Gus Bradley's first priority with Jaguars? The offense

Of the eight NFL teams starting over with new head coaches this winter, six rolled the dice on offensive-minded innovators.

The Arizona Cardinals still are spinning their wheels, but the Jacksonville Jaguars have bucked that trend with the hiring of former Seattle Seahawks defensive coordinator Gus Bradley.

Coming off a 2-14 season, Jacksonville arguably -- convincingly -- needs help all over, but the hiring of Bradley remains an against-the-grain move for a team that desperately needs to address problems at quarterback.

Don't get me wrong, Bradley brings vision to a defense that struggled mightily last season. The Jaguars ranked 29th in points allowed (27.8) and 30th in yardage given up (380.5). Their 20 sacks were dead last in the NFL.

Fixing the defense is a priority in Jacksonville, but the Jaguars are a team lost at sea until they unearth a productive starting passer.

The concept of rolling into next season with Chad Henne and Blaine Gabbert at quarterback is -- well -- ask Mike Mularkey how that went. Whispers that new general manager David Caldwell would pursue Greg Roman made plenty of sense. We all saw what the San Francisco 49ers' offensive coordinator did with Alex Smith before Colin Kaepernick exploded onto the scene.

Bradley's first order of business is hiring a strong, creative thinker to re-imagine this offense. We spent last offseason pondering the future of Gabbert, wondering if Year 2 would bring marked changes after a disastrous rookie campaign. Gabbert showed signs of progress, but we saw too many of the issues that sunk him in 2011, and the Jaguars must find competition in the offseason. The quarterback position will define Bradley's first year in Jacksonville.

On a positive note, it will be interesting to see what Bradley does with the defense. The Jaguars have run the 4-3 in recent seasons, but Bradley favors a hybrid scheme that blends four-man fronts with the 3-4 and allows his pass rushers to create havoc for opposing quarterbacks. Anyone who watched Bradley's defense in Seattle saw a high-energy, multiple-look unit that leaned on speed and athleticism to win matchups.

The Jaguars can't touch the Seahawks personnel-wise, and this defense will take time for Bradley to build. For the Jaguars to succeed, however, it's just as important that someone brings equal focus to this young, wandering offense.

Follow Marc Sessler on Twitter @MarcSesslerNFL.