The Jacksonville Jaguars hit the reset button on defense, parting ways with defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell and most assistants on that side of the ball. However, they only cut ties with two offensive coaches, running backs coach Bernie Parmalee and assistant offensive line Todd Washington. Once legend Fred Taylor caught wind that there was an opening for the running backs coach job, he made it known that he was interested.
Not long after the Jags announced that they had moved on from Parmalee, Tylor responded on social media that he heard there was an opening and added the eyes emoji. Based on the responses, it looks like fans would welcome the hire.
Someone said the @jaguars running backs job was vacant… 👀
— Fred Taylor (@FredTaylorMade) January 9, 2024
All things considered, Parmalee's dismissal might not have been deserved. While rookie Tank Bigsby struggled in his rookie season, it seems like he wasn't fully confident in his own skill set. Parmalee didn't have anything to do with that. On the other hand, he's made Travis Etienne, the 25th overall pick in the 2021 draft, better.
Even though Etienne totaled 1,441 yards from scrimmage in his sophomore campaign, he fumbled five times. Under Parmalee's tutelage, he saw an improvement, cutting down the number to zero. You could argue that the former Clemson Tiger saw a drop in his yard-per-carry average from 5.1 in 2022 to 3.8 last year. However, that was the result of running behind a porous offensive line that couldn't hold ground at the point of attack.
Parmalee also turned James Robinson into a more productive running back. One year after crossing the 1,000-yard mark as an undrafted free agent, the former Illinios State Redbird saw his yard-per-carry average go up under Parmalee. Had he not been benched by Urban Meyer and torn his Achilles near the end of the 2021 season, he would probably have had an even better in his second year in the NFL.
In the end though, the Jaguars felt like Parmalee played a role on the team's inability to run in the second half of the season. Now, they'll need to look for an upgrade for their running backs job, and there might not be a better candidate than Fred Taylor.
3. This could be Fred Taylor's 1st coaching endeuvor but he knows what it takes
Fred Taylor doesn't have prior experience coaching in the NFL, but you have to start somewhere, right? More often than not, coaches will bring in candidates they're familiar with, but it's always good to get out of your comfort zone, and give someone else a chance. In this case, what Taylor lacks in experience, he more than makes up for it by knowing how to play the position at a high level.
It's true that great players don't always make great coaches, but Taylor's resume is good enough to warrant consideration. He doesn't have as many accolades as other running backs of his generation but one look at his tape will show that he was as good if not better than them.
While he may be a bit rough when it comes to knowing how to coach, that's something he can learn on the road.
2. It would bring attention to his Hall of Fame candidacy
This would benefit Fred Taylor more than the Jaguars but both sides would ultimately have something to gain. Just recently, the former Florida Gator was announced as a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. This is the first time he's made it as far, having previously been stuck in the semifinalist stage.
By getting a running backs coach in the NFL, he would get more notoriety. Also, he would be incentivized to do a good job. That in turn would be good news for the Jaguars. If he excels, that means their running backs are performing up to expectations.
1. It would bring more credibility to Doug Pederson's program
Doug Pederson won it all in his second season as the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, so it's fair to say that he landed in Jacksonville with a pretty good football resume. The fact that the Jags made the playoffs and won the postseason in his first season at the helm proved that hiring him was the right call.
Players responded positively to Pederson, and he was able to quickly get rid of Urban Meyer's stench almost right away. Looking back, it's a bit infuriating that he didn't earn enough consideration for the Coach of the Year award, which went to Brian Daboll instead.
But as good as Pederson was in his first season coaching the Jaguars, they took a step back in 2023. Early in the season, it looked like they were a lock to make the playoffs and win the AFC South for the season year in a row. Following the win over the Houston Texans in Week 12, they had a 99 percent chance of qualifying for the postseason. However, that remaining 1.0 percent proved to be too much for them.
The Jags ended up getting humiliated by a Tennessee Titans team that had not much to play for other than knocking their division foe out of contention. They showed up ready to play and came out on top, effectively preventing Jacksonville from making the playoffs. Following a disappointing end to the season, Doug Pederson moved on from several defensive assistants but chose to keep offensive coordinator Press Taylor around.
Based on Pederson's latest exchange with the media, he's confident Press Taylor can excel as the offensive coordinator. Maybe, he's right, but if that's the case, why not bring another Taylor, Fred, to show that he's not afraid of bringing in someone outside of his circle?
When It was announced that Fred Taylor was a finalist for the HOF, Pederson was efusive of his candidacy. If he thinks he was such a game-changer, why not see if that can carry over into the coaching ranks?