Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen stepped out of his comfort zone this week to answer a question about a defensive lineman. He usually reserves his time with reporters to talk about Travis Hunter‘s favorite local Dollar General and how he will be used on offense this year.
Coen was asked about defensive tackle/end Arik Armstead, who signed a three-year deal worth up to $51 million with the Jaguars in March of 2024.
Carlos Sanchez of Black & Teal can bring you up to speed on the latest on Armstead.
“Arik Armstead underwent surgery to repair a torn meniscus last year and spent most of the 2024 offseason recovering,” Sanchez writes. “He didn’t miss any games but didn’t look particularly great either. As Liam Coen noted, he’s a vested veteran, so the former Oregon Duck knows how to prepare for the regular season. Having said that, his absence at training camp should most definitely raise concerns.”
Coen doesn’t sound thrilled about Arik Armstead’s absence
The Jaguars had the fifth-pick in the NFL Draft this year for a reason. It’s what happens when you win four games. So, Coen needs to get a lot of things turned around and he could really use Armstead’s help.
“He’s a veteran. Ultimately, he’ll probably know how to get himself ready to go. I would hope,” Coen said when not asked about Hunter for once. “The key is just making sure that he’s healthy and ready to go for the first game. And ultimately, it’s a long season, as we know now, not to say that early ones aren’t obviously as important as late ones, but it’s a long season, and we’re just trying to get them to be as healthy as possible.”
Later in that exchange, Coen couldn’t promise that Armstead would be ready for Week 1 at home against the Carolina Panthers. Speaking of which, there are some really good, important NFL games with playoff implications scheduled for Week 1 and this is absolutely not one of them. As will probably be the case for most Jags’ games this year, advertisers will have to hope that fans watch the games for a guy – who I don’t want to name – whose initials are Travis Hunter.
Jag’s defensive coordinator would like Armstead back
Of course, defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile would like some consistency on his defensive line. But, he would surely also love to have Armstead and Maason Smith back in the fold to provide a boost to the interior.
“Those guys they’re working hard for us,” Campanile said Sunday. “We’re just trying to develop consistency in there, and I think those guys are getting a lot of good work. I thought they did some really good stuff in the scrimmage. I thought Lacy did some good stuff in the scrimmage.
“I thought those guys were working hard, running to the ball, and the biggest thing that we talk about a lot is not staying blocked, and they’re doing that. Whether they’re grinding blocks or playing primary or secondary or getting penetration, they’ve been doing what we’re asking them to do, and we’re going to keep asking them to do that with a great level of consistency.”
Campanile has his work cut out for him, but there is really only one direction that this can go. The Jaguars were ranked 31st in the NFL in 2024 on defense. However, it should be noted that they didn’t give up a single point in the playoffs.
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