Jacksonville Jaguars offense in good shape even after losing Jim Bob Cooter to Colts

Doug Pederson put together a pretty good staff when he became the head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars, so it’s not surprising to see other clubs trying to poach some of their assistants following the success they had in 2022. In particular, passing game coordinator Jim Bob Cooter garnered interest from different teams across the league before he was hired by the Indianapolis Colts to be their offensive coordinator.

Jeremy Fowler first broke the news that Cooter was defecting to Indy. While the Colts haven’t announced the move as of this writing, they were finalizing the deal Monday afternoon and it should make it official anytime soon. Before landing in Indianapolis, Cooter was heavily courted by the Carolina Panthers and was seen as a strong candidate to fill the same position. However, the job ultimately went to former Los Angeles Rams assistant head coach Thomas Brown.

Cooter is the second assistant the Jaguars will lose this offseason. Wide receivers coach Chris Jackson accepted the same job with the Texas Longhorns despite the fact that he originally denied he would leave. But even after losing both Cooter and Jackson, the Jaguars’ offensive staff remains in good shape ahead of the 2023 season.

The Jacksonville Jaguars coaching staff has plenty of talent even without Jim Bob Cooter

The Jaguars would have probably liked to keep Cooter around but that’s the nature of the business. In fact, it’s a good sign other teams are looking at their staff to fill their vacancies but despite the fact that Cooter played a big role in crafting game plans and preparation for games last year, the Jags should be able to overcome his loss.

Press Taylor proved to be a good offensive coordinator in his first season on the job and he should be even better with one year of experience under his belt. Similarly, quarterbacks coach Mike McCoy has experience as an offensive coordinator and head coach at the NFL level, so he could pick some of the slack.

Conversely, the Jaguars could also opt to go into the 2023 season without a passing game coordinator. As John Shipley of Jaguar Report noted, Pederson has only had a passing game coordinator in two of his six seasons as a head coach in the NFL, so there’s a chance Jacksonville won’t fill the opening left by Cooter’s departure.

Whether the Jacksonville Jaguars replace Cooter or not, they have enough talent and continuity on their coaching staff to pick up where they left off last year.