Why the Jaguars Still Have a Problem Despite a Successful 2025 Season
The Jacksonville Jaguars have undoubtedly had success in 2025. The team is currently the hottest it has been all season and stands at 9-4. They sit in first place in the increasingly competitive AFC South, with the Indianapolis Colts and Houston Texans right behind them. A majority of the success can be credited to head coach Liam Coen and general manager James Gladstone, who built a coaching staff and roster capable of competing in the grueling environment of an NFL season. While everything looks positive right now in Duval County, a concern lingers in the background. As a successful NFL team, organizations must always be prepared for other teams to target their coaching staff and potentially poach key members for their own programs.
The leading candidates in any potential departure from the Jaguars’ staff are the coordinators. This group includes offensive coordinator Grant Udinski and defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile. Jacksonville currently fields a defense ranked just outside the top 10, along with an offense that sits in the middle of the pack league-wide. Campanile has guided the Jaguars’ defense into becoming one of the most effective units in the NFL in yards per play while also producing the second-most takeaways in the league. His unit has been so effective that fans have begun referring to it as “Strapsonville,” a nod to the 2017 “Sacksonville” defense. The defensive system in Duval has proven quick to adjust to each opponent, a quality that teams often seek in head coaching candidates. Campanile has transformed a group of players many doubted into a unit that consistently disrupts opposing offenses.
Udinski is slightly more unproven than Campanile. At just 29 years old, Udinski does not currently call offensive plays, as that responsibility belongs to Liam Coen, though he has still made a noticeable impact on the overall scheme. The offense has ascended in recent weeks, currently ranking ninth in points per game. Udinski previously served on Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell’s staff before joining Jacksonville, where he helped support a successful Vikings offense in 2024 with Sam Darnold at quarterback. With both the offense and defense receiving praise from around the league, it is a realistic possibility that Jacksonville could lose key members of its coaching staff next season. Finishing the season strong will be important, as will making a concerted effort to retain the core coaches who have driven the team’s success.
