5 Observations on the Jaguars' Official Hiring of OC Darrell Bevell
After weeks of Jacksonville Jaguars observers waiting patiently for new head coach Urban Meyer to introduce his new coaching staff, Meyer announced his wide-ranging staff last week. Among those coaches? New offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell.
Bevell's time as an offensive coordinator with Seattle (2011-2017) and the Detroit Lions (2019-2020) helped him establish a reputation as a reliable and productive play-caller. Now he will be tasked with helping the Jaguars' offense crawl out of its place of obscurity.
So, what does Bevell's hire mean for the Jaguars moving forward? We weigh in here with five observations on his official assignment.
Bevell is a smart hire for a team about to draft a rookie quarterback
Considering the Jaguars are about to draft a quarterback -- presumably Clemson's Trevor Lawrence -- with the No. 1 overall pick in April, it was key for them to hire an offensive coordinator who has a successful track record with quarterbacks. In Bevell, that is just what the Jaguars are getting, which is the biggest reason we believe this was a wise hire for Meyer.
Bevell first helped coach Brett Favre (2000-2005) and Aaron Rodgers (2005) as Green Bay's assistant quarterbacks coach and eventually quarterbacks coach. He then helped Favre have what Favre described to Meyer as his best season with the Vikings as an offensive coordinator. Add in his work developing a young Russell Wilson and then the way he helped revive Matthew Stafford's career, and it is hard to argue that Bevell hasn't had one of the NFL's better quarterback backgrounds of any recent coordinator. In a quarterback-driven league, this is key.
Surprising that Meyer went outside his circle of allies for his first offensive coordinator hire
When Meyer was first hired by the Jaguars, it was expected by many in the media for him to surround himself with coaches he trusted and had a past with. This doesn't necessarily mean coaches who had coached either with him or under him at Utah/Florida/Ohio State, but coaches who were at least in the same circle that Meyer runs in. Bevell ended up being an exception, however, with Meyer's prior connections to him being minimal at best.
"To tell you the amount of time I spent on that hire and the amount of people we interviewed was as many as I’ve really ever done. I knew of Darrell Bevell, have always had great respect. [Ohio State Head Coach] Coach Day’s studied under him a little, not directly coaching for him. I did speak with Ryan. I did speak with several coordinators and his interview was by far the best," Meyer said Thursday.
But Meyer still ended up hiring Bevell because he was, in Meyer's eyes, the best person for the job. While many thought Meyer wouldn't expand his coaching tree horizons when it came to his coordinator spots, he did just that with Bevell. It was mildly surprising at first, but ultimately not groundbreaking due to the simple fact that Meyer vows to employ the best of the best, which one could assume would mean talent and accomplishments preside over relationships when it comes to his coaching staff.
Bevell's ability to adapt to Meyer played a giant role in his hiring
The Jaguars will have a new-look offense in 2021 compared to their past offensive schemes. Bevell will be the play-caller, and that alone would serve as a massive transition for Jacksonville, but then you have to add in Meyer's own offensive mind. Meyer will delegate and trust Bevell, but he will still add his own twists and wrinkles to the offense and their overall philosophy.
"His ability to adapt to my vision of the offense, which is little different maybe than he’s done in the past. The flexibility and not rigidness was very important to me because we do have the first pick in the draft and there is a vision I have about the style of offense," Meyer said on Thursday when Bevell was introduced. "I’m certainly not going to call plays, that’s his responsibility, but I have a real clear vision about what I want the offense to look like and he was great."
This shows how much of a role Meyer will have in the formation of the offensive scheme, goals, and overall philosophy, but he wouldn't have brought Bevell in if he didn't trust his own visions. Bevell has operated a few different styles of offenses during his career, which speaks to his ability to adapt. Meyer has often said adaptability is one of his top traits to look for in a quarterback, and it appears he looked for the same trait in his coordinator.
Bevell traveling to Trevor Lawrence's Pro Day says everything about how important his role is
If you need an idea of just how important Darrell Bevell will be to Jacksonville's organization, look no further than the fact that he traveled with Meyer and passing game coordinator Brian Schottenheimer to Clemson on Friday to watch Trevor Lawrence's pro day. 31 members of 17 NFL teams came to the Pro Day and Bevell was one of those select few -- as well as likely one of the few offensive coordinators there.
Bevell's presence in Clemson alone speaks volumes to how important he will be to the Jaguars. Meyer has been known to delegate and trust his assistants in the past, and bringing Bevell with him to Clemson indicates this is yet again the case. Meyer doesn't see just himself as a key connection to Lawrence; he clearly sees Bevell as one too.
Bevell was the right hire over Scott Linehan
When Darrell Bevell was first announced as the leading candidate to be the Jaguars' offensive coordinator, there was some surprise due to previous reports of Scott Linehan being the frontrunner for the position. It wasn't hard to figure out why Linehan was reportedly being considered for the role, either, considering his vast NFL experience and his prior relationship with Meyer.
For whatever reasons, Linehan remained off of Meyer's staff and Bevell was instead tabbed as offensive coordinator. While it is unclear why Bevell was given the nod, he is ultimately the right hire for the Jaguars over Linehan. Linehan has had issues stringing together consistent offenses that can blend both the passing and running game, but that is what Bevell has been known for in the cases where he has had solid quarterback play. Bevell has proven that with good quarterbacks at his disposal, he can put up points. Linehan hasn't proven it to the same degree. As a result, Bevell landing at coordinator over Linehan is a plus for the Jaguars.
