While the lack of pass rush has been brought up as one of the reasons the Jacksonville Jaguars couldn't stop Josh Allen in the playoffs. However, they also gave up a huge play in the fourth quarter that ultimately allowed the Buffalo Bills to come out on top.
The play was the result of miscommunication in the secondary. And just days after the loss to the Bills, the man responsible for making sure the defensive backfield was operating properly has been given the boot.
Say that if the 2nd receiver (Shavers in this case) is out within 5 yards, the corner jumps it. It looks like Newsome wants to jump this, but Murray also reads like he's matching, so nobody picks up Cooks. Brutal miscommunication at a bad time
— JP Acosta (@acosta32_jp) January 12, 2026
The Jaguars have dismissed secondary coach Ron Milus
NFL insider Josina Anderson reports that the Jaguars have relieved secondary coach Ron Milus of his duties. The news came days after Josh Allen sliced through the Jacksonville defense in the playoffs, completing 28 of 35 of his passes for 273 yards with one touchdown.
I’m told that the #Jaguars are moving on from secondary coach Ron Milus, per league source.
— JosinaAnderson (@JosinaAnderson) January 16, 2026
Milus has been coaching in the NFL since the year 2000, starting off his pro career with the Denver #Broncos and coaching the back line of the defense with 9 different NFL teams over the… pic.twitter.com/Xo8jIb4aNO
It's hard to tell from an outside perspective how much of the secondary's performance in the playoffs played a role in Milus' outing. This is nothing more than a conjecture, but there's a chance that the coaching staff got together, and the head coach Liam Coen, or the team's leadership wasn't pleased with the solutions he offered to improve communication or the changes he wanted to make.
What's certain is that Milus is now gone, and it may be a matter of time before the team makes an announcement.
Milus joined Liam Coen's staff in 2025 and has been coaching in the NFL since 2000. During his stint in Jacksonville, the secondary ranked 21st in passing yards allowed and 14th in passing touchdowns allowed. Under his tutelage, safety Antonio Johnson and cornerback Montaric Brown had banner seasons. However, it might not have been enough to help him stick around.
Related: 5 players who definitely won't return to Jacksonville in 2025
The Jaguars will start to look for a Ron Milus replacement
With Ron Milus out of the picture, the Jaguars will now need to start the search for his replacement, and will have no shortage of options. Defensive backs coach Anthony Perkins would probably be the first in line to become their next secondary coach if the team is looking to promote from within. However, the Jags will also have external options.
Raheem Morris would be a coup get after being dismissed by the Atlanta Falcons, as he coached the secondary early in his NFL career. That said, he would surely be looking at defensive coordinator gigs at worst and is already getting offers for head-coaching vacancies. Perhaps Jacksonville could target Houston Texans defensive backs Dino Vasso or Seattle Seahawks passing game coordinator Karl Scott, who's garnering interest for defensive coordinator jobs.
The challenge of finding Milus' replacement is that other teams can block requests if the coach is interviewing for a lateral move. That means the Jags may want to bring in a position coach who has had success with another team or turn to the collegiate ranks to fill the vacancy.
Either way, the Jaguars are making it clear that they will make whatever changes necessary to ensure they can get over the hump in 2026.