David Caldwell did a poor job of consistently restocking the Jacksonville Jaguars roster and made several questionable personnel decisions during his tenure as a general manager. This is why nobody batted an eye when the Jags kick him to the curve in 2020 and later hired Trent Baalke to take his place.
Baalke has spent the last two years adding talent to the Jaguars’ roster and played a huge role in their turnaround last offseason. But how does he stack up against other general managers in the AFC South? Here’s a power ranking of the division ahead of free agency.
No. 4 AFC South 2023 GM Power Ranking: Ran Carthon, Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans didn’t think general manager Jon Robinson wasn’t getting nearly as many playmakers as he could to win football games now and didn’t agree with his vision of building the roster for the future. Thus, they parted ways with him at the midpoint of the 2022 season and hired Ran Carthon earlier this year.
A former NFL player, Carthon joined the Atlanta Falcons as a scout in 2013 and worked his way up the scouting rankings over the next few years, spending time with the Los Angeles Rams and the San Francisco 49ers before getting the Titans’ general manager job.
Even though Carthon just took over the job, he’s got his work cut out. He needs to find a long-term answer at quarterback, re-sign defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons and add enough talent to the Tennesse roster to give them a shot to bounce back in 2023.
Carthon has been endorsed by several former players but he’s an unknown commodity ahead of free agency. For that reason, he takes the No. 4 spot in this ranking. On the bright side, there’s nowhere to go but up for him and the Titans.
No. 3 AFC South 2023 GM Power Ranking: Chris Ballard, Indianapolis Colts
Chris Ballard was hired as the general manager of the Indianapolis Colts in 2017. While his first year at the helm wasn’t remarkable, he hit it out of the ballpark when he drafted offensive guard Quenton Nelson and linebacker Shaquille Leonard, the first of rookie teammates to earn an All-Pro designation since 1965.
However, Ballard’s track record in the draft in recent years hasn’t been nearly as good. More importantly, his inability to find a long-term answer at the quarterback position since Andrew Luck retired has held Inddy back. Sure, Luck’s unexpected decision to call it quits before the start of the 2019 season caught the Colts off guard but they have had more than enough time to find a replacement and they’ve failed to do so even though they’ve taken several stabs.
Philip Rivers was a solid stopgap in 2020 but he also hung up the cleats after his one and only season in Indianapolis. Ballard then traded for Carson Wentz but he quickly showed he was no longer a viable starting quarterback and they shipped out of town only one year after acquiring him.
Because the third time is the chart, the Colts traded for veteran Matt Ryan last offseason. Unfortunately, the 2016 league MVP proved he was way past his prime and was benched in favor of Sam Ehlinger, who hadn’t attempted a pass in the NFL before 2022.
Make no mistake though. The lack of stability at quarterback could turn out to be Ballard’s downfall but the truth is that he hasn’t much fared at other positions. Had he done a better job of acquiring talent the last two years, the Colts wouldn’t be coming off back-to-back losing seasons
No. 2 AFC South 2023 GM Power Ranking: Nick Caserio, Houston Texans
The Houston Texans were a playoff team in the mid-2010s but they became a mess when they granted general manager powers and full personnel control to then-head coach Bill O’Brien. When the Texans cut ties with O’Brien, they hired Nick Caserio at vice president of player personnel Jack Easterby’s suggestion.
Easterby had a huge say in personnel decisions but he was kicked to the curb after the 2021 season, which allowed Caserio to run the team’s front office without interference. While Houston finished the 2022 season with a losing record, they acquired several key contributors in last year’s draft. Safety Jalen Pitre and running back Dameon Pierce went on to fill important roles while Kenyon Green became a mainstay of the offensive line.
All things considered, Caserio was dealt a bad hand. He took over a roster filled with expensive contracts and devoid of draft picks. However, he got a pretty good haul in exchange for quarterback Deshaun Watson last offseason and has slowly but steadily gotten the Texans back on track.
Next on Caserio’s to-do list is coming out of this year’s draft with another solid batch of playmakers and finding a franchise quarterback. Last year, the Texans gave Davis Mills a shot to prove he was the long-term answer at the position but came crashing down. Working in Caserio’s favor this offseason is that Houston will have two first-round picks (their own and the second of three they got in the Watson trade) and nearly $40 million cap space.
No. 1 AFC South 2023 GM Power Ranking: Trent Baalke, Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars raised eyebrows when they hired Trent Baalke as their general manager in 2021. He was originally hired as the vice president of player personnel a year earlier but was promoted to interim general manager when Dave Caldwell was given the pink slip late in the 2020 season.
At the time the Jags made Baalke the general manager, he didn’t have a glowing reputation around the league and was seen as someone who’s difficult to work with. Leaving aside his personality, his track record of identifying talent during his tenure with the San Francisco 49ers left much to be desired.
Baalke wasn’t a visible figure during the short-lived Urban Meyer era, so it’s hard to assess how much blame he should get for the Jaguars’ 3-14 record in 2021. Regardless of his role, he was an unpopular figure among fans, who wanted him gone and even organized a movement to see him get removed from his position.
In the end, Jaguars owner Shad Khan chose to keep Baalke in spite of the pressure. While Baalke might have hindered the organization’s search for a head coach last offseason, he did a great job of replenishing the roster and was a big reason why the Jaguars made the playoffs and win the AFC South for the first time since 2017.
Last offseason, Baalke was under scrutiny for giving Christian Kirk, Zay Jones, and Evan Engram top-market contracts. They all went to have career years, so it’s fair to say Baalke got the last laugh. Although he won’t have as much cap space as he had last year, he can solidify his place as one of the top general managers in the NFL if he can find a handful of playmakers in the draft.