Jaguars’ 2026 NFL Combine Decision Raises Questions After 13-Win Season
After a 13–4 AFC South title run in 2025, the Jaguars’ plan to skip sending leadership to the 2026 NFL Combine is drawing scrutiny.
The Jacksonville Jaguars are reportedly planning not to send head coach Liam Coen or general manager James Gladstone to the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine.
For a rebuilding team, that might raise eyebrows. For a contender coming off a 13–4 season and an AFC South title, it’s even more puzzling.
Jacksonville’s 2025 season wasn’t a fluke. The Jaguars scored 474 total points (27.9 per game), which ranked among the league’s top offenses. Defensively, they allowed just 19.8 points per game, a top-tier mark that helped them control game flow throughout the season.
This is a team in its competitive window.
Which is why skipping the combine at the leadership level feels unnecessary.
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“Well, the Jaguars don’t want to conduct any of those, and they don’t want to conduct any top 30 visits either because they don’t want their opinion of a player to be changed or altered in any way based on a 15-20 minute visit,” ESPN's Michael DiRocco wrote. “This is a system that the Rams use, and they’ve used it quite successfully, as you can see by their success over the last decade or so.”
Yes, the scouting department does the heavy lifting year-round. Yes, interviews and medical information can be relayed. But the combine is more than testing numbers. It’s where draft boards tighten. It’s where coaches and front offices sit in the same room and hash out scheme fit, personality traits, and medical risk tolerance.
Jacksonville still has areas to address.
The Jaguars allowed 41 sacks in 2025, a number that indicates pass protection consistency still needs refinement. Defensively, they finished with 32 sacks, suggesting there’s room for additional front-seven juice if they want to sustain their playoff momentum.
Those are draftable needs and NFL combine conversations.
Skipping the NFL Combine doesn’t automatically derail a draft. But it does remove valuable real-time information that can help align coaching philosophy and personnel decisions.
And in today’s NFL, the difference between a division winner and a conference finalist often comes down to one or two draft hits. The Jaguars proved in 2025 that they belong in the conversation as contenders. Now they have to make sure their process matches that ambition.
