Why Jacksonville Jaguars must pursue Colts assistant GM Ed Dodds

The Jacksonville Jaguars’ next general manager could be in the AFC South.

The Jacksonville Jaguars haven’t been very good at playing football this year and have lost 13 consecutive games after beating the Indianapolis Colts in the season opener. While injuries and inefficient coaching have played a factor in the team’s lack of wins this year, their inability to find talented players has also had a key role. That’s why not many batted an eye when the organization relieved David Caldwell from his general manager duties.

Although Caldwell’s 2020 draft class has some promising players that have shown glimpses of talent, he failed to replenish the roster on a consistent basis throughout his eight-year tenure and only had one winning season. Back in 2017, Jacksonville reached the AFC Championship on the strength of a formidable defense.

Nevertheless, the team came down crashing the following season, and Caldwell’s ineptitude to acquire talent was one of the reasons why. His time in Jacksonville was filled with questionable decisions, such as giving quarterback Blake Bortles a three-year $54 million contract or drafting running back Leonard Fournette instead of quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes or Deshaun Watson.

Now that Caldwell is gone, the organization will need to find a new general manager. Trent Baalke is filling the position on an interim basis, but the team might be better off bringing in someone else to get the job full-time, such as Indianapolis Colts assistant general manager Ed Dodds, who has a strong track record of acquiring playmakers.