The Jacksonville Jaguars are in the midst of training camp, but are already looking ahead to the preseason. And this year, offensive coordinator Grant Udinski is being handed a major opportunity.
Udinski is heading into his second year with the Jaguars, along with head coach Liam Coen, and returned to Jacksonville despite being heavily recruited around the NFL for head coaching positions, most notably with the Cleveland Browns and Buffalo Bills.
He was already being seriously considered despite a lack of play-calling experience. In 2025, he only called the offense in the final preseason game. Coen has otherwise called every game. Udinski filled a non-playing calling role as well during his time in Minnesota.
This year, Udinski will get the chance
to call some more games, as Coen is handing him the entire preseason, and he told the Florida Times-Union it's because he was given the same opportunity as an up-and-coming coach.
“(Rams coach) Sean (McVay) provided me that experience in (Los Angeles) and I want do the same for Grant,” Coen said. While it may seem like a smaller assignment, Coen said it can be more difficult to call a preseason game than it appears.
“Obviously, you want to do enough (with the game plan) to give your players a chance to win the game because that’s the goal, but Grant will be picking from a tighter menu,” he explained. “It’s actually harder to call plays in the preseason – everybody thinks it’s easier – because you have that limited menu and you don’t want to show too much.”
This move is a step forward in Udinski's development, which very well may end up being the first step towards walking away from the Jaguars in 2027.
He is already considered a breakout candidate for 2026, and he — along with Coen — built an explosive Jacksonville offense last year, with Trevor Lawrence having one of his best seasons yet. The offense particularly took off in the second half of the season, and Lawrence ended the year with an MVP nomination.
If Udinski does well in the preseason and the Jaguars see another impressive season from the offense, 2026 could easily end up his last year in Jacksonville.
This article originally appeared on Jaguars Wire: Coen giving Grant Udinski opportunity to call plays in Jaguars preseason
