5 most underrated moves the Jacksonville Jaguars made this offseason

No. 2 Jaguars underrated move this offseason – Keeping Bernie Parmalee

The Jaguars’ roster has experienced a lot of turnover over the last two years but their coaching staff has also undergone many changes. This isn’t surprising when you take into account that Doug Pederson is their third head coach in as many years and each coach is going to bring his own crew.

Having said that, it’s not uncommon to see new head coaches keep members from the previous staff. Urban Meyer retained offensive line coach George Warhop and cornerbacks coach Tim Walton from Doug Marrone’s staff and Pederson has done the same with running backs coach Bernie Parmalee, which speaks volumes about his work with the team in 2021. The Jaguars’ weren’t a top 10 team running the ball last year but they were effective in spite of a season-ending injury to Travis Etienne in the preseason and Urban Meyer’s decision not to use James Robinson.

Even though Robinson never got more than 20 carries in a game last year, he was among the best running backs in the league in both traditional and stat statistics at one point. That’s a reflection of Parmalee’s work. Similarly, Ryquall Armstead only played in the last two games of the season but made the most of it, racking up 15 carries for 80 yards. In training camp, Parmalee will have the chance to work with a healthy Etienne, Armstead, and rookie Snoop Conner, while Robinson recovers from an ankle injury he suffered.

Even without Robinson (for now), you could make the case that the Jaguars’ running back room is in better shape than it was last year and if the group thrives in 2021, it will be in part thanks to the steady hand of Parmalee.