Doug Marrone: Is he looking to replace Gus Bradley?

Doug Marrone was a major gain for the Jacksonville Jaguars this offseason.

Brought over to coach the offensive line unit after he unceremoniously stepped down from the head coaching gig with the Buffalo Bills, Marrone’s arrival to Jacksonville should help one of the team’s lowest performing units step up. Marrone has extensive experience in the NFL on the offensive side of the ball and while he may have preferred to be an offensive coordinator or head coach again, that shouldn’t belittle the work he’s putting in with the Jags.

But is he simply happy to be working with the offensive line unit or does Doug Marrone have his eyes on a bigger prize?

As reported over at Walter Football, “sources” say that Marrone has his eyes on the Jags’ top spot in case Gus Bradley falters or doesn’t manage to progress either in 2015 or beyond.

The speculation here comes in large part from a convoluted scenario in which Marrone thought he would receive heavy consideration or secure the head coaching gig with the New York Jets after stepping down suddenly with the Bills. As we all know, that didn’t happen and he skipped down the coaching tree to land back with the big guys up front, not even commanding a full offensive unit.

While not with the Jets, Marrone may have found himself in a position to land another head coaching job if Bradley can’t get the team to come together here in Jacksonville. If becoming a head coach again quickly is the ultimate goal, then he may have chosen his position quickly. Owner Shad Khan doesn’t seem in any hurry to replace general manager Dave Caldwell and Caldwell is hitched to Bradley for good or for bad. It’d be tough to break into that tight knit group.

Personally, I would be shocked if this was Marrone’s intended career path. People don’t regularly step down from head coaching gigs for the chance to become head coach somewhere else. While a scenario involving this much coaching intrigue certainly adds to the drama of the offseason, it isn’t something that seems highly feasible. Marina doesn’t have a past relationship with the Jags front office, he’s not a guarantee to keep his job if Bradley is fired, he’s not guaranteed to be a candidate for a head coaching vacancy, and Bradley simply isn’t going anywhere. That’s a whole lot of uncertainty for a guy like Marrone.

What do you guys think?

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