The Jacksonville Jaguars had a turnaround for the ages in 2025, going 13-4 a year after going 4-13.
A lot had to go right for that to happen.
Quarterback Trevor Lawrence stayed healthy all year, having a career year with more than 4,000 yards passing, 29 passing touchdowns and nine rushing touchdowns.
First-year coach Liam Coen seemingly made all the right decisions on the field while general manager James Gladstone seemingly made all the right decisions off the field.
As an added bonus, kicker Cam Little booted indoor (68 yards), outdoor (67) and preseason (70) field goal records. Just a cool side note to add.
Heading into 2026, the Jaguars will need to prove it wasn’t a fluke. If they miss the playoffs, fans will write it off as just another failure
by Florida’s red-headed stepchild NFL franchise.
So, who on the team will be under the most pressure? Who could be a breakout star? And who will be the most fun to watch?
We tackle those questions and more now.
Which Jaguars player is under the most pressure in 2026?
The Jaguars made a big investment in Travis Hunter, and just when it looked like it might be paying dividends in 2025, a knee injury ended his season prematurely in October.
You hate to put a lot of pressure on such a young guy — Hunter is just 23 years old — but he needs to stay healthy and take a big step forward, whether it be defensively, offensively, or both.
There’s no doubt Hunter will want to continue his quest to be a player on both sides of the ball, but looking at their depth chart, the Jaguars need him much more on the defensive side at cornerback than they do on the offensive side at receiver right now.
With Jakobi Meyers, Brian Thomas Jr., Parker Washington and Brenton Strange, among others, the Jags have plenty of good options for Trevor Lawrence to throw to.
The defense isn’t quite as stacked.
The Jaguars traded their 2025 No. 5 overall pick, a second-rounder, a fourth-rounder, and a first-round pick in 2026 to the Cleveland Browns in exchange for the No. 2 overall pick to select Hunter.
While most of the moves made by Gladstone have been gold, if Hunter backfires on him, it will be a stink he won’t be able to wash off.
Who is poised for the biggest breakout year?
I look to running back Bhayshul Tuten to capture the attention of both Jaguars fans and fantasy football fans in 2026.
Tuten had a nice rookie year, rushing for 307 yards and five touchdowns. He also had two receiving touchdowns. That was in a backup role to Travis Etienne, who rushed for 1,107 yards and seven touchdowns on top of 292 receiving yards and six touchdowns.
Tuten is expected to split time with free agent signee Chris Rodriguez Jr., but if Tuten can show consistent explosiveness, he could become the bell cow back.
Tuten showed continued improvement throughout college.
During his sophomore season at North Carolina A&T, he rushed for 1,363 yards on 208 carries with 13 touchdowns.
He then transferred to Virginia Tech. During his junior year in 2023, Tuten started all 13 games and rushed 173 times for 863 yards and 10 touchdowns. As a senior, he rushed 183 times for 1,159 yards and 15 touchdowns.
As he continues to progress through his NFL career, steady improvement will go a long way, and it all starts in 2026.
Who has the most to gain?
I’m going with linebacker Ventrell Miller on this one.
Heading into the 2026 season, Miller has a chance to make a noticeable impact if he can win the competition to start at the linebacker spot vacated by Devin Lloyd, who left for Carolina in free agency during the offseason.
Miller was selected by the Jaguars with the 121st pick in the fourth round of the 2023 draft.
He had durability issues in college at Florida, suffering through biceps, hamstring and multiple foot injuries. He also missed his entire rookie season after rupturing his right Achilles tendon.
He played in all 17 games in 2026, starting two.
Let’s see if 17 starts is in his future in 2026.
Who has the most to lose?
Brian Thomas Jr. was one of the NFL's top receivers as a rookie in 2024, but took a lot of criticism in 2025.
He was plagued by drop problems early in the year, and despite a better second half, he still finished with just 48 receptions for 707 yards and two touchdowns.
That was a year after a rookie record-setting 2024 when he had 1,282 and 10 touchdowns.
Thomas is looking to prove the doubters wrong while also positioning himself for the future.
He’s heading into the third of his four-year rookie contract worth $14,659,978. He would love to see his fifth-year option exercised, which should be worth more than his first four years combined. That must be done by May 2027.
If he falls flat again, his value may tank. Stay tuned.
Player who will be worth watching
Jakobi Meyers came to the Jaguars last year in a midseason trade with the Raiders and had an immediate impact. Not only did he amass 42 receptions for 462 yards and three touchdowns in nine games, he drew enough defensive attention that Parker Washington, Brenton Strange and the rest of the Jaguars offense was able to thrive.
Meyers is a great route runner, has excellent hands and has had more than 800 receiving yards in each of the past five seasons.
You could see the connection between Meyers and Trevor Lawrence grow as the season went on.
Now, with a full season together, this should be the time for Meyers to find career highs in receiving yards and touchdowns. His current bests are 1,027 yards in 2024 and eight touchdowns in 2023.
He could end up being a fantasy football owner's dream in 2026.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Which Jaguars players face most pressure, have most to lose in 2026?
