HC Doug Pederson has pieces to kickstart Jaguars offense in 2022

When looking at the reasons the Jacksonville Jaguars’ offense hasn’t been good in recent years, you’ll find out that it was just one thing but rather a combination of factors: Not enough difference-makers, instability at quarterback, and the absence of the right head coach. Fortunately, it looks like the Jags have addressed all of them and should be able to take several sets in the right direction in 2022. Head coach Doug Pederson will be tasked with making sure that’s the case.

The Jaguars drafted Trevor Lawrence first overall last year and although he experienced a learning curve as a rookie, they won’t have to worry about the quarterback position in a while. To ensure their young passer succeeds they revamped their offensive line and added several weapons in free agency. It will be now up to Pederson to squeeze every ounce of talent out of Lawrence and ensure the offense operates in unison. While the head coach won’t be able to turn things overnight, there’s a reason for optimism.

Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report recently ranked every offense in the NFL and Jacksonville showed up at No. 24, one spot ahead of the Washington Commanders and one below the New Orleans Saints. Knox believes that Pederson’s coaching should make a difference and believes that Lawrence should improve in Year 2 due to all the additions the Jags have made over the last few months.

"The good news for Lawrence is that he now has a Super Bowl-winning coach in Doug Pederson and a significantly improved supporting cast. Jacksonville went on a free-agent spending spree, adding Zay Jones, Christian Kirk, Evan Engram, and [Brandon] Scherff offensively. The Jags also used a third-round pick on interior lineman Luke Fortner. The additions join a group that already had Marvin Jones Jr., Laviska Shenault Jr. and standout running backs James Robinson. Robinson will be joined by rookie fifth-round running back Snoop Conner and 2021 first-round Etienne -who missed his rookie campaign with a Lisfranc injury."

Knox thinks Lawrence is in for a big leap in Year 2 with the help of “better blocking, stronger supporting cast, and some experience coaching”. However, the Jaguars still need to play games to show how much better they’ve gotten.

Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson has a tough task at hand.

Doug Marrone’s first year as the full-time coach of the Jaguars started with a bang, leading them to a 10-6 record and taking them to the AFC Championship and putting together one of the most dominant defenses in the NFL. However, it all fell apart in the following years, and was never able to recapture his magic. This prompted the team to move on from him and hire Urban Meyer to take his place.

The organization thought that Meyer’s success at turning programs around in college was going to carry over into the NFL. Alas, he struggled to make the transition to the pros and turned the Jaguars into a toxic place. Owner Shad Khan had enough of Meyer’s lies and dysfunction and fired him after less than one year on the job. The Jags then started a lengthy search for a head coach that ended with the hiring of Pederson.

You could argue that the Pederson has better players to work with but Marrone had plenty of time to right the ship but was unable to. Similarly, Meyer was given everything he asked for but he didn’t really consider how difficult it is to win in the NFL. Meanwhile, Pederson has shown he can take over a program and turn it around, which is precisely what he did as the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles. The fact that he has a young passer and plenty of talent at hand should make his job easier.

If Pederson delivers and the Jaguars score more points and win more games, he will quickly become a popular sports figure in Jacksonville. Also, you will see the Jags getting higher spots in every power ranking.