HEAD COACH LIAM COEN
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
FRIDAY, AUGUST 15, 2025
(On WR/DB Travis Hunter) “Just upper body deal a little bit and just precautionary.”
(On if Hunter will play Sunday) “Figure that out. We don’t know yet.”
(On the progress of keeping Hunter involved even when injured) “I think so. That’s what
they’re supposed to do when they’re hurt. Stay locked in and have a little bit of they can’t
go, we want them to make sure that they’re locked in, getting all the calls, understanding
the call, and being able to watch and execute it as well in their minds.”
(On if the starters will play Sunday) “We’re still kind of working through it. As of right now,
we’re going to go meet about it currently here in the next half hour. So have a better idea.
We just have to get a full totality of the injuries and we went pretty hard the last few days in
terms of Tuesday and yesterday, so we’re going to go meet on that right now.”
(On OL Chuma Edoga’s injury) “Just lower leg precautionary as well.”
(On the response of the offense after Thursday’s scrimmage) “We went down the field,
scored on the first drive on a fourteen play drive. Just thought we did some good things. I
just thought, again, the same issue that has crept up a number of times has been the pre
snaps. Pre snaps and I don’t know, we have six drops again, I think. May have been an
eight? I almost thought it was eight. So, that’s fatigue. That’s lack of concentration when
you’re getting fatigued and tired. Every time we come out, they go hard. Tuesday was our
biggest volume day of camp thus far, and you could see even with the off day Wednesday,
some guys were still feeling the effects of it. I think there’s just, again, the lack of detail and
concentration when you do start to fatigue and it does get tiring and you do go on long
drives. I thought it was still some decent back and forth.”
(On if there is any chance the starters play Sunday) “Yeah, I think there’s a chance. There’s
a chance. It’s just we gotta go get this injury report and make sure because I don’t really
want to do too many ‘You’re playing, you’re not playing,’that kind of deal. So we kind of
need to just make sure that we’re, if we are putting, Trevor [QB Trevor Lawrence], we make
sure we’re protected and we have the right guys in front. Same with the runners, things like
that. Just making sure that we’re not putting people in vulnerable spots because we are
injured.”
(On how fatigue affects the evaluation of players) “It’s a huge part of it. Obviously, there is a
huge difference between being in conditioning test shape and football shape as we all
know. We still have a few weeks till we have to go play a game for sixty minutes, in that
stadium at 1:00, which is kind of the goal. I don’t want to peak tomorrow, and now we’ll
have to pull back on them to get their legs back and ow we’re going into week one slow or
slower. The goal is to peak at Carolina. I’m not expecting them to probably be in full sixty
minute shape at the moment. That’s still a work in progress. The point you made was the
point we talked about yesterday a lot was when you start to get into those moments, that’s
when we need to do more that come together, like, communicate more. Your legs are
starting to go. You’re starting to get tired. Force communication. Force to get my cleats in
the ground and get into the proper stance so that, man, my fundamentals, my mind is right
prior to the play. Then, yeah, you’re going to have to fight through some of these days in
camp and some of these hot days, and we’re going in a full scrimmage like that. It’s great
that we’re able to kind of replicate those moments, and hopefully, we can get another one
this weekend.”
(On CB Jourdan Lewis) “He knows how to be a pro. He understands the preparation, how to
interact with his teammates in the meeting room settings, the kind of questions that he
asks in the meeting room settings, and then going out on the grass and applying it, not only
to his game, but to other people’s game and trying to bring people along and force
communication. They have to all communicate on defense as one. That’s the way it has to
be. So that’s a non-negotiable for Jourdan in the way that he kind of operates. Then he’s
made plays when the ball has obviously come his way and he’s had an opportunity.”
