HEAD COACH LIAM COEN
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
MONDAY, MAY 19, 2025
(On if he’s happy with the team’s conditioning) “I’m not really as much judging that at the
moment. We’ve got to get used to practicing in these elements. We’ve definitely been
working them in terms of the conditioning piece, so I’m not exactly worried about that at all.
I think that day one off of a longer weekend, a little bit of energy probably up and trying to
do all the right things and do it at a high level, probably lose some legs and a little bit of
focus. I think that’s kind of what happened today, a little bit. But good opportunity to turn it
around tomorrow.”
(On if he’s “good” with where QB Trevor Lawrence is returning from his shoulder injury and
where the offense is at) “No, not ‘good.’ We’re not ‘good.’ We’re trying to get better. We’re
not even close. We’re working towards playing in September, obviously. At this point, it’s
strictly how much can we actually learn from everyday. We’re not evaluating maybe some
of the things you would normally evaluate in a game, right? Or in the season. How many
mental errors did we have? How much can we continue to be disciplined with our
communication, formations, alignments, assignments? Are we going to catch every ball
and throw every ball out here in the first day of Phase 3? I would assume not. But more in
terms of the operation, the communication, are we understanding what we’re trying to get
accomplished out of the calls? It’s a learning phase, not necessarily a competitive phase.
Do you want to be cleaner? Absolutely. Do you want it to look perfect? Yes, we all do. That’s
just not the reality at this time in this phase.”
(On if Lawrence is behind where he wants him to be) “Not at all. No, not at all. Not at all.
Mentally, he’s done a phenomenal job. This guy, in terms of his work ethic, what he’s put
into this thing on his own time, while he’s here, the play calls, handling the load, all that
stuff, I’ve been very impressed with.”
(On what the offense looked like to him) “Young. In terms of just, first day putting it all
together, it’s not going to be as clean as you’d like it to be, as I’ve already alluded to. But
what’s cool is you do feel a little bit of an energy. Saw Travis [WR/DB Travis Hunter] make a
couple of plays when the ball went his way, you see the hands that he does present. I
thought [WR] Dyami Brown had a really nice day prior to kind of getting a little bit—I mean,
he was feeling it. These guys, you could tell talking to them, they were feeling the heat, they
were feeling their legs a little bit, and ultimately, that’s what this is all about. Trying to get
those back underneath ourselves, getting better into football shape. You can run, you can
do all these things all you want, but until you start going out there in football and doing it,
it’s a different feel.”
(On his impressions of CB Tyson Campbell) “I thought he’s done a nice job so far. I have. He
has those fluid movements, long range, I thought he had a nice day, specifically today. But
also, leading up into today, I just think he’s done a nice job stacking blocks, he’s got good
vision on the quarterback right now, playing a little bit of a different scheme than he’s been
playing over the last year and being a little bit more vision on the quarterback, patience,
playing a little bit of off-man. I just think that’s kind of where he’s going to be able to excel.
He’s got confidence right now, which is always good from a corner. I’ve been really pleased
with Tyson thus far.”
(On his approach for who gets reps as the ones, and if that changes day-to-day or week-to-
week) “Yeah. It’s rep-to-rep, honestly. It’s rack-to-rack is really kind of what we talk about.
Getting guys in with the ones in the first rack and then slide them in with the twos with the
next rack, and try to give guys opportunities, with, like I said, knowing they’re not truly
getting judged and graded on the competition right now. We always want to compete in
everything that we’re doing, but ultimately, it’s about trying to create that continuity at
times within the system, within the offense and defense, and the calls. There’s really no,
hey, these are the starters that are going to be out there first game against Carolina. Do you
have some ideas? Sure, but ultimately, there is a lot of competition that will occur,
especially throughout this offseason and as we get into training camp.”
(On his thoughts on the 2025 schedule and if there are any games he’s looking forward to) “I
think ultimately, you look at the first one [vs. Carolina]. It’s against a team that we played
twice last year, had a couple of good games against, obviously, a division opponent in
Tampa. A team that’s continuing to grow. They’re a team with a new head coach last year,
trying to get into it, showed some really good signs, I thought, at times last year. Dave
[Panthers Head Coach Dave Canales] is doing a great job with that team and that
organization. So, that’s the one that we’ve obviously circled at the moment. Like you said,
they’re all hard. They’re all tough. Any given Sunday, anything can happen. We just have to
kind of take care of ourselves at the moment and get better each day.”
