After getting blown out 0-30 in Week 3, the Atlanta Falcons made changes to their coaching staff to potentially give their offense a spark. The Jacksonville Jaguars should strongly consider doing something similar even though they're coming off a crucial win over the Houston Texans.
After Week 3, the Falcons announced that they had parted ways with wide receivers coach Ike Hilliard. Similarly, they'll be moving offensive coordinator Zac Robinson from the box to the sidelines in an effort to turn things around. Both moves make sense, as whatever Atlanta has been doing has not been working.
Then again, it's worth noting that the Falcons are 1-2 while the Jags sit at 2-1 three weeks into the NFL season. Nevertheless, the Hilliard firing should prompt Jacksonville to also cut ties with their own wide receivers coach.
The Jaguars hired Edgar Bennett to coach their wide receivers
After Liam Coen was hired as the head coach, he put together his staff. For the wide receiver coach position, he chose veteran Edgar Bennett to replace Chad Hall. On paper, the move was fine.
After all, Bennett had just coached the wide receivers for the Las Vegas Raiders from 2018 to 2024, so they surely feel good about his work. So far, though, the former fullback-turned-position coach hasn't had much success in Jacksonville.
Brian Thomas Jr. and other Jaguars receivers are struggling with drops
While the Jaguars have done a good job of establishing the run under Liam Coen, they have been unable to get their passing game going. Some of the struggles stem from Trevor Lawrence's accuracy or lack thereof. However, he isn't getting much help from his receivers. In just three weeks, Jacksonville has been credited with an alarming 13 drops. That number leads the league, and one of the reasons No. 16 has found himself needing to force throws.
Again, Lawrence's accuracy hasn't always been pinpoint, but the receivers also dropped catchable passes. As the saying goes, if the ball touches your fingers, that should be a catch. But that hasn't been the case in Jacksonville, and since the buck stops with Edgar Bennett, he should be feeling the heat.
Bennett began his coaching career coaching the running backs for the Green Bay Packers from 2005 to 2010. He then switched to receivers in 2011 and was promoted to offensive coordinator in 2015. After three years, he was dismissed and hired as the Raiders receivers coach in 2018.
While Bennett was able to get the most out of Hunter Renfrow and Jakobi Meyers, he also struggled to develop Bryan Edwards or Zay Jones. This is a long-winded way to say that he had mixed results in Las Vegas.
With the Jaguars, Bennett isn't off to a great start. Brian Thomas Jr. has regressed after a stellar rookie campaign, hauling in seven receptions for 115 yards on 25 targets. On the other hand, Parker Washington has flashed this season but also had two head-scratching drops in Week 3.
Maybe the Jaguars will be able to take care of their drop issues. After all, it's early in the season, so it might take them a bit to hit their stride. But if things continue, they may need to consider giving Edgar Bennett the boot.