(On the variety of the Offensive Line in yesterday’s scrimmage) “I think it’s just giving people
opportunities to see what they can do with each group and also filling in and making sure
that we’re able to finish the scrimmage, and it’s not a mess. So, I thought that Fred [OL Fred
Johnson] and Wyatt [OL Wyatt Milum] specifically, Mekari [OL Patrick Mekari] bounced
around, but they all had moments, and they’ve all been able to do some positive things. We
have to remain, the consistency of that, whether it’s a swing tackle or whomever it is,
consistency is, as you guys know, the key. It’s one thing to have splash plays or you dump
somebody but then we, have an MA [missed alignment] in the next play like that’s too much
of a roller coaster for offensive line play at times. So, I was pleased with the guys being able
to step up and take extra reps especially when those two guys went down.”
(On what he needs to see out of DT Maason Smith) “I mean, he’s going to need to practice a
lot. He missed a lot of time. We talk about getting in there. Obviously, he’s been working out
a ton, but as we all know, I just talked about football shapes a lot different than working out
on the side and doing that stuff. So, we’re going to have to see him really go in practice and
feel like he’s getting comfortable with the calls, getting aligned, make it through practice.
There’s a lot that needs to happen. Obviously, for him to feel confident and for us to feel
confident for him to go out and be ready week one.”
(On if it is the same for DT Arik Armstead) “I think there’s probably a little bit of a difference
there with one being a whatever is 12 year vet and the other being a second, third year
player. I think there’s maybe a little bit of a difference there, but very similar where, you
don’t really know what you have at the position truly. Like, you know, you feel like, man, we
could get better here with these guys coming back on the grass. I actually watched the
Raiders game from last year the other day. That was Maason’s arguably one of his best
games of the year, and it was fun to watch him, get off the ball, play physical and violent,
and you could see he was kind of coming along towards the end there and that’s why it’s
such a bummer that we haven’t been able to see it, but it is what it is. It’s still a long season
for him to get acclimated and get ready to play same with Arik.”
(On the competition among the rookies) “When you have, Caleb’s [DB Caleb Ransaw]
down, which is kind of a bummer. Unfortunately, he was doing some really good things, but
the rest of the class, [LB] Jalen McLeod’s obviously been out as well. I’ve been pleased with
those guys in terms of, [DB] Rayuan Lane [III] showing up on special teams like he did all
throughout his college career. Tuten [RB Bhayshul Tuten] and did some really good things in
the in the, preseason game, and he’s continued to get better. Same thing with Quint [RB
LeQuint Allen Jr.]. Like, he’s been steady in blitz pro and doing the things that we’re asking
him to do. You look at Wyatt and Jonah [OL Jonah Monheim] as well have really, been
consistent, for rookies. That’s not easy to do is to have consistency. I think, it’s a group
effort. [LB] Jack Kiser, probably had one of his days he’d like to have back yesterday, but
he’s had some good days as well and they’re stacking blocks. It’s just, when we get out into
the game, what are those eyes looking like again? Can we improve maybe the composure
from game one to game two?”
(On if he finds this camp comparable to last season with Tampa Bay) “Yeah. I think in some
ways. Obviously, we were a little bit more veteran on that team in terms of, just maybe a
little bit more experience from some of the veteran players that we had. I would say there’s
some similarities for sure. Going against Coach Bowles [Buccaneers Head Coach Todd
Bowles] defense every day was hard, and it took more time, I think, to get the run game
going, just because we man, we saw so much blitz and stun and movements, every day. It
definitely, it’s going to continue to take time, guys. I mean, it’s not going to be a finished
product right now by any means.”
(On the evaluation of RB Tank Bigsby) “I think I saw some flashes. We had a good
conversation, about a week ago or so and just continuing to relay, man. You have a skill set
that we really enjoy in terms of the way that you play the game, you play your tail off, you
run hard as heck. I continue to believe that he’ll be better in games even than practice
where you don’t get a full feel of if people can tackle him. Like, arm tackles out here when
you tag off, like, that’s not a tackle on him sometimes. So, I thought he had a good day
yesterday. Needs to continue to take the right steps when it comes to his progression in
blitz pup and understanding what those reads are and not getting out too quick, and having
that protection mindset so that when he’s in, there’s no there’s nothing we can’t do. So that
we don’t come become, you know, predictable in some ways.”
