Doug Pederson reveals crucial updates on Jaguars offensive playcaller for 2024

One of the biggest storylines surrounding the Jacksonville Jaguars ahead of the 2024 NFL Season is who'll play calls on offense. Whether it's head coach Doug Pederson or offensive coordinator Press Taylor remains to be seen but one key factor could play a big role.

Pederson met with the local media on the first day of training camp. He says that he hasn't yet decided who's going to hold playcalling duty but noted that Taylor would do it in practice.

"Yeah, we're still in discussion with all that," Pederson told the media. "Not ready to make a public decision yet."

Doug P was later asked if owner Shad Khan's preference for an offensive playcaller would tip the scale. He limited himself to say yes.

During the announcements for renovations to EverBank Stadium, Khan said that he had an opinion on who he preferred to call plays and went as far as implying that Pederson should do it. However, he would leave it to his head coach, pointing out that he didn't want to be later blamed for the decision if it went poorly.

Calling plays is one of Pederson's biggest strengths as a coach but he delegated the responsibility to Press Taylor in 2023 full-time. He had already held it in some games the year prior but only in a limited capacity.

All things considered, Taylor did a solid job, especially during Jacksonville's 8-3 start. However, the offense faltered down the stretch, and it looked like he wasn't able to adjust. The fact that they weren't able to consistently establish the run certainly definitely hurt the team. Then again, injuries also played a role. Ultimately, they ranked 13th in points scored and total yards.

But despite the offensive struggles, Pederson felt that Taylor had fared well in 2023. Then again, he said in the offseason that he had considered taking back playcalling duty.

For his part, Taylor said in the offseason that he doesn't mind giving up the responsibility if that's what the head coach decides. Here's Pederson's full exchange with the media.

Doug Pederson will make a decision in the best interest of the Jaguars

Press Taylor has been Doug Pederson's right-hand man dating back to his days as the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles. In fact, he wanted to promote him to offensive coordinator in 2021 and resigned over his disagreement with ownership on the decision.

When Pederson became the Jacksonville head coach, he appointed Taylor as the offensive coordinator. He's certainly not being a slouch. Back in 2022, they ranked 10th in points scored, and he called several games in which the offense thrived, including the comeback win against the Baltimore Ravens. He also crafted several effective game plans last year. The one against the Pittsburgh Steelers stands out.

This is to say that leaving playcalling duty to Taylor wouldn't be a horrible decision. On the other hand, Pederson is better at it. When you factor in that he won't have to oversee the defense as much as in previous years due to the presence of Ryan Nielsen, the Jaguars may be better off with Pederson calling plays.

In the end, though, it's up to Pederson to decide who'll handle playcalling. If the offense succeeds, nobody will bat an eye, but if things go sour, he'll get the blame. Not surprisingly, he's taking his time to ensure he makes the right call.

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