Should the Jaguars Hire Rich Scangarello to Fill the Quarterbacks Coach Void?
A reported coaching change in the AFC could potentially work out in the Jacksonville Jaguars' favor if the franchise decides to move in on a talented offensive coach who is now a free agent.
Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reported Sunday that the Denver Broncos had fired first-year offensive coordinator Rich Scangarrello, a surprising move after the Broncos' offensive thrived with Drew Lock at quarterback.
Luckily for the Jaguars, Scangarrello hitting the open market could be good news considering his reputation as a quarterbacks coach, a position that Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone needs to fill.
On Dec. 12, Scott Milanovich accepted a head coach position in the Canadian Football League with the Edmonton Eskimos, creating a big vacancy on Marrone's staff.
Marrone will flesh out his 2020 coaching staff in the coming weeks, but finding a competent quarterbacks coach has to be near the top of his list considering how important the development of Gardner Minshew II will be next season.
So, should Scangarello be an option for Marrone and Minshew?
For Scangarello to be fired by Broncos head coach Vic Fangio this early into Fangio's tenure has to be concerning in terms of gauging his ability to coordinate an offense. But, Scangarello still has a track record with quarterbacks that is enticing for a position coach.
Scangarello's offense was porous the first 11 games of the 2019 season, specifically the passing game. Of course, this will happen with any offense that starts Joe Flacco or Brandon Allen for an extended period of time.
But what happened in the final five weeks of the year is what should be attractive to the Jaguars. Starting in Week 13, the Broncos gave rookie quarterback Drew Lock the keys to the offense, and Scagarello showed off what he can do with a young and talented passer.
In the final five weeks of the season, Denver went 4-1 and scored 23 or more points three times, including a 38-point effort in Week 14. For context, Jacksonville only scored 23 points or more in five of Minshew's 12 starts.
In Lock's five starts, the Broncos averaged 289.2 total yards and 200 passing yards. Lock threw seven touchdowns and three interceptions, with a 6.5 yards per attempt average.
Denver's offense was completely stagnant before Scangarello was given a chance to unleash his rookie passer. Once he was able to let his imagination run free with Lock at the helm, they finally found production and more importantly, wins.
Scangarello's track record with quarterbacks goes beyond his work with Lock, and he has also been exposed to the coaching of one of the best offensive coaches in recent NFL history in Kyle Shanahan.
Scangarello was an offensive quality control coach while Shannahan was the offensive coordinator with the Atlanta Falcons in 2015, and then worked with Shannahan again in San Francisco. With the 49ers, Scangarello was the quarterbacks coach for two years, coaching up Jimmy Garappolo and Nick Mullens and leading them to efficient seasons.
For Minshew, who will be a second-year player in 2020 and has only 12 starts under his belt, Scangarello would be an ideal fit as quarterbacks coach. He has experience seeing the offense from a holistic perspective and has learned firsthand from perhaps the NFL's best offensive guru.
Scangarello has also shown recent success with young quarterbacks, helping Lock and Mullens in their transitions to the NFL.
Minshew's development is likely the most important storyline for Jacksonville entering 2020, so who the Jaguars land as his position coach is absolutely paramount. As of today, Jacksonville could do much worse than tapping Scangarello to fill that role.
