Report: 'At Least Some Buzz' Jaguars' Front Office Was 'Looking Hard at Where the Offense is Under Press Taylor'
The Jacksonville Jaguars are undergoing a search for a new defensive staff as the NFL playoffs rage on, but one interesting nugget from Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer suggests the offense was once getting looked at, too.
In a mailbag for SI, Breer was asked if there were any rumblings of issues in Jacksonville between the front office and coaching staff. Interestingly, Breer suggests that there was buzz at the end of the season that the Jaguars' front office and general manager Trent Baalke were taking a long look at the offense after a disappointing 2023.
"Richard, it’s funny you ask because there was at least some buzz the past few weeks of the season that the Jacksonville Jaguars’ front office, led by Baalke, was looking hard at where the offense is under Taylor. And if you remember, Pederson’s loyalty to his coaches is what, in the end, wound up leading to his firing with the Philadelphia Eagles," Breer wrote in his latest Sports Illustrated mailbag.
"Obviously, there will be staff changes on offense, and now they’re looking for a new defensive coordinator. But it’s certainly worth paying attention to where this goes next because the Jags have a lot invested in Trevor Lawrence. And if he doesn’t break through in his fourth year, it’s fair to think bigger-picture questions are asked."
The Jaguars' offense took a step back in nearly every metric in 2023, which was Taylor's second year as coordinator but first full season as full-time play-caller. Taylor had called the second half of games at points in 2022, but it was announced through the media on opening day in 2023 that Taylor would be running the show on offense last season.
“I thought it went good. Can it be better? Yeah, it can be better. I think at times, when you struggle offensively like we did at times, I don’t care who is calling plays, you might as well look at that thing with your eyes closed and just pick a play," Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said the day after the 2023 season ended.
"Because it’s hard, it’s difficult; I’ve been there. You’re trying to find that one play or a spark that gets your offense rolling and with the struggles we had at times, that’s a difficult thing to do. Whether it’s in the run game or the pass game, whatever it might be. Then, you’re looking at the amount of turnovers. You go up and down the field, you turn the ball over in the red zone. You just can’t do this, it’s not play calling, it’s not the scheme or the design of plays, it’s just having the urgency of ‘we have to protect the football better,’ things of that nature. You jump offsides, now you’re first and 15. Now, you’re looking at first and 15 and anticipating maybe being second and eight, second and seven. All of that, everything we do matters."
The Jaguars had their moments, including a three-week stretch from Week 11 to Week 13 where the passing game clicked at maybe its best in two years. But as a whole, the offense suffered through turnovers, short-yardage and red-zone issues, and an inability to run the ball.
"As a play caller, yeah, you want to be as efficient as you can, especially on early downs. But at times, you get handcuffed just a little bit by trying to find the right play. Especially when you’re struggling as an offense," Pederson said.
"I thought overall, Press did a nice job of organizing the offense, the game planning that we did, and even calling. I would have to go back and look at all the numbers, but I think points and different things like that, we were better (than last year). We can still get better on third down and in the red zone, all of that. He did a nice job.”