(On players running between drills, and if it’s his philosophy to keep players moving) “Yeah,
we’re not out here all that long at the end of the day. The whole thought process is to keep
moving from a conditioning standpoint. If we’re going from drill to drill and we’re buzzing
around and we’re not walking on the field, we don’t have to sit here and do extra
conditioning after, or have to go with the weight room staff and do extra conditioning. That
is a philosophy thing for us as a team. Just keeping guys moving, keeping it going.
Ultimately, we do need some breaks. We do need to let them cool off and give their
thoughts a minute. But I thought they handled it, for the most part, well today.”
(On if there’s a period of practice specifically for younger players) “Yeah, developmental.
That’s kind of a developmental period that we use towards the end of practice to get those
young guys, the rookies specifically, in those reps. Just getting them true, full play calls, in a
jog-through setting where it’s more about the alignment, assignment, technique,
fundamentals, and just trying to give those guys some more reps that maybe they’re not
getting in the course of the normal practice.”
(On how many joint practices the team will have) “One as of right now. One as of right now.
Miami.”
(On where things stand with the defense) “I actually thought they did some really good
things today. I thought just from a communication standpoint, punching the ball out. Doing
it in the right way, though. We had a couple of guys trying to be intentional about getting the
ball out and getting their hands on the football, something that we’re actively trying to be
intentional about this whole offseason. I thought the defensive staff has done a great job of
communicating that in the meeting settings, bringing it out to the practice field. I thought
they did a nice job setting the line of scrimmage, playing with length on the D-line. The ball
was out. I mean, the ball was on the ground too many times for us offensively, but hey, on
the flipside of it, that’s the first time as a head coach you have to be very neutral in those
moments where I’m kind of ticked off that the ball is on the ground from an offensive
standpoint. But ultimately, man, the defense did a nice job of getting the ball out today for
us.”
(On if the defense is ahead of the offense) “I think always, the defense is typically always
ahead. It’s a little bit more of a go, line up, reactionary kind of phase, if you will. I’m not
diminishing what they have to learn defensively. There are a lot of calls, a lot of different
fundamentals, communication that has to occur. I think, naturally, you would say that
offensively there’s a lot more that ends up maybe slowing you down pre-snap and post-
snap. But I would hope that the defense would be a little further ahead, to be honest with
you. I think that’s typically the case as you go all the way through training camp and as you
go into the season.”
(On how WR/DB Travis Hunter is doing translating information from the classroom to the
field) “I think so far so good. He had a couple of missed assignments today that he knew
right away. He came off the grass and took accountability for them. The one thing you
notice is for a guy that hasn’t played a ton of football, been out conditioning for maybe the
last two months because he was out on a bit of a tour, the guy can run forever. He just kind
of goes, runs a route, runs back. You can tell he’s in football shape. He’s done a nice job.
[Wide Receivers Coach] Edgar Bennett, the coaches, [Secondary Coach] Ron Milus, those
guys have done a great job of meeting with him when they’ve had time to do so, and Travis
has worked hard at getting this stuff right.”
(On if he’s pleased with participation in OTAs) “Yeah. Ultimately, it’s voluntary, right? All we
ask is if you aren’t going to be here, can you communicate to us in a timely manner. That’s
been consistently getting better as we’ve gone, and it really has over the last few weeks
gotten so much better just from clear communication on what are the expectations if
you’re going to be here. We’re setting schedules. We’re setting up individual work that we
want to be individualized for some of those players and anybody. I’ve been pleased with the
guys who have been here and working. They’ve done nothing but do what we ask. They’ve
been doing it from day one. They’ve worked their tails off. They seem to have good energy at
all times, and it’s not always easy to come out and be buzzing around. Ultimately, these
guys, it’s their jobs, but they’ve done their jobs to a high level thus far.”
(On RB Bhayshul Tuten so far) “I think he put the ball on the ground today, that stands out,
but I thought last week, as we were getting more into the scheme, he was getting a little bit
more comfortable. I thought he started to get a little bit more into it, had a couple of better
runs of feeling the zone and being able to stick his foot in the ground and accelerate. Good
learning experience. First time in a live setting in the National Football League on your first
carry. Hopefully you learn something from that moment. I think all together that running
back room has done a nice job in terms of the competition, the acceleration and the
teaching for some of those young guys, and also the veterans doing a nice job of trying to
help those guys out as well.”
