’ And they were just great concepts, great schemes. He was ahead of the curve when it comes to just being detailed. I was really, really impressed with him down in Jacksonville. I think he’s an awesome coordinator. I think he’s only gonna be more and more successful as he gets comfortable in his head coaching role, as well as calling the plays. Like, he does a phenomenal job.”
On the defensive side, Campanile came in at No. 9 with 17 points, with No. 6 as his highest ranking.
“Campanile earned rave reviews — and some head coach interviews — after a defensive coordinator debut season that had the Jaguars 11th in total defense, eighth in scoring defense and second in takeaways,” Pereles said. “Campanile, who has experience coaching both sides of the ball, uses a variety of schemes from week to week.”
Campanile inherited a struggling defense in 2025, after Ryan Nielsen’s disastrous turn as defensive coordinator. The Jaguars’ defense was near the bottom in virtually every category.
That changed when Campanile came on board, and he transformed the defense into a tough, physical unit that was No. 1 in the league against the run, and just outside the top 10 in total defense. The Jacksonville defense was also among the best in the league at forcing takeaways, and ranked ninth in points per game allowed on the year.
Campanile has been so successful in just one season that he’s already considered a top head coach candidate going into 2026. He, along with offensive coordinator Grant Udinski, already garnered interest from several teams for head coaching positions following their success in 2025, but Coen was able to keep both of them in Jacksonville, which allows for more consistency and the ability for both offense and defense to take another step forward in Year 2.
This article originally appeared on Jaguars Wire: CBS Sports ranks Jaguars duo among NFL’s best play-callers
Reporting by Casandra Chesser, Jaguars Wire / Jaguars Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Casandra Chesser, Jaguars Wire | USA TODAY Network
