Doug Pederson close to making crucial announcement for Jaguars after win vs. Falcons

One of the biggest storylines surrounding the Jacksonville Jaguars in the offseason is who'll play calls on offense. With two weeks left before they face the Miami Dolphins in the season opener, the Jags are close to making a decision.

Following the 31-0 win over the Atlanta Falcons in Week 3 of the preseason, Pederson met with the press corps and said that he'll soon make a decision regarding the offensive playcaller.

"We've got a couple weeks", Pederson said. "We'll discuss that and go from there."

Who'll call plays has been a topic of discussion since the end of 2023. Last year, the responsibility was vested upon offensive coordinator Press Taylor. This was the first time he held such duty full-time and overall did a fine job. However, the Jaguars faded down the stretch and his performance was seen as a reason why.

Ultimately, the Jags finished 13th in points scored in the NFL last year. Pederson told the media after the end of 2023 that he thought Taylor had room for improvement but was pleased with his work. However, he changed his tune earlier this year, pointing out that he was thinking about potentially reclaiming playcalling duty.

When the Jaguars announced that they would be making a $1.4 billion investment in conjunction with the city of Jacksonville, Khan talked to the local media. During the exchange, the topic of who will call plays next season was brought up. He said he had a preference but stated that he didn't want to meddle in the team's operation, noting that he had a preference but trusted Pederson to make the right call.

Around training camp, Pederson was asked again about the responsibility and said that he still had plenty of time to make a decision. Given that there are two weeks left before the regular season, it's a matter of time before he announces it.

Press Taylor or Doug Pederson? It doesn't matter who call plays for the Jaguars

One of the reasons Press Taylor has been under scrutiny is that the Jaguars got off to a strong start in 2023 but faded down the stretch. In his defense, Trevor Lawrence dealt with a myriad of ailments that hindered his performance and the offensive line couldn't block. This made it challenging to establish any kind of rhythm or get the running game going. The fact that starting receivers Christian Kirk and Zay Jones missed time at different points of the year didn't help matters.

Maybe because Pederson knows Taylor wasn't dealt a great hand, he's stood up behind him. On the other hand, he knows he's under pressure to deliver in 2024, which is why he's at least considering calling plays again. This makes sense when you take into account that it's one of his biggest strengths as a head coach.

But as Jaguars legend Tony Boselli said, it doesn't matter who calls plays if the offensive line can't block. He's right, you can dial up the best call but if the hog mollies up front cannot keep No. 16's jersey clean or open lanes for Travis Etienne, it won't matter. Fortunately for Jacksonville, it looks like that won't be an issue in 2024.

The coaching staff got to see their starting offensive line perform against the Atlanta Falcons with encouraging results. Both Lawrence and Mac Jones enjoyed plenty of time to throw and most of the running backs enjoyed success toting the football.

If that's the way the offensive line plays in 2024, it won't matter whether Doug Pederson or Press Taylor calls plays. Then again, the Jags will get to check off an offseason box when they finally announce who'll hold duty.

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