Doug Pederson teases announcement date for revealing Jaguars offensive playcaller

One of the biggest plotlines surrounding the Jacksonville Jaguars in the offseason was whether head coach Doug Pederson or offensive coordinator Press Taylor would call plays on offense in 2024. It won't ultimately matter who holds the responsibility as long as they're winning. However, the Jags are close to making an announcement.

Pederson met with the local media ahead of the Week 1 matchup against the Miami Dolphins. He says that he hasn't made up his mind yet but could let them know Wednesday, jokingly adding that "maybe we'll never know." Here's the full presser in case you want to give it a look.

After calling plays in a handful of games in 2022, Taylor was given the responsibility full-time last year. He did a fine job to start the season, but the offense faded down the stretch. The dip coincided with the injuries the team suffered at the end of the year, but he shared most of the blame for his unit's dearth of production. This led to questions about his viability as a coordinator and a playcaller.

Despite Taylor's shortcomings, Pederson went to bat for him, pointing out that he overall did a fine job. Later in the offseason, the head coach said that he was considering reclaiming playcalling duty. When asked about it following the 31-7 win over the Atlanta Falcons in Week 3 of the preseason, he said they still had ample time to make a decision.

Taylor says he's fine one way or another, noting that he'll do what Pederson says it's best for the team. Owner Shad Khan, for his part, said he had a preference, heavily implying that he wanted the head coach to call the shots.

Whoever calls plays for the Jaguars will have success if the O-Line blocks

As Jaguars legend Tony Boselli pointed out, it won't matter who calls plays as long as he does a good job. The Hall-of-Fame left tackle also noted that Press Taylor didn't have much success last year because they were pushed around in the offensive trenches. He's right. On the other hand, this has been a topic of discussion because one of Doug Pederson's biggest strenghts is calling plays, which is why it's puzzling to see him delegate the responsibility.

One thing that would make Pederson feel comfortable taking back playcalling duty is that he doesn't have to pay nearly as much attention to the defense as he did the past two years. Mike Caldwell was a first-time coordinator when he got the job in 2022. He experienced ups and downs throughout his stint and was ultimately dismissed in the offseason. The Jaguars hired the experienced Ryan Nielsen to take his place.

Nielsen is a much more accomplished coordinator. He's put an emphasis on fundamentals and technique, traits the defense lacked under his predecessor. With him having a strong command of his side of the ball, Pederson may be compelled to call the shots on offense.

The game against the Miami Dolphins is just around the corner. The Jaguars will have made a decision by them. Heck, they might've already made it. Pederson just hasn't announced yet. Either way, it will soon be revealed who'll be the playcaller in 2024.

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