This former HC makes sense to replace Nick Holz as the Jaguars pass game coordinator

The Jacksonville Jaguars believe turnovers were the biggest reason for the offense's struggles last year. The thinking goes that if they cut down on mistakes, they'll bounce back in 2024. Trying to build continuity on that side of the ball, the Jags kept most of the staff intact, keeping all but two coaches. However, they'll also need to look for a passing game coordinator with Nick Holz bolting for the Tenessee Titans. A former head coach could be the ideal replacement.

Holz interviewed for the offensive coordinator job with the Titans in late January. Ian Rapoport of NFL Media and other outlets reported Tennessee officially hired him. Now, the Jaguars have an opening for their passing game coordinator position. They don't need one to run the offense but head coach Doug Pederson has had two since he joined Jacksonville in 2022. Before Holz, they had Jim Bob Cotter, who became the Indianapolis Colts offensive coordinator last year.

If the Jaguars want to bring in someone to fill the void, Frank Reich could be at the top of Pederson's list. While Reich's stint as the head coach of the Carolina Panthers didn't go as planned, he's got ample experience coaching in the NFL and was Pederson's offensive coordinator with the Philadelphia Eagles. Their Super Bowl run in 2017 helped Reich land a head-coaching gig with the Colts the following year.

You could argue that Reich's 41-43 record as a head coach isn't impressive, and you would be right. That said, part of his failure in Carolina had to do with things outside his control. The biggest one was the meddling presence of owner David Tepper. The second one was the dearth of talent he had at his disposal. But even when you take his shortcomings as a head coach into account, he brings many positives to the table.

In Indianapolis, Reich was able to squeeze the last ounce of talent out of Phillip Rivers. He also got the most out of Jacoby Brissett, who joined the Colts just before the 2019 season right after Andrew Luck abruptly retired. He wasn't able to revive Carson Wentz's career but he had him play at an MVP level in Philly. Simply put, the Jaguars need someone who can steer the offense in the right direction, and Reich fits that role.

The Jacksonville Jaguars must fix the offense, Frank Reich could help

The offense wasn't bad in 2023 but it wasn't great either. As Doug Pederson said, turnovers held them back. Then again, he should've been more specific. Trevor Lawrence must work on cutting down on the number of fumbles. He's had a concerning 12 each of the past two years. He also had 14 interceptions but you could argue that was the result of trying to look for the big play to give the team a spark. Also, the star quarterback was injured for most of the second half of the season.

The fact that the offensive line couldn't block didn't help matters. It's fair to assume that if the team's brass fortifies the line of scrimmage and Lawrence is at full strength, he'll rebound in 2024. On the other hand, the coaching staff must do its part and put an emphasis on details. Last year, miscommunication wasn't always optimal, and the offense looked sloppy at times.

Pederson believes offensive coordinator Press Taylor is part of the solution but it wouldn't hurt to have a coach of Frank Reich's caliber in the staff. Taylor may not not want other voices in the room but the truth is that he can only benefit from adding Reich to the staff. After all, iron sharpens iron, right?

Here are more stories from Black & Teal: