What Does John DeFilippo’s Departure Mean for Gardner Minshew and Nick Foles?

Things are changing at TIAA Bank Field. Along with the recent departure of other offensive coaches such as quarterbacks coach Scott Milanovich and assistant running backs coach John Donovan, the Jacksonville Jaguars had another coach leave their ranks on Monday in offensive coordinator John DeFilippo.

DeFilippo called the plays and created the playbook for Jacksonville's offense for the 2019 season only, a year after he served as the Minnesota Vikings' offensive coordinator for 13 games. With his departure, which the Jaguars said was a mutual decision, Jacksonville will be searching for its fifth offensive coordinator since the 2013 season.

Since DeFilippo was only orchestrating the Jaguars' offense for 16 games, it isn't like Jacksonville's roster is losing a scheme they were entrenched in. Leonard Fournette, D.J. Chark, and Chris Conley all had the best seasons of their careers, but other players such as Dede Westbrook and virtually every tight end on the offense, along with the offensive line, struggled to perform in DeFilippo's scheme. Moving on from him won't have much a domino effect on the majority of Jacksonville's roster.

But it is a seismic move for two of the most important players inside of the organization: quarterbacks Nick Foles and Gardner Minshew II.

When DeFilippo was hired last January, many presumed it would lead to Jacksonville signing Foles since DeFilippo was the veteran quarterback's position coach with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2017. While Doug Pederson and Frank Reich have deservedly gotten most of the credit for Foles' play during the 2017 playoffs and the eventual Super Bowl win, DeFilippo's stock sored and it was theorized he played a big role in the best stretch of Foles' career.

Foles would, of course, end up signing with Jacksonville, inking a four-year, $88 million deal with more than $45 in guaranteed money. Whether Jacksonville knew Foles was a lock when they interviewed and eventually hired DeFilippo has never been stated publically, but the dots are there to connect.

With DeFilippo in the fold, Foles was the Jaguars' unquestioned starter through all of the offseason, training camp, and practices right before Week 1 vs. the Kansas City Chiefs. DeFilippo built his playbook around Foles, specifically catering to his strengths and weaknesses.

Then, a broken clavicle changed Foles', and like DeFilippo's, futures forever. Foles was hurt after 11 plays vs. the Chiefs and would miss the next eight games. In his place stepped in Minshew, a 2019 sixth-round pick and a general afterthought when it came to the Jaguars' offense.

DeFilippo was forced to adjust his scheme and his calls on Sunday due to not only Minshew's inexperience but due to how vastly different his skill set was compared to Foles. Minshew was more mobile and prone to extending plays out of the pocket, while Foles was a pure pocket passer.

Despite this, Minshew thrived considering the circumstances. Foles returned to the lineup in Week 11 but was benched halfway through Week 13 in favor of Minshew due to poor play. Minshew started the final four games of the season, winning two of the contests to give him a 6-6 record as a starter. Foles was 0-4.

The decision to bench Foles came from one person and one person only: head coach Doug Marrone. DeFilippo never publicly fought the decision, but knowing he only got four games with the quarterback he built his entire playbook around could not have been an ideal situation.

Now, DeFilippo doesn't have to concern himself with the inevitable Foles or Minshew decision that Marrone will make in 2020. But his absence could play a role in the outcome.

With DeFilippo gone, along with former executive vice president Tom Coughlin's departure, Foles has lost two of his biggest advocates amongst the Jaguars' organization. He was already facing an uphill climb to start over Minshew due to Marrone's obvious preference for the rookie in 2019, but this just adds another hurdle.

Foles was likely always going to have to compete with Minshew for the starting job, but now he will have to do so in an offense he isn't familiar with. DeFilippo knew his game inside and out and tried to tailor the offense to it -- the next offensive coordinator is likely to do the exact opposite, assuming they have no ties to Foles.

A pair of fresh eyes means Foles and Minshew will be looked at in an unbiased manner. There will be no past history with Foles like DeFilippo had, and there will be no building the playbook around one quarterback starting in March. Instead, the two passers will have to duke it out to earn the favor of Marrone and whoever the new coordinator is, with 2019 and all the years prior far behind in the rearview mirror.

It was always a strong likelihood for Minshew to start in 2020. But with the man many said Jacksonville hired specifically for Foles no longer in the picture, the odds of Minshew opening Week 1 next year as the signal-caller has only increased.

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