There's been chatter about the Jacksonville Jaguars potentially moving on from Doug Pederson. A report surfaced that they could move on from him if they were embarrassed against the Detroit Lions in Week 12. They were humiliated but he's still around, so if the Jags pull the trigger, they'll probably do it when the season ends. But they cannot stop with the head coach. General manager Trent Baalke must also get his walking papers.
Baalke originally joined Jacksonville as their vice president of player personnel in 2020. He was appointed as interim general manager when Dave Caldwell was dismissed later that year and got the job full-time in 2021.
Since taking over, Baalke has had a handful of hits in the draft. On the other hand, he's also made several splash signings in free agency, and many of them haven't had the impact the organization expected.
Sure, wide receiver Christian Kirk and tight Evan Engram, but the general manager has also made several mistakes that have tainted his work. These three blunders in particular could end up playing a role in his dismissal if he doesn't want to leave on his own.
Releasing Darious Williams and not finding a replacement
One brilliant move Baalke's made that isn't discussed nearly enough is signing cornerback Darious Williams in 2022. After spending nearly all of his NFL career with the Los Angeles Rams, the former UAB Blazer signed with a three-year worth $33 million with the Jags. He went on to become one of their most productive players on defense, registering four interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown, and a jaw-dropping 35 passes defensed in 34 games.
However, the Jags didn't think Williams was worth the $11 million he was set to make in 2024 and released him in a cap-saving move. Sure, that's no chump change, and moving on from a player you don't think fits your vision isn't necessarily a bad move. The issue was that the Jags signed Ronald Darby to replace Williams and the results have been dreadful.
In theory, signing Darby made sense when you consider that he's been a dependable starter throughout his career. However, he's struggled in Jacksonville to the point that he was benched in favor of Montaric Brown. Given that the team can release him and create a bit of cap space next year, it looks like he'll be one and done with the Jaguars.
Looking back, cutting Williams was a bad move that created a need at cornerback the Jaguars didn't have when he was in the fold.
Giving Gabe Davis a market contract in spite of his red flags
Signing Gabe Davis to a three-year deal worth $39 million is another move that the Jaguars made less than a year ago and surely regret already. Granted, they wanted to upgrade their receiver corps but they had better (or at least) safer options.
Davis had an average catch rate of 55 percent throughout his four-year stint with the Buffalo Bills. The expectation was that he was going to improve while catching passes from Trevor Lawrence in Jacksonville. This made sense when you take into account that both Zay Jones and Christian Kirk improved when they signed with the Jags in 2022.
Unfortunately, that wasn't the case with Davis, who was instead on pace to set career lows for catches and receiving yards in a season before he suffered a knee injury that ended his season prematurely.
Maybe Davis will improve in 2024, but for the time being, it's hard to imagine that the Jags are thrilled about his production.
Paying Arik Armstead a premium to play on the edge
When the Jaguars signed Arik Armstead to a three-year deal worth $43.5 million in the offseason, they gave positive reviews. After all, the former Oregon Duck had been one of the best interior defenders in the NFL during his time with the San Francisco 49ers. What not many observers knew was that he was going to play on the edge in Duval.
Sure, the Jaguars needed a No. 3 edge rusher to round out their rotation, but Armstead is at his best when he plays inside. What makes the move even worse is that he's playing like someone who's out the position.
In the few instances in which Armstead has lined up on the interior, he's thrived, which makes you wonder why Jacksonville insists on having him play edge.