(On his first memory of starting at QB) “Going a long way back now. 2001, I was a
sophomore starting, for my dad, which was a cup of tea. The first start, I just remember not
throwing them all much, and I think we won pretty handedly if I remember. High school
football, it truly is so pure, and that’s the cool part about it. My dad was a high school
coach. My parents were high school teachers, and there was nothing better than Friday
night lights. There really wasn’t. I mean, as much you love Sundays in the NFL. You love
Saturdays in the SEC but, man, Friday nights, Friday night lights is there’s nothing better.
We didn’t lose much. I do know that. I think lost maybe two games in high school.”
(On the continuity and state of the offensive line) “It’s still competition, man. Until we
decide, it’s time to put them all together, and then that’s when we’ll truly build. If we can’t
have depth and competition, then nothing else will matter. We’re not just giving away spots.
Everybody’s have to earn it. When it comes time to solidify those five, that that time will
happen. It’s just it is what it is. We just want to continue to see what’s the best five. That’s
our job as coaches to make sure we’re putting the best five out there no matter who it is, no
matter what year they are, and how long they’ve been in the NFL. So, we may take a little bit
longer on that.”
SAFETY ERIC MURRAY
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
FRIDAY, AUGUST 15, 2025
(On his time thus far with the Jaguars)
“It’s been going well. Getting acclimated to everything, getting acclimated to the weather
and the team, been going well.”
(On how the defense has progressed over the past few weeks)
“I think in terms of our physicality I t has progressed mainly because we’ve only had a
limited time in pads. So being able to put those on and just play football, I think that’s
where we’ve progressed the most.”
(On how important the preseason is to him as a veteran)
“I think live reps are always important. You never know what rep may matter in January or
December. So, you just take them all, put them all in your memory bank, and you just try to
learn from them.”
(On the preseason being even more important when joining a new team)
“Oh, yeah. For sure. It’s always true in terms of learning and doing stuff like that. So yeah,
you just try to make the best of it.
(On being a leader in the locker room)
“Just getting guys to do the right thing every time instead of just trying to freelance and do
their own thing. Like, that’s not a product of a good defense. Good defenses are disciplined,
they communicate, and then they fly around lastly. So, just really tapping in with guys and
letting them know, like hey, doing the right thing is cool sometimes.”
(On WR/DB Travis Hunter)
“I wouldn’t say growth per se. I’m just impressed by how he’s able to do that. Like it’s
unique to him. I can’t really comment on it because I’ve never done it. So yeah, kudos to
him.”
(On the other safeties in the room)
“Yeah, everybody has different personality types. I’m pretty fluid with everybody in the back
end. So, whatever they want to do. They come in, sometimes they try to accommodate me.
I try to accommodate them in terms of who’s strong, who’s free. But yeah, you know it’s still
a work in progress.”
(On if the versality of the safety room is unique)
“It’s definitely a unique structure that we got back there and, versatility is always at a
premium in the back end, so it’s definitely a plus.”
(On S Antonio Johnson)
“Oh, it’s just his eye progression, getting his eyes right. Once his eyes are in the right spot,
he’s an amazing athlete, really tall, really rangy. And I think you see some of that flash out
on the field when he’s in the right spot.”
(On competing against the offense every day)
“Like I said, anytime you can get good competitive reps going into the season, you just
never know. Most of the concepts that you see throughout the year end up showing up in
some form or fashion.”
(On Head Coen Liam Coen’s open and honest communication philosophy)
“I think a lot of people in this league value transparency, from a player, from a coach. If you
can get that, it just builds connection. And so, once that connection is built, a culture can
be built. So, I think that’s why it’s so important to him and it’s so important to the players as
well.”
(On if he feels like the team has gotten close)
“Oh, definitely. It’s coming. You just got to keep working. Like I said, it’s everybody’s first
year, so being able to gel. We’re trying to gel as quickly as possible and play our best
football as quickly as possible.”
RUNNING BACK TRAVIS ETIENNE JR.
