Doug Pederson, recently minted as the seventh full-time head coach in Jacksonville Jaguars history, introduced his staff to the media Friday and further outlined his vision for the franchise.
Pederson spoke alongside offensive coordinator Press Taylor and defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell, both of whom will be first-timers in their respective positions.
"That's the key for any head coach, to have the great coordinators," Pederson said, per the team's website. "That element really kind of fell into place for me with Press, Mike and [special teams coordinator] Heath Farwell."
Taylor, the 34-year-old younger brother of Bengals coach Zac Taylor, spent eight seasons in Philadelphia (three with Chip Kelly and five with Pederson) and one under Frank Reich in Indianapolis before signing on with the Jags. He will be surrounded by former offensive coordinators all over Jacksonville's staff (Pederson, passing game coordinator Jim Bob Cooter, quarterbacks coach Mike McCoy) as he attempts to jump-start what was, in 2021, one of the league's most lifeless attacks.
"It's exciting, bringing different personalities and different experiences together to build the best possible offense," Taylor said. "We didn't take Doug's Eagles playbook, roll it out on the table and say, 'This is what we do.' We said, 'Here are our experiences. What do you guys do well?'
"We're combining everybody together to build the best offense. That can only work if everybody puts their ego aside and is truly in it to do what is best for the Jacksonville Jaguars at the time."
Taylor will not be the primary play-caller, however, as Pederson reiterated Friday that will be his role.
Caldwell, 50, was a teammate of Pederson's on the Eagles and, like his new head coach, has Super Bowl-winning experience; he served as Tampa Bay's linebackers coach under defensive coordinator Todd Bowles during its 2020 title run. Caldwell will be flanked by yet another veteran defensive coach, Jags defensive assistant Bob Sutton, in northern Florida.
"Bob will be a great resource. He has a bunch of knowledge," Caldwell said. "It's something I can bang an idea off or have him bring an idea to me. He's a guy I'm going to lean on."
Though Pederson said the 2022 Jags aren't exactly sure who they are "identity-wise" yet, he is confident in the pieces on the roster.
"I see talent, honestly," Pederson said. "Is it perfect? No. You see flashes. You see the offense taking strides throughout the course of the year. You see the defense making those strides. Now, it's about, 'We've got to be consistent every week.' There has to be consistency. There has to be ownership with that.
"We're going to add talent. We're going to add competition. We're going to bring value to the roster. Every team does that. We're no exception to that. But I see talent here."
The talent didn't show up in 2021, despite a good mix of youngsters (Trevor Lawrence, Travis Etienne, James Robinson, Laviska Shenault Jr.) and veterans (Marvin Jones, Jamal Agnew, Myles Jack, Brandon Linder) across the roster. Jacksonville slumped to a 3-14 record under one-and-done coach Urban Meyer and interim boss Darrell Bevell. The Jaguars own the top pick in the upcoming 2022 NFL Draft, the second straight year Jacksonville will be selecting No. 1.
With Super Bowl champion assistants on his coaching staff and cap room and picks to spare, Pederson hopes to flip the script, eventually, in Duval.
"I'm trying to turn this into a winning program, a winning organization," Pederson said. "Do you learn from the past? Of course. Do you study it? Of course. At the same time, my focus has always been a forward-thinking approach to everything we do.
"It's not an overnight fix. It's going to be a fix that we've got to do one player at a time, one coach at a time, and get it turned around."
