Jacksonville Jaguars: Does David Caldwell have a good handle on things?
By Luke Sims
Jacksonville Jaguars general manager Dave Caldwell has a tough task in assessing a team that is transitioning under his leadership. Does he have it right?
Teams often bring in outside people to have fresh eyes on a problem. People removed from the situation and less invested in the status quo can often provide greater insight into the problems a team may be facing.
The Jacksonville Jaguars have gone with a different approach in retaining general manager Dave Caldwell but also bringing in executive vice president for football operations Tom Coughlin.
Coughlin brings fresh eyes to the problems plaguing the Jaguars but the team is still at least partially influenced by Caldwell’s investment in what he has built. This is most clearly reflected in the hiring of head coach Doug Marrone and the team’s commitment to 2014 first round draft pick, quarterback Blake Bortles.
So it isn’t shocking to learn that Caldwell also believes the Jags just need to do “some tweaks here and there” and that the rebuild going forward is not going to be major. For a team hot off a 3-13 season this can either be a heartening comment from the front office on progress through a slog of a rebuild or it can be an indication that maybe, just maybe, the general manager is no longer accurately portraying where the team actually is.
Does Caldwell understand it better than the fans of the team or has he lost sight of accurately gauging the team’s progress?
More from Black and Teal
- Jaguars RB Travis Etienne expected to have bigger impact in 2023
- 5 bonafide stars from the Jacksonville Jaguars 2022 season
- Jacksonville Jaguars haven’t heard any Calvin Ridley news from the NFL
- WR Marvin Jones Jr. will give 110 percent with the Jacksonville Jaguars or wherever he plays in 2023
- Jacksonville Jaguars keeping TE Evan Engram in 2023 one way or another
This is an important question as the rebuild of the Jaguars continues. Even with Caldwell on board, much of the “change” from last season looks an awful lot like a continuation of what wasn’t working in the past.
This is particularly important as the team moves toward free agency and the 2017 NFL Draft. Caldwell will be a key part of those activities and will shape the roster of the team. If he can’t accurately gauge the team’s needs, the Jaguars will continue to struggle.