Jaguars would have one too many cooks if they hire Frank Reich

The Indianapolis Colts raised eyebrows across the NFL when they fired head coach Frank Reich following a 26-3 loss to the New England Patriots in Week 9 and a 3-5-1 overall record in 2022. Reich was part of head coach Doug Pederson’s staff when the Philadelphia Eagles won the Super Bowl in 2017, so on a surface level, it kind of makes sense for the Jacksonville Jaguars to bring him in some capacity. However, a closer look might reveal that it might be unnecessary.

Pederson met with the local media Monday and weighed in on Indy’s decision to part ways with Reich.

“This business, it’s unfortunate, Pederson said. “Frank was a part of the team, we won the championship there in Philly and he and I are really close and I hate it for him. But that’s one of the things, as coaches, we know when we get into this business it’s going to happen at some point. But I know he’ll bounce back. He’ll be better and just know, hate it for him and his staff right now”.

Reich became the Colts’ head coach in 2018 and finished his tenure with a 40-33-1 record. He led Indy to the playoffs in his first season at the helm but only made the postseason once in the last three years, which is one of the reasons he was kicked to the curb. Not finding a long-term replacement for Andrew Luck, who retired just before the start of the 2019 season might’ve been another factor in his dismissal.

There might not be room for Frank Reich in the Jaguars’ coaching staff

Look, nobody would deny Reich would be a solid addition to the coaching staff if Pederson was putting together his staff from scratch, especially when you consider that they’ve previously worked together.

On the other hand, Press Taylor has done a good job in his first year as an offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Mike McCoy has helped Trevor Lawrence in his development. Similarly, you won’t hear any complaints about passing game coordinator Jim Bob Cooter, so what kind of job would you offer Reich?

If either Taylor, Cooter, or McCoy were struggling, it would then make sense to hire Reich but both seem to be doing well. Another alternative would be to bring Reich as a consultant but they would then have too many cooks in the kitchen. It always helps to have an extra set of eyes but the Jacksonville already has more than enough.

Think of it this way, when the Eagles fired Pederson in 2021, Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid wasn’t rushing to hire him despite the fact he had previously served as his offensive coordinator. Simply, Reid had no need for Pederson and unless the Jaguars moved on from one of their offensive assistants, they might not have a need for Reich.

As Pederson noted, Reich will get back on his feet but it might not be with a Jaguars team that might not have any openings for the moment.