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
FRIDAY, AUGUST 15, 2025
(On if he’s being called Travis or TJ now that WR/DB Travis Hunter is on the team)
“Indifferent. They call me both, honestly. I hear TJ a lot, but sometimes I hear Trav. It’s really
Coach Grant [Offensive Coordinator Grant Udinski], whenever he’s installing plays and
stuff. But we know who he’s talking to based on the looks and everything, so it’ll be fine.”
(On how camp has gone for him) “It’s been a really good camp. With camp, it’s just battling
the heat out here in Florida. I feel like that’s just the biggest thing for me, coming out here
and getting my mindset right, knowing it’s going to be a hot day, and being able to push
through. I feel like just the mindset, the mentality around here, it’s that growth mindset, get
better each and every day. I just love that mindset. I feel like it helps us come in here, reset
and find something to get better at. If we’re in here trying to get better each and every day,
it’s going to make us so much better whenever we look back at the first day of camp. You all
probably see, we’re just so far from where we were. Coaches keep preaching, ‘Just get
better, get better,’ and I feel like I love that.”
(On facing his brother, Panthers RB Trevor Etienne, in Week 1) “I feel like it’s already a
dream come true, but it’s going to be a surreal moment. It’s something that me and him
kind of joked about, laughed about growing up as kids, but we always knew it could
happen. Just for us to be able to share that same field, I feel like that’s going to be a feeling
that we knew would happen, but it’ll just be a surreal moment. I’m so proud of him and
knowing what it took for him to get to that moment and knowing what I had to go through to
get here to be in the league. You don’t just wake up and be an NFL player; it doesn’t work
like that. You have to put in a lot of hard work, sacrifice; my parents had to sacrifice, my
sisters, all my family had to sacrifice for us to be in this moment. So, I feel like it’s a
testament to my family, honestly. That’s what that day is going to be. I know they’re going to
be there deep to support us, and we’re really here because of them. I feel like it’s going to
be our way of just repaying them back by going out there and competing against each
other.”
(On if he’s helped his brother through his first NFL training camp) “Yeah, we text every day.
We text every night. He just hit me up yesterday. They’re in Houston right now, and he was
talking about how hot it was. He said he had a great day, but it was hot. We’ve kind of just
been Snapchatting each and every day, keeping each other up with everything. Coach
Bernie [Panthers Running Backs Coach Bernie Parmalee] is his running backs coach, and
they had FaceTimed me the other day. They were joking and laughing. I just feel like that
kind of gives me—I’m not really nervous for him, because I know he’s got somebody over
there looking out for him, somebody that’s going to take him under his wing, because I
know what Coach Bernie is about. He was here three years, so I just love the fact that he
has somebody to help him and be there for him outside of football as well.”
(On going back to his home state of Louisiana) “Yeah, I’m always excited to go to Louisiana.
I feel like the biggest thing is just the tickets, you know? I feel like everybody thinks the
tickets are free or something. They’re really not free (laughs). But, I don’t mind whenever I
go to New Orleans because it’s my family, like I said, and I feel like I wouldn’t be here
without them and their support. It’s always a great chance to have them in the building
supporting me.”
(On if he feels any increased pressure playing on his fifth-year option) “I mean, yeah, but in
reality, I feel like it’s the biggest season of my career because it’s the next one. I just have to
attack it like that and understand that if I don’t go out there and produce, then where are we
going to be? So, I feel like for me, it’s just attacking each and every day. My results rely on
my daily habits, so just coming in here and working each and every day, let that take care of
itself, and then the rest is going to take care of itself. So, I really can’t worry about the end
result. I’m just really focused on the process, and that’s going to drive my results.”
