Jaguars GM Search: David Caldwell Hired!
By Luke Sims
After firing Gene Smith last Monday, the general manager position for the Jacksonville Jaguars has finally been settled. As first reported predicted by Michael Silver of Yahoo! Sports and confirmed by Jay Glazer, David Caldwell has accepted the Jaguars offer to become the second GM in franchise history. The contract is still be hammered out.
Caldwell was a strong favorite after he entered into the Jaguars’ interviewing process. Caldwell was interviewed by owner Shahid Khan hours after firing Smith. Caldwell has been the Chief Assistant to general manager Thomas Dimitroff for the Atlanta Falcons after serving as the director of college scouting for four years. He has only held the position for one year but would be making a common jump to the top spot.
Caldwell was interviewing with the New York Jets recently and reportedly had the choice between the two teams. The Jaguars offer a much more open-ended opportunity for Caldwell to build the team he wants from the bottom up. Presumably, he will be bringing in his own head coach (speculated to be San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator Greg Roman) to replace Mike Mularkey after just one season. If Roman is brought in by Caldwell, the Jaguars will be on their fourth head coach (counting interim head coach Mel Tucker) in three seasons. Roman brings a sound offensive philosophy that features the run which could be of benefit to Maurice Jones-Drew in Jacksonville. Roman’s offense in San Francisco also featured a mistake free, efficient passing attack.
Caldwell’s work in revamping the Atlanta Falcons under Dimitroff may be just what the Jaguars need. The Falcons were able to form a core group of players to elevate ex-Jaguar defensive coordinator Mike Smith as a solid head coach and perennial playoff contender over the past four seasons.
All in all, I’m glad the search is over and I look forward to the changes that Caldwell will be bringing with him.
– Luke N. Sims
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