INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Now begins the coming together.
The 2025 NFL Scouting Combine is about many things for the Jaguars, but for a new regime beginning a new era, this week is perhaps mostly about the meshing of philosophies and approaches between a new head coach and a new general manager.
It's a complex process, but both Head Coach Liam Coen and General Manager James Gladstone expect it to be as close to simple as possible.
"There's automatic alignment," Coen said.
Coen spoke to the media Tuesday at the combine, as did Gladstone – and as the Jaguars' new decision-makers talked, a theme became clear. While Coen and Gladstone have different roles, their shared background with the Los Angeles Rams has helped form an alignment of value and vision.
Gladstone this week called the Jaguars' organizational structure – Coen, Gladstone and Executive Vice President of Football Operations Tony Boselli working as one and reporting to Owner Shad Khan – "one of the most alluring and intriguing pieces to this opportunity" because it "mirrors what I'm most familiar with in Los Angeles."
"It was one that I could see a clear visual for finding success," Gladstone said.
Gladstone, 34, spent nine seasons with the Rams – including the last three as the director of scouting strategy. Coen, 39, spent 2018-2020 as an assistant under Rams Head Coach Sean McVay, then spent 2022 as offensive coordinator under McVay.
"We all came up within that organization, and I think there's a north star that we are looking at in terms of, How do we want to operate?' " Coen said. "Is it going to be identical? No, this is going to be ours, but we can take so many different things that we learned from there, from both personnel, scheme, people, the way that we talk to one another, the way that we communicate and treat one another.
Boselli working as one and reporting to Owner Shad Khan – "one of the most alluring and intriguing pieces to this opportunity" because it "mirrors what I'm most familiar with in Los Angeles."
"It was one that I could see a clear visual for finding success," Gladstone said.
Gladstone, 34, spent nine seasons with the Rams – including the last three as the director of scouting strategy. Coen, 39, spent 2018-2020 as an assistant under Rams Head Coach Sean McVay, then spent 2022 as offensive coordinator under McVay.
"We all came up within that organization, and I think there's a north star that we are looking at in terms of, How do we want to operate?' " Coen said. "Is it going to be identical? No, this is going to be ours, but we can take so many different things that we learned from there, from both personnel, scheme, people, the way that we talk to one another, the way that we communicate and treat one another.
"Those are kind of the foundational pieces that we took from L.A. Now, how do we make it ours and how do we put this thing all together to truly move forward?"
Communication indeed has been a Jaguars buzzword in recent days, with Coen calling Gladstone "one of the elite communicators I've ever seen."
"His ability to connect with all walks of life, all different ages, group, everything – he's so detailed," Coen said. "I've seen him have some really difficult conversations with people. The way that he's been able to navigate and operate those conversations is somebody that I really wanted to work with."
Coen added of communication, "It's at the forefront of this thing. Every single person we were able to bring in and onboard into this organization, that's at the forefront evaluation process."
"It's definitely something I always work at," Gladstone said. "I'm always thinking about the way I phrase things knowing that they mean something. Football is a really complex system with a lot of moving parts. It helps when you're able to narrow your focus and communicate a message that allows everybody to have a firm grip and understanding for what the expectations are, for how we intend to operate and what our intended result should look like.
"I've always felt like that is such a key component to finding success really in any walk of life in any partnership. It's definitely something that I value."
Coen said this week the addition of Gladstone is critical to what is perhaps the most important element of an NFL regime change – making clear to coaches, scouts and personnel officials at all levels precisely the traits the team seeks in a player. Personnel must fit scheme and vice versa.
"I think the hire we just made shut that gap a lot quicker than maybe if we would have gone in a different direction – just what we're looking for, the type of players that we want to bring into this ecosystem into this organization," Coen said of Gladstone. "Are we going to disagree? Absolutely. Are we going to have different opinions? Absolutely. But knowing where James is coming from and that collaboration between coaches and personnel, I think has been just a critical bridge that automatically makes it a little bit easier for us to have those conversations and know the type of players that we're trying to go and bring into this organization."
The level of communication is such that Coen said this week the idea of one of the decision-makers having, needing or wanting final say "doesn't even, like, hit my brain."
"I get the question," he said. "We all do. But if that's what's driving us, we have no shot. Ego and agenda will not take place in this organization for us. It just won't. If we cannot make a decision, if we are completely on opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to any decision, we have to move on from that decision. How do we pivot?"
The ultimate objective of the communication: An organizational philosophy that Coen has repeatedly described as centering around "players not plays."
"It's the adaptability," Coen said. "We will have a core foundation of principles of how we want to operate, our modes of operation, the way that our culture is going to be set, the non-negotiables. That's the foundation of what we believe, but like I've said in multiple different conversations: It's about players not plays.
"We will have the core principles and how we want to play, our style of play. But ultimately, it's our job to pivot and be able to adapt to players – especially when it comes to the draft, because you wanna be able to fill your holes, but also take the best players available.
"It's our job to be able to adapt to some of those players."
