The Jacksonville Jaguars entered the 2023 season with high expectations. Although they were far from perfect, they got off to an encouraging start, going 6-2 before their BYE. Unfortunately, they weren't able to build on their early success and came crumbling down in the second half, winning just three of their last nine games. Looking back, it was not just one thing that led to their collapse but rather a combination of a few.
For starters, the offensive line couldn't block. Without enough time to throw, Trevor Lawrence found himself having to push harder than he should have. The fact that he dealt with a myriad of injuries throughout the year didn't help matters. Also, the Jags couldn't get the running game going because they routinely lost the battle in the trenches. Things weren't much better on defense, with the group routinely blowing assignments and missing tackles at an alarming rate, especially down the stretch.
Not surprisingly, the organization moved on from defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell and most of his assistants once the season concluded. While they won't make changes to the front office or the offensive staff, the Jaguars do need to modify their approach if they want to bounce back in 2024. In particular, they need to make these three changes.
3. Jaguars owner Shad Khan must demand results from Doug Pederson and Trent Baalke
Shad Khan routinely has shown patience throughout his stint as the owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars. He stuck with Dave Caldwell too long. The same is true for Gus Bradley and Doug Marrone. Even though he deserves praise for not being impulsive, he must demand more from Doug Pederson and Trent Baalke moving forward.
The Jags had a shot at making the playoffs in 2023 and fell short. That should no longer be acceptable. They have a franchise quarterback in place and more than enough talent at several position groups. While flawed, the roster was good enough to qualify for the postseason. It's Pederson's task to get the most out of the players he has. He didn't in the second half of the season. Similarly, Baalke failed to load up on talent last year.
Gene Frenette of The Florida-Times Union recently wrote a column in which he argues that both Pederson and Baalke should be on the hot seat in 2023, and he's right. Whether Khan issues a decree or sets goals, he cannot afford a repeat of last year. He needs to pull rank, and let it be known that failing to win the AFC South won't be acceptable.
2. Doug Pederson must set the tone, the buck stops with him
It's not surprising that Doug Pederson decided to move on from defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell. While the defense got off to a hot start and racked up takeaways early in 2023, they lost steam as the year progressed. Late in the season, his unit looked sloppy, and unprepared despite the fact that they had enough talent at most position groups.
Following the end of the season, Pederson said that the team wouldn't fix things on the spot and would instead wait until practice or meetings to do so. He wasn't solely referring to the defensive side of the ball. In fact, mistakes also plagued the offense. The difference is that he opted to keep Press Taylor around, arguing that he could improve but overall did a good job in his first season as a play-caller full-time.
Pederson also pinned most of the blame for the offense's inability to score on turnovers and mistakes that could have been prevented. While he does have a point that players must execute, it's up to coaches to ensure they're sharp in practice. That's where Taylor most certainly needs to be better. Being a coordinator goes beyond game-planning and calling plays. They must also make sure communication between players is optimal, which didn't always seem to be the case in 2023.
In the end, Pederson believes Taylor is the right man for the job, and he could be right. It's up to him to prove the head coach made the right call. Moving forward, Pederson must demand better production from both Taylor and whoever the Jaguars hire as their defensive coordinator.
From an outside perspective, it's hard to tell what went wrong in the coaches' room. What's certain is that their approach last year didn't work and need to change how they do things, or else they run the risk of missing the playoffs again next season.
1. Trent Baalke needs to focus on doing his job, draft good players
Not long ago, Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated reported that Trent Baalke wasn't pleased with Press Taylor's performance as the offensive coordinator. Even though it's true that Taylor needs to craft a more imaginative game plan and do a better job of preparing his players, that's not something Baalke should be paying attention to. Instead, he should be looking at a mirror if he wants to know where things went wrong last year.
While Baalke did a good job of drafting a handful of building blocks in 2021, the jury is still out in his past two draft classes. Travon Walker, the first overall pick in 2022, has progressively gotten better but the Jaguars are still waiting for other players in the same class to step up. The same is true for their 2023 counterpart. Leaving right tackle Anton Harrison and defensive back Antonio Johnson aside, last year's class was underwhelming.
The fact that Jacksonville had 13 picks last year but only got production from two players is a reason for concern, and that falls on Baalke. Of course, not everything is gloom and doom. He signed linebacker Foyesade Oluokun, tight end Evan Engram, wide receiver Christian Kirk, and cornerback Darious Williams in 2022. All of them have gone on to become impact contributors for the Jaguars.
Having said that, Baalke needs to hit on draft picks more often. He must also be aggressive in the offseason to fill roster holes. Last year, he opted to take a conservative approach to address the pass rush rotation and the interior offensive line. His lack of urgency hurt the team, and both needs remain at the top of his to-do list in 2024.
As noted before, Baalke should be on a short leash in 2024. He needs to stop worrying about what others do and make sure the Jaguars load up on talent in the upcoming months.