QUARTERBACK TREVOR LAWRENCE
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
MONDAY, MAY 19, 2025
(On how it feels to get back on the grass together for OTAs) “Feels good. I guess we’ve been
on the grass to compete a little bit, but the last few weeks have been trying to get everything
in, get the offense and the defense in, working separate, and now get to compete a little bit.
That’s what we all love to do; that’s fun, to get the competitive juices flowing and to kind of
see our offense come together and also see our defense, which we haven’t gone against yet,
is always good.”
(On his early thoughts about WR/DB Travis Hunter) “He has a lot of juice. He can run all day,
has a lot of energy. I love it, good energy. He is always dapping guys up, just bringing juice
every day. High motor, he can just go. He like a kid; just runs around all day, he doesn’t get
tired, it seems like. You can’t have enough of that. As far as his talent, it kind of speaks for
itself. Ball skills, run after the catch, he is very explosive. I just didn’t realize how explosive
he was in and out of cuts. He’s been impressive to watch, and we have been able to connect
a couple of times. He is only going to keep getting better and better. We have only worked
together for a couple of days now, so we have some time to really dial in on the details.”
(On if Hunter playing on both sides of the field will present a challenge when building
chemistry) “You work around all that. You get as many reps as you can. You talk as much as
possible, not just out here, but yeah, out here after reps, after seven-on-seven and team
reps, if I see how he did something and I think he could do it a little different or if he likes to
do things a certain way he can voice that to me. Both of those things. Then in the building and
the meeting rooms. Watching tape, installing, talking about what I am looking for and the
coaches are looking for on certain concepts just to get him up to speed. Obviously, he is
learning a new system. He is super talented and really smart, but it takes some time to learn
the system. We are just trying to get him up to speed so he can go play fast and free and not
have to think about it.”
(On WR Brian Thomas Jr.’s development over the last year) “I think the talent has always been
there. The confidence coming off the year he had and what he’s done. Now he has a full year
under his belt. He’s one of the top receivers in the league. My confidence in him after seeing
him do his thing for a year now, when you get the one-on-one, you feel really confident about
our guy. I have a lot of confidence in him. He’s smart, it’s another system he is learning. Two
years, two systems. I have just been impressed with how he carries himself and the work he
puts in. You can tell he studies because he comes in here and he knows his stuff. It’s not an
easy system to learn. He’s done a really nice job.”
(On if it has taken time to pick up where he left off with Thomas Jr. at the end of last season)
“Not a ton. Just getting back into throwing. I went a solid three-and-a-half-plus months
without throwing with the shoulder deal. I started to throw a little bit before OTAs, I feel really
good now. I feel like my arm is back in shape. I am getting sharper and sharper every day. I
think it was more of that, not necessarily getting the chemistry back with B.T. [WR Brian
Thomas Jr.]. I feel like we were just starting to get that last season, then I went down, and we
didn’t finish the year together. Just being able to watch him even though I wasn’t playing.
Watching his one-on-one reps, the stuff we were doing with him last year, the situations he
was put in, how he was able to adapt, play the slot and move outside and really take
advantage of every matchup. That also gave me a ton of confidence. This is a guy that you
can move anywhere, you can do anything, and he is going to find a way to get the ball because
he is just that good.”
(On where he is at with the new system) “I really like it. It has a lot of answers. It’s great. It
puts a lot on the players. You have to know your stuff, but it gives you all the answers. You
don’t feel like you are stuck in a play that’s not set up for success. It gives us a lot of answers.
We changed the presentation a lot. A lot of things look the same. Without going into too much
detail, there are a lot of things I like about it. It is definitely unlike any system that I have
learned before, so it has been cool to learn, pick the coaches’ brains and try to get it down
as fast as possible.”
(On if he has the system mastered) “We don’t have everything in yet. We build up to that, but
from what we have in so far, yeah, I would hope so. I’ve been working to get it all down. I feel
good about it. I now just have to go from knowing it to second nature. You don’t think about
it. You hear the play call, you spit it out, you go play. You play fast and you’re not thinking
about it. That’s always kind of the transition when you learn a new system. You have to get it
down to where you can just react.”
(On his progression with his footwork) “I feel really good. It was something that I was able to
work on coming into OTAs on my own when I first started throwing for a couple of weeks
before we started. I was able to work on the footwork. It was foreign to me a little bit in the
end, but now it feels more comfortable. Then having a ton of banked reps through all of the
weeks in Phase 1, Phase 2 and now onto OTA practices. I am feeling more and more
comfortable. I think it is really going to help me. I feel more confident with my feet aligned
where I want to go. My progressions and tying my feet to my progressions. Being balanced
and being able to get across the field quickly. I think it has been really good, and I just have
to keep working at it. It doesn’t come overnight. It doesn’t come in four months either. It is
going to take a while, so just keep working at it this whole offseason.”
