AFC South Power Rankings: Where Does Jaguars' Mike Caldwell Rank Among DCs?

Where is Mike Caldwell on the AFC South totem pole ahead of 2022?

Author:
John Shipley
Publish date:
Jul 16, 2022 10:24 PM EDT

The AFC South has bounced back -- sort of.

The division had long been the butt of jokes thanks to the frequent losing ways, off-field dramatics and lackluster postseason performances from its four inhabitants.

But entering 2022, the division has a bit more respect thanks to a string of strong seasons from the Tennessee Titans and Indianapolis Colts. The Jacksonville Jaguars are now led by a Super Bowl-winning head coach, while the Houston Texans have an experienced head coach in Lovie Smith.

With the AFC South set to be a tightly-contested battle between its four teams this season, we are going to take a unit-by-unit approach to compare each team and how they stack up for the 2022 season.

For the purpose of context, we are ranking units and players based on how we project they will play in the 2022 season.

Next, we move on and look at the four defensive coordinators helping lead each defense. Where exactly does Jaguars defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell rank?

4) Mike Caldwell, Jacksonville Jaguars

It is tough to slot new Jaguars defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell anywhere but fourth on this list, but that is because he is the only newcomer in the AFC South. The Titans are returning defensive coordinator Shane Bowen, while the Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts have experienced play-callers in Lovie Smith and Gus Bradley, respectively.

Caldwell got his first NFL job under Andy Reid in 2008, joining the Eagles as a defensive quality control coach. He was eventually promoted to assistant linebackers coach and then ultimately linebackers coach before Reid's staff was fired after the 2012 season.

Caldwell then followed Todd Bowles -- a member of the Eagles' 2012 staff -- to Arizona, where he would serve as inside linebacker coach for the next two seasons. He followed Bowles to New York when Bowles became head coach, joining the staff as assistant head coach and inside linebackers coach and serving in that role for all four of Bowles' seasons.

Caldwell was Tampa Bay's inside linebackers coach for the last three seasons, leading the development of Devin White and helping Lavonte David have some of the best seasons of his career as the Tampa Bay linebacker group has surged. He will now get a chance to lead his own defense for the very first time, but there is bound to be some projection and uncertainty until we actually see his unit hit the field.

3) Gus Bradley, Indianapolis Colts

The former Jaguars head coach has never been known to be a defensive mastermind, but Gus Bradley has still been able to call himself a coordinator for three different defenses since being fired by the Jaguars. He has led the Los Angeles Chargers, Las Vegas Raiders and, now, the Colts.

Bradley isn't a bad coach by any means, but he also isn't a coordinator who is going to strike fear into any hearts. He runs the same defense week in and week out that he has always ran, a simplistic Cover 3 scheme that rarely rushes more than four players and asks its unit to bend, not break. If Caldwell had any experience, he would likely rank above Bradley on this list.

2) Shane Bowen, Tennessee Titans

Titans defensive coordinator Shane Bowen has only been a coordinator in name for one season, but he has spent the last two seasons calling plays for the Titans. It has been a mostly mixed bag for the former outside linebackers coach, though the Titans did show enough improvement on defense last season to place Bowen above Bradley on this list.

The Titans struggled on defense in 2020, finishing No. 24 in points allowed and No. 29 in defensive DVOA as they consistently struggled to limit big plays through both the air and ground. They finished No. 6 in points allowed and No. 12 in defensive DVOA as multiple players took significant steps forward. Mike Vrabel plays a big role in what the Titans do on defense, but 2021 was a good year for Bowen.

1) Lovie Smith, Houston Texans

No other defensive play-caller in the AFC South has the background that Lovie Smith has, something he continued to prove in 2021 as he helped the Texans' defense punch above their weight. Despite the Texans having the worst defensive roster in football last year, the unit still finished No. 23 in defensive DVOA and No. 10 in turnovers. He will once again lead their defense this year, with the Texans having no true defensive coordinator on the roster.

Smith isn't known as the defensive mastermind that he once was with the Chicago Bears, but he does bring more to the table in terms of production than Bradley has, and he has more experience than both Caldwell and Bowen. Smith isn't an elite defensive coordinator, but he is the best in the AFC South by default.