Biggest Winners and Losers from the Jaguars’ 2026 Schedule Release

JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA - APRIL 20: Trevor Lawrence #16 of the Jacksonville Jaguars speaks with the media during a press conference at Miller Electric Center on April 20, 2026 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Logan Bowles/Getty Images) | Getty Images Winners Trevor Lawrence Trevor Lawrence gets an early opportunity to find his rhythm. Jacksonville’s 2026 season opens against a formidable Cleveland Browns defense, but there’s a familiar face waiting in the opposing secondary.

The Jaguars traded struggling cornerback Tyson Campbell to Cleveland following Week 5 of the 2025 season, a move that appeared to somewhat stabilize Campbell’s play down the stretch. Lawrence will undoubtedly have an early chance to test that stability in week 1 and build confidence within his receiving corps before the schedule stiffens considerably. Among Jacksonville’s 2026 opponents, three defenses ranked inside the top third of the league in passer rating allowed during the 2025 season, the Philadelphia Eagles finished second, the Houston Texans third, and the Denver Broncos sixth.

Those are genuine challenges for any quarterback, and Lawrence will face all three before the calendar turns. The remaining pre-bye week opponents ranked as follows: Cleveland Browns – 15th New England Patriots – 21st Cincinnati Bengals – 26th Much like the 2025 schedule, the 2026 slate presents a clear pattern, the difficult stretches are genuinely difficult, and the more favorable opportunities are equally identifiable. But even within Jacksonville’s toughest stretch of games, the matchups suggest that Lawrence and the passing game will have real opportunities to operate and generate advantages.

Liam Coen It’s difficult to overstate how significant the opening six weeks of this schedule could be for a Jaguars locker room that has spent the better part of a year building its case to a national audience that wasn’t fully listening. Liam Coen noted throughout the 2025 season that respect wasn’t coming for the small-market Jaguars, and objectively speaking, he wasn’t wrong. The offseason only added fuel to that fire.