(On if the coaching staff has promoted a growth mindset) “Most definitely. They just really
enhance my mindset. I feel like these past couple of years, I’ve been tapping into a growth
mindset. Listening to Kobe Bryant each and every day, listening to people who are striving
to be better. Knowing that my talent got me here, but my work ethic is going to get me so
much further. Having success in this league and then being at the bottom, I just kind of
know what it takes. I know I don’t want to be there anymore, so I know I’m going to do things
differently and change my mindset. I feel like Coen [Head Coach Liam Coen] definitely
preaches that growth mindset. He definitely enhances it. He definitely puts it on the
forefront to where I feel like maybe in latter years, we knew it was there, but they weren’t
really drilling it, drilling it, drilling it. Now, it’s like, there’s no running from it. We all know
what we’re facing, so why are we acting like we’re not facing this giant? I feel like I love that
mindset. The only way forward is through, and that’s really where I’m at with it this year.”
(On how he feels about the running lanes this offensive line creates) “I feel like they’re
great. I feel like it’s on us as running backs to continue to set things up. We’ve set up things
up with our shoulder pads, our tempo, and our spacing, and just having an understanding
of the run game, for real, and the way Coen kind of coaches that midzone in a way. He
switches things up. I feel like the holes have been great. I feel like it’s just on us as a team to
just keep pressing the line of scrimmage, knowing where we’ve got to go, setting the blocks
up and hitting the hole when we get it. So, I feel like it’s going to be a great year for us if we
just stick to our keys and play within the scheme.”
(On the importance of the run game in Coen’s offense) “As a running back, you love that.
The league has turned pass-centric, but the really great teams still run the ball really well.
That’s what you’re going to find throughout the whole league. To be a Super Bowl
contender, to be a playoff team, we have to be able to just—they know what we’re going to,
we still have to be able to go out there and execute and run the ball. It starts with the run
game, it starts in the trenches – that’s where the game is won. As long as we take care of
the trenches, everything else will take care of itself.”
(On how his role has expanded under Coen) “It just expanded as him using me as a
playmaker. He just lets me go out there and do what I do best. Get the ball in my hands, be
in space, make guys miss, go out there, score touchdowns and use my strengths and
building on my weaknesses. I feel like that’s what I love. Moving around, I like that because
now we have all of our threats on the field at one time. You’ve got to watch out for all the
guys. Obviously, they’re going to have eyes for me, so somebody else is getting the ball, or
me just doing different things. We’re not predictable, and that’s going to be really big for us
moving down the line because at some point, the season is going to come down to just
executing. I feel like with him moving me different places and him getting me the ball, I feel
like I’m never going to be out of the game. I’m always going to be in the game and be able to
make plays and be a spark for them.”
(On RB LeQuint Allen Jr.) “LeQuint? Man, I love LeQuint. I feel like he reminds me of my little
brother. Him and my little brother were actually roommates in Alabama, the senior camp,
the senior game [Senior Bowl]. They actually were roommates. They’re the same age,
they’re both fiery. He’s got that edge to him, but I feel like it’s really great to have. I really
needed that this year. Him being a rookie coming in here and having to fight for what he
gets, having to earn everything. That kind of puts in perspective for me. Like man, you get to
play this game. You have to wake up and just thank God and be blessed that you’re here in
the NFL, so stop taking it for granted. I feel like he kind of presents that mindset to the
whole room. He brings that fieriness and that chippiness, and it rubs off on all the guys. We
needed that. We needed that fire.”
(On RB Bhayshul Tuten) “Bhayshul is chill. Bhayshul is chill, he’s more chill, calmer, like you
said. But everybody has their breaking point. Everybody has their breaking point, and we’ve
seen Bhayshul get there and he got a little chippy. He gets a little fiery out there, too. Just
kind of figuring out where the guys’ triggers are, where the guys’ breaking points are, and
LeQuint, he just comes out there hot. He just comes out there on fire, and that’s what I
love. You can’t replicate that.”
(On if this is the most versatile running back room he’s been a part of) “I would say yeah. I
would say yeah, but I feel like this kind of reminds me of my first year, but not really
because we’ve got more depth. Instead of two guys, it’s four or five of us and we’re all really
good backs. We’ve just got to continue to keep taking the coaching, keep getting better
each and everyday. As long as, like I said, we stay coachable, the sky is the limit for all of
us.”
