Jacksonville Jaguars: Where does Doug Marrone rank in the NFL?

Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone received low marks in the most recent rankings by FanSided.com.

The one good thing about the most recent NFL coaching rankings by Russell Baxter here at FanSided.com is that Doug Marrone of the Jacksonville Jaguars is not ranked last. He is in the bottom half of the league, sliding into the 27th spot in Baxter‘s recent poll.

For a person that believes the cup is half full, it means there’s always room for improvement. And in the case of Marrone, who should feel fairly warm sitting in his office this season, I expect the changes that he and general manager David Caldwell have made to this roster are going to be the reason why he is able to keep his job or may not be able to remain in the same capacity during the 2020 season.

Three seasons ago, Marrone showed he could take a team of talented players and mold him into a cohesive unit, reaching the AFC championship game in 2017. Since then he has won a total of 11 games, which by most standards would have forced team ownership to make a change. That hasn’t happened, as owner Shad Khan has decided to stick with his frontman and coaching staff during two years of turmoil.

This should be the crossroads season that either allows Marrone to prove that he is a playoff-caliber coach or the team will reassess and start over beginning with the 2021 NFL draft.

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"“Since taking the Jaguars to the 2017 AFC Championship Game and owning a 20-10 lead at Foxborough in the fourth quarter, it’s been all downhill, Baxter writes. “Doug Marrone’s team owns a combined 11-21 record the past two seasons and have gone from division champions to basement dwellers. This could be a very pivotal year for the head coach.”"

Some could make the argument that when the Jacksonville Jaguars fell apart after the 2018 season, Marrone should’ve been replaced. Fans here in Jacksonville who have been supporting the Jaguars the past 26 seasons were flummoxed to find out that both the head coach and the general manager kept their jobs following a six-win season.

Part of the reasoning may be that a new regime – where both men report to Khan personally – could change the structure and culture of this organization.

Everyone here in Jacksonville is waiting to see how much change has helped this team win more games in 2020.

The Jaguars made plenty of moves this off-season with its roster, trading away core veteran defensive stars and adding youth and speed to aid a struggling defense. The team also brought in new offensive coordinator Jay Gruden to help quarterback Gardner Minshew adjust to a second season as an NFL starter.

In the end, however, everything falls at Marrone’s feet. He will have to prove that he is the coach of a few years ago, and not the coach of the last two years to hold onto his job.

If he’s able to do that, then next season when Baxter and other NFL analysts come out with these rankings, it’s quite possible the Jacksonville Jaguars head coach will receive a much higher ranking and a lot more credit for the team’s overall success.

But for now, Jaguars fans are waiting to see which coach walks the sidelines this coming season.