(On if there were a couple of throws that he wishes he could have back out there today) “I
really just sailed one to Travis over the middle. He did a nice job. He had a cross route, I had
him open and just sailed it a little bit. Sav [S Darnell Savage] picked that one off, he was
behind him. The other one was just me and Parker [WR Parker Washington] being on the
same page on a curl route. I tried to throw it away from a zone defender underneath, and we
were just a little bit off on what each other was thinking. This is the time of year when you
work that stuff out. Obviously, you never want to have interceptions. You never want to have
balls on the ground, you want to be clean. But on the other hand, you want to see the
miscommunication or some of that so you can fix it now and not carry that over later on. We
will fix that stuff, and we will get it cleaned up.”
(On if the changes he made to his footwork were fundamental or something Head Coach
Liam Coen wanted) “Both, I would say. There is some fundamental stuff that I agree with that
we have watched throughout the offseason. There is some stuff that I can work on that would
make me better, more accurate, a little bit more on time and all that stuff, transfer my weight
a bit better. Then there is stuff that is kind of system-based that’s different. The starting point
in my stance, flipping that which changes how you drop. That was a big change, but that’s
more of the system and what the system prefers. I agree with all that stuff, and I think it has
helped me. It is a little bit of both if that answers your question. It is really specific as far as
the concepts go with footwork and the details. All that stuff is knowing and drilling my feet,
so when I hear the call and I do it, I’m not thinking, ‘What’s my drop?’ You’ve done it so many
times you don’t think about it.”
(On the lack of continuity during his NFL career) “It is the situation we are in. I really like the
people that we have here now. I love the system. I love the staff, the players that we brought
in and the guys that were already here. I feel very confident in where we are going and the
trajectory we are heading. You can’t change the past. Of course, I would have loved to have
a little more success up to this point to answer your question, but the reality is this is where
we are at. And I love where we are at. I have a lot of confidence in it, and we just have to keep
putting the work in out here every day to prepare ourselves for the fall.”
(On if he feels more ‘juice’ around the team) “Definitely. There is an energy on the practice
field. I think that starts with Liam [Head Coach Liam Coen]. He is a very energetic guy. He is
passionate. He loves football and to be out here. That is one thing I noticed about him from
the beginning. He has a lot of energy, and that trickles down to the staff. It is that and also
the players that we have. A big variety of guys that they brought in in free agency, they all fit
what we are trying to do, and the culture and energy. Even a guy like Travis, bringing him in,
who is just full of energy and positive, a playmaker, all those things. It is just cool to see
everything come together. It seems like everything is well thought out about the type of
people that are here, not just the talent.”
OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR GRANT UDINSKI
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
MONDAY, MAY 19, 2025
(On OTA No. 1) “It was good to get out on the grass with the guys. Exciting build-up to this. A
lot of work has gone into it. Still a long way to go, but it’s awesome to get out here.”
(On the speed at the wide receiver position) “It’s probably too early to say right now how
special it can be or where that metric is to measure that truly. I know that it will be a
weapon for those guys individually and for us as a unit to do the things that we want to
implement from a scheme standpoint or from an individual, attacking routes, building
route trees, those types of aspects for those guys.”
(On working with and getting to know WR/DB Travis Hunter) “It’s been a lot of fun. I’m sure
you guys see it, him out here, the dancing at practice. The fun, the love of the game. That’s
one of the cool things about not just him but all the guys we brought in, they’re guys that
love football. I think that’s apparent, the way they practice. It makes our job a lot of fun to
get out here on the grass with those guys. Whether it’s on the grass or in the meeting room,
it’s that same energy and passion for the game or passion for being around their
teammates that they bring every day.”
(On the challenges of meeting time he has with Hunter) “Yeah, you’re definitely going for
maximum efficiency. You’re trying to optimize the time, so it’s different. It’s a unique
challenge, but it’s a fun challenge, it’s an exciting challenge. He’s the type of guy that
because of that passion and the love of the game, who’s up for the challenge and can do it.
It’s definitely different compared to the rest of the guys and his schedule. It’s a unique skill
set, unique person and a unique player. That’s been fun as well.”
