Big Cat Country
2026 NFL training camps are about to kick off around the league, turning America’s attention back from fútbol to football.
Travis and I will be out at the Miller Electric Center throughout the next few weeks to report back on your Jacksonville Jaguars. While he monitors several positional battles, I’ll be keeping an eye on two players in particular.
Jacksonville’s skill player lineup for 11 personnel (1 RB, 1 TE, 3 WRs) looks impressive on paper. The starting receivers will be Brian Thomas Jr., Parker Washington, and Jakobi Meyers; the top tight end will be Brenton Strange; and the lead running back role will rotate between Bhayshul Tuten, Chris Rodriguez Jr., and LeQuint Allen Jr.
The Jaguars are equipped for lighter packages as well. 10 personnel (1 RB, 0 TEs, 4 WRs) would allow Travis Hunter to play alongside those aforementioned wideouts, while 21 personnel (2 RBs, 1 TE, 2 WRs) — specifically, “pony” packages that field two receiving-capable backs as opposed to a tailback and a fullback — is another potential wrinkle to create schematic advantages.
But what about when the offense wants to put heavier bodies on the field?
Liam Coen could experiment with jumbo packages that add an extra offensive lineman to the equation, as he did on BLANK snaps in his first year as Jaguars head coach, but that was more so a necessity than a luxury. During the middle of the 2025 season, Strange was placed on injured reserve, Hunter Long and Quintin Morris missed five combined games, and Johnny Mundt was at one point a healthy scratch. A lack of tight end availability gave way to more jumbo package opportunities.
Plays with extra offensive linemen will still be part of Coen’s offense, but he’ll want to scale back those looks in favor of ones with multiple tight ends.
The return of 12 personnel (1 RB, 2 TEs, 2 WRs) and 13 personnel (1 RB, 3 TEs, 1 WR) to a league ruled by three-receiver sets is perhaps the top schematic story of this offseason.
Jacksonville re-signed Morris before selecting two tight ends, Nate Boerkircher and Tanner Koziol, in a draft that saw 22 tight ends in total go off the board (most since 2002).
As a nearly-25-year-old prospect with just 38 career receptions, the selection of Boerkircher at No. 56 overall originally caught observers off guard. He’s an intriguing athlete, sure, but a near-top-50 selection? For someone who projects to be a No. 2 tight end? Really?
Really.
The Jags liked Morris enough to bring him back, and Long is still on the roster, but they’re hoping to see Boerkircher earn a Week 1 role as a complementary piece to Strange.
During OTAs in June, Coen hinted toward a larger receiving workload for his top tight end so long as Boerkircher can hold up as a blocker.
“As much as man, we love Brenton Strange blocking and he’s so tough, he wants to do it, he’s physical, he’ll...
