3 Observations on the Jaguars Hiring Nick Holz
The Jacksonville Jaguars added the final member of their 2023 coaching staff on Thursday, officially announcing the hire of Passing Game Coordinator Nick Holz.
Holz served as the offensive coordinator for UNLV last year after working on the Raiders' staff from 2012-2021. Now, he will replace Jim Bob Cooter as a pivotal piece of Doug Pederson's staff.
So, what can we make of Pederson's hiring of Holz and what it means for the offense moving forward? We break it down below.
Holz's receiver background should pay off in the offense immediately
The thing that pops out the most about Holz and his background as a coach is the work he has done with wide receivers. Holz, who has a wide receivers background from college, worked closely with the Raiders' wide receivers as their assistant position coach, which included him working alongside Zay Jones and Hunter Renfrow in his Pro Bowl season.
If there was any room on offense the Jaguars should have looked to elevate this offseason without having to make roster moves, it is the wide receiver room. Holz's receiver background and knowledge should help him quickly acclimate to the pass-heavy offense, while his relationship with Jones should help him establish himself as a voice of respect and knowledge. Add in Calvin Ridley's return and Christin Kirk coming off a 1,000-yard season, and the Jaguars have all of the pieces on the field and on the coaching staff to support the positon.
The Holz connection that could help him kickstart his relationship with Trevor Lawrence
While Holz will not work alongside Trevor Lawrence as closely as other coaches on the staff such as Pederson, offensive coordinator Press Taylor or quarterbacks coach Mike McCoy, but his working relationship with the Jaguars' franchise quarterback will obviously be critical to his success. Thankfully for both parties, there is one Holz connection that should help him kick off the duo's time together.
Holz was with the Raiders during the first three years of Hunter Renfrow's career, working closely alongside the former Clemson wide receiver as he helped jumpstart his NFL career and eventually land him an extension. Renfrow and Lawrence are still close from their college careers and Renfrow can easily serve as a middle-man for Lawrence and Holz to bond. While Holz won't hold the key to Lawrence's development in Year 3, it is at least a good thing that a familiar face can help Holz acclimate with the Jaguars.
Pederson goes outside of his coaching tree, which is a positive sign for his development of the coaching staff
If there was any criticism of Doug Pederson before his Jaguars' tenure, it was his unwillingness to go beyond his circle when looking for assistants. The Eagles' front office and ownership frequently pushed back against Pederson's staff-building, especially when he began to lose assistants to coordinator or head coaching jobs and replaced them with internal hires.
Pederson did a wonderful job of avoiding those same mistakes with the Jaguars, going outside of his circle to add several impactful hires. Now, he has done the same with Holz, opting to hire a coach he has never once worked with over other candidates who he has history with. Pederson went with who he sees as the best coach for the job, not just the best coach for him to work with. And that is a sign of growth for the second-year Jaguars head coach.
