AFC Notes: Liam Coen, Jalen Huskey, Kayden McDonald, Jaguars, Texans

Jaguars

Jaguars HC Liam Coen was asked whether he plans to do anything differently now that the team’s season-opener opponent has been revealed as the Browns. Coen won his first game as the team’s coach in last year’s season opener against the Panthers.

“It just gives you something a little bit competitive to build on and start to just get your mind going,” Coen said, via the team website. “Something to start diving into that we can start to almost incorporate in our offseason program is, ‘Alright, let’s throw some stuff that we know we’re going to install – and things that we know we’re going to run that may be something that pops up on tape that we would envision knowing that we’re going to run in Week 1. Let’s start to sprinkle that in throughout the offseason and see what that looks like. Maybe even throw it up against some of the looks that we could present.'”

Jaguars

Jaguars third-round S Jalen Huskey commented on what he will bring to the team after being selected during the second day of the draft and noted that he is versatile and has been a productive player at every point of his career so far.

“I play with a chip on my shoulder. I think just being able to understand route concepts inside/out, and then just being able to read receivers and be confident,” Huskey told the team website. “I’m super confident whether I’m guarding a tight end or receiver or even a running back. It doesn’t really matter to me. I feel like my entire life I’ve been a little overlooked or a little overshadowed – and I can show that I can produce too. At every single stop I produced, and it’s not going to stop because I’m in the NFL. I plan to come here and be a great football player. I think just being able to understand route concepts inside/out, and then just being able to read receivers and be confident. I’m super confident whether I’m guarding a tight end or receiver or even a running back. It doesn’t really matter to me.”

Texans

Texans second-round DT Kayden McDonald is thrilled to join a powerful defense in Houston and wants to provide the team with another piece to help them reach the next level of the playoffs in his first year.

“I just bring power, a powerful guy to come in and help them,” McDonald said, via Aaron Wilson of Click2Houston. “Focusing on what I can do and the things I need to attack on, that I need to work on, build of those and let everything else handle itself. I got my coaches, coach Rod, couch Frank, coach DeMeco, and just going to keep working every day. Just really focusing in on every day, working on what I need to work on, building that foundation, taking it one day at a time. I just keep working on myself and help my team win games.”

“What I like about Kayden and his tape at Ohio State is the physicality, it shows up,” Texans HC DeMeco Ryans noted. “When he’s across the line from an offensive lineman, no matter who it was, he was knocking those guys back in the backfield. That translates to the Houston Texans defense. We want to knock guys back. He does that. He’s still a very young player who has so much room to grow, so much room to ascend. It starts right here today. You see him in his individual drills. He has the power. We can win with that type of power.”

Texans GM Nick Caserio told reporters that the team felt McDonald was the best run stuffer in the draft and would be a good fit for the team after a positive visit during the pre-draft process.

“We felt McDonald was probably the best run defender in the draft,” Caserio said of McDonald. “Matt Patricia did a really good job with him, got the most out of him. He’ll be a good fit for our program. We like the player. The player falls, we can’t control any of that. We brought him in the building, had a good visit with him. Did a lot of work on him. We felt like he was the best run-stopping defensive tackle in the draft. So, let’s add him to the team.”

Looking for the latest NFL Insider News & Rumors?

Be sure to follow NFL Trade Rumors on X.com and FACEBOOK for breaking NFL News and Rumors for all 32 teams!

Leave a Reply