(On QB Trevor Lawrence’s knowledge of the playbook and if he could pass a test) “He said
he could pass a test (laughing)? I don’t know if these count as tests or what would qualify
as tests. He’s done a heck of a job studying for practices and meetings. It’s a lot of work. It’s
a lot of work to learn the system and to get to the point where it’s second nature. Where he
is out there playing and not thinking, and he can process things at that speed he will play
at. It’s still a work in progress. We have a way to go, and we have time to build that. He’s
done a great job putting in the effort, putting in the time to get to where he is right now.”
(On if it is on Lawrence to learn the new terminology or if there can be crossover words
used) “It’s a team effort in everything we do so there is certainly is a meeting in the middle
in terms of trying to make things accessible for him and the easiest way for him to
consolidate information. We try to deliver it that way. There is an element of learning a new
language. It is a new system. Now, there are similar things that he’s done before that will
apply to what we do, but it’s a new way of doing it or a new way of communicating that. It’s
still going to bring some element of new regardless of if it’s the same route or same scheme
or concept that he’s run before.”
(On the quarterbacks moving more in individual drills) “I would hope that all of our drills
have some intentional element of it in terms of practicing a specific skill or fundamental.
Whether it’s an individual guy who wants to work on it or we want to work on it and develop
as a group, every day we step out on the grass, there is something specific that guys are
trying to work on. Everything we do, there is something deliberate we are trying to practice.”
(On what he has learned as a first-time coordinator) “A lot. We would probably spend all
day here if I listed it all. I think I learned first and foremost about the people that I’m doing it
with. A lot of these guys I had interacted with, but not spent a ton of time working with. It is
such a human element to it where there are different personalities, different people. Not
just the players, but the coaching staff. Kind of learning that workflow and the dynamic.
Trying to find a groove between strengths, weaknesses, how to optimize that workflow.
That’s been the biggest thing.”
(On his impressions of WR Dyami Brown) “Helmets and shorts, so we’ll see, but he’s been
another guy where you look at Travis, you look at BT [WR Brian Thomas Jr.], you look at the
speed of that group running off the ball. It’s exciting watching the guys run off the ball. More
than anything, the way they work. I think you see how intentional and deliberate he is, not
just in the individual periods when you talk about the receivers, but even in the team
periods. His attention to detail, trying to do everything in a way that expresses that
everything matters for us. Whether it’s schematic, his footwork, his hands, the way that
he’s dropping his weight, the way he is running his routes. He’s really deliberate in the way
he practices. That attention to detail is contagious. Not just in the receiver room but
hopefully across the whole offense.”
(On Head Coach Liam Coen’s stance that OTAs are a learning phase) “I would echo his
sentiment. We want our guys to come out here with a growth mindset. We’re out here to
improve. Of course, we are trying to win games come the fall, but the number one priority is
to improve. In order to do that, you have to be willing to fail and have that growth mindset
on plays that are going to be challenging. Things that guys haven’t had a lot of time
practicing or walking through. Different looks that stress the guys mentally and physically.
Not only coaches and players, but everybody is hopefully out here with a growth mindset
and focused on that improvement on a daily basis.”
(On attending the Tom Coughlin Jay Fund event last night) “That was really special. That
was really special. First of all, I was incredibly grateful that they even invited me. I sat down
at the table, and I think people thought I was at the wrong table because they put a little
‘celebrity’ folded piece of paper in front of it. They were, like, ‘Should somebody tell this guy
this is reserved for a celebrity?’ I sat down. Everybody was super nice, super friendly, and
everyone really across the community, the people I’ve run into, I haven’t been out of the
facility too much, but when I bump into people, super positive, and I’m extremely thankful
to be here. The people of Jacksonville have been amazing. Absolutely amazing.”
(On if he’s decided where he’ll hike in the summer) “No, I’m still trying to figure it out. I’m a
little more impromptu than I probably should be with some of these trips. So, I’m thinking,
I’m kind of going back and forth between South America and New Zealand. I probably
should get some stuff planned right now. Any recommendations, I’m all ears. I’m all ears
for any recommendations.”
(On how many times he called the offense during practice in Minnesota) “Really kind of in a
similar setting, the way we did here when we do two spots, or the one defense is up against
the two offense, and you split, so you go over to a second field and have the opportunity to
call it and run the drill. That was really my opportunity to do that there, so it mirrored pretty
similarly to what I was able to do here.”
