So, you're sitting there in a half-empty stadium or scrolling through Twitter in August, and the Jacksonville Jaguars preseason football score looks… well, kind of ugly. Maybe they just lost by two touchdowns to a bunch of third-stringers from the AFC North. Your gut reaction? Panic. You start thinking the season is over before it even starts.
Stop. Deep breath.
Preseason isn’t about winning games. It’s about not losing the season. If you’ve followed the Jags long enough, you know that a "winning" August usually means absolutely nothing by the time October rolls around.
The Liam Coen Era and the "New Look" August
Ever since Liam Coen took the reins in early 2025, the vibe around Jacksonville’s summer sessions has shifted. It’s less about vanilla playbooks and more about high-speed evaluation. Honestly, Coen’s background—bouncing between the Rams and Kentucky—brought a specific "pro-style" urgency to training camp that we haven't seen in Duval for a while.
Last year, the Jags went 0-2-1 in the preseason. They lost to Pittsburgh, tied the Saints, and fell to the Dolphins. Fans were nervous. Then, the regular season hit, and Trevor Lawrence looked like a different human being. He was healthier, sure, but he was also more decisive.
That’s the secret. Preseason is a laboratory.
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Why the 2026 Preseason is Going to Feel Weird
If you’re planning on heading to the Bank for Jacksonville Jaguars preseason football in 2026, things are going to look a little different. And by different, I mean smaller.
Construction is already eating away at EverBank Stadium. Because of the massive $1.4 billion "Stadium of the Future" project, capacity is being slashed to around 43,500 seats this year. It’s going to be cramped. It’s going to be loud. And yeah, parking is going to be a total nightmare since several lots are basically just piles of dirt right now.
But here’s why that matters for the team:
The Jags are basically "homeless" starting in 2027 (likely playing in Orlando or Gainesville). This 2026 preseason is the last time for a while that these young bubble players get to experience the true home-field energy of Jacksonville before the team becomes a traveling circus for a year.
The Travis Hunter Factor: Two-Way Chaos
Let’s talk about the kid everyone is watching. Travis Hunter.
When the Jags took him at No. 2, the question was: "Where does he play?" In the 2025 preseason, we saw him mostly as a receiver. It made sense—he’s electric with the ball. But as we move into the 2026 cycle, the word from GM James Gladstone is that the focus is shifting.
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Expect to see a lot more "Cornerback Hunter" during the 2026 Jacksonville Jaguars preseason football games.
With Tyson Campbell traded away to Cleveland last October, the secondary has a massive hole. Hunter is the projected fix. Watching him shadow WR1s in August is going to be the most important film the coaches watch. If he can’t hold up in man-to-man during these "meaningless" games, the Jags’ defense is in for a long, long winter.
Roster Battles You Actually Need to Care About
Forget the starters. They’ll play a series, look crisp (hopefully), and then grab a Gatorade. The real drama happens in the second half.
- The Backup QB Spot: Nick Mullens has been the steady hand, but keep an eye on the practice squad guys like Carter Bradley. In a Liam Coen offense, the QB has to process fast. One bad preseason game can end a career here.
- The Offensive Line Depth: We saw Cole Van Lanen get extended recently, but with guys like Wyatt Milum and Jonah Monheim coming up, the interior line is a total toss-up.
- The "Other" Receivers: Everyone knows Brian Thomas Jr. and Jakobi Meyers. But who’s WR4? Parker Washington? Dyami Brown? Preseason is their only chance to prove they aren’t just "camp bodies."
Honestly, the most telling part of August isn't the touchdown passes. It's the special teams. Watch who's sprinting down on kickoff coverage. If a guy like LeQuint Allen Jr. or Bhayshul Tuten is blowing up returners in the fourth quarter of a preseason game, that’s a guy who’s making the 53-man roster.
Don't Fall for the "Preseason Hero" Trap
We’ve all been there. Some undrafted free agent catches three touchdowns in the finale, and we all start buying his jersey. Then he gets cut 48 hours later.
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NFL coaches hate "preseason heroes" who can’t play within the system. They want consistency. They want guys who know their assignments on a boring 3-yard run.
The Jacksonville Jaguars preseason football schedule is designed to stress-test the depth. When the Jags face teams like the Steelers or the Eagles in August, they aren't looking for "flash." They’re looking for the guy who won’t blow a coverage when the starters are resting in December.
How to Actually "Watch" These Games
If you want to watch like an expert, stop following the ball.
Pick one player—maybe a rookie like Danny Striggow or a vet trying to stick around like Emmanuel Ogbah—and watch them for every single snap of a series. Do they get pushed back? Are they losing their leverage? That tells you more about the team's health than the final score ever will.
The Jaguars finished 2025 with a 13-4 record and a division title, despite a "bad" preseason. Remember that.
Actionable Steps for the 2026 Preseason
- Check the Seating Chart Early: With the capacity reduction at EverBank, your "usual" spots might not exist. If you aren't a season ticket holder, single-game preseason tickets are going to be harder to snag than usual.
- Monitor the Injury Report (The Real One): Don’t worry about "soreness." Worry about "DNPs." If a starter isn't practicing in August, it's a red flag for Week 1.
- Watch the Joint Practices: If the Jags do joint sessions (like they did with the Dolphins last year), that’s where the real football happens. It’s more intense than the games themselves.
- Ignore the Score: If Trevor Lawrence goes 3-for-3 and the Jags lose 30-10, consider it a massive win.
Preseason is about the process, not the points. Keep your eyes on the development of the young secondary and the health of the O-line. That's how you'll know if the Jaguars are actually ready to defend their AFC South crown.