Jacksonville Jaguars coach Doug Marrone remains on the hot seat

Will the moves the Jacksonville Jaguars made this offseason help head coach Doug Marrone keep his job in 2020?

The Jacksonville Jaguars front office is feeling pretty good about the past few weeks with free agency and the NFL Draft. But make no mistake, both general manager David Caldwell and head coach Doug Marrone are still on the hot seat walking into the 2020 NFL season.

While it has been Caldwell whose name has been at the forefront of stories surrounding Yannick Ngakoue and Leonard Fournette, it is Marrone who has been entrusted to take the players who have joined this roster and coach them up. The Jaguars stumbled to a 6-10 record last season amid turmoil and dissension. There were plenty of questions about Marrone’s tenure with the organization and whether or not he had lost the locker room.

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Now, with key players shipped off to other teams or released for salary cap reasons, it’s a new regime and a new opportunity to see if Marrone can create magic as he did in 2017.

"As NFL Spin Zone’s Dan Parzych writes, “After combining for just 11 games over the last two seasons, will the Jacksonville Jaguars regret their decision in bringing back Doug Marrone for another year as head coach?“In a way, it’s amazing to think about how the Jaguars were one win away from reaching the Super Bowl a few years ago, and are now considered one of the biggest messes in the NFL.”"

There is plenty of truth to what Parzych writes, but there is also plenty of reason to think things will change without the influence of Tom Coughlin and a change in the front office hierarchy. Both Marrone and Caldwell now answer to team owner Shad Khan. It’s a different atmosphere inside TIAA Bank Field, but there are problems – like Ngakoue and Fournette – that still exist.
Maybe that’s a good thing.

There has been plenty of discussions this offseason of the “win now” edict from Khan, but after turning over part of the roster and bringing in younger talent, improvement might be more important than wins and losses.

"“With the way things looked in each of the last two seasons, Marrone almost seemed to be a lock to be out of a job once the 2019 season officially came to an end, yet this questionable decision ranks up with the rest from the last few years,” adds Parzych."

The Jacksonville Jaguars must show improvement early in the 2020 season for there to be any chance of success. Gardner Minshew takes over as the full-time starter. There are more weapons to work within the passing game.

On defense, the pass rush is faster. The philosophy changed and the Jaguars may adopt more of a 3-4 look. It makes for excitement, but also caution. Marrone is in a situation where is players must be better than in 2019 to survive in 2020. It’s hard to understand at times how he has survived the past two years, but a different direction with this organization might be the best way for the head coach to retain his job moving forward, regardless of the team’s record.