Press Taylor makes surprising appearance on illustrious list despite Jaguars' issues

Becoming a head coach in the NFL is an impressive feat. After all, there are only 32 jobs and only a few of them are available every year. This makes them a highly coveted position. Heck, the Jacksonville Jaguars could be in the market for one if they dismiss Doug Pederson this season or next year. Offensive coordinator Press Taylor will probably be shown the door too, which is why it was a bit puzzling to see him on a list of potential candidates in the next hiring cycle.

Tom Pelissero of NFL Media drew up a list of potential head-coaching candidates in 2025. Most of the names, such as Ben Johnson or Jessee Minter are obvious picks. Others are less-know but still intriguing options. And then, there's Taylor.

Regarding Taylor's inclusion on the list of candidates, Pelissero points out that the offensive coordinator is responsible for coming up with the Philly Special during the Philadelphia Eagles' Super Bowl run and the Jags' turnaround in 2022.

"A two-time national juco champion as a QB and the brother of Bengals coach Zac Taylor, Press broke into the NFL as a quality control coach in Philadelphia in 2013 and made a notable contribution to the Eagles' Super Bowl LII win: Doug Pederson credited Taylor with the idea for the "Philly Special." Reunited in 2022 with Pederson in Jacksonville, Taylor built the offense and quietly called plays in the second halves of games as the Jaguars made a surprise playoff run."

Pelissero goes on to say that the likes of tight end Evan Engram, wide receiver Christian Kirk, and wide receiver Zay Jones all enjoyed career years with Taylor leading the way. On the other hand, he cites Jacksonville's current 2-9 record as a reason any potential suitors could be wary.

"This has been an ugly season for the Jags, who are 2-9 -- including a league-high six one-score losses -- and are now playing without injured quarterbackTrevor Lawrence. But Taylor remains a young assistant worth watching."

Taylor got his coaching career started as a graduate assistant at Tulsa in 2011 and made the leap as a quality control assistant with Philadelphia in 2013. He worked his way up and became their passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 2020.

Following the 2020 season, Pederson wanted to promote Taylor to offensive coordinator but Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie wasn't pleased with the pick, and Pederson quit as a result. When he got hired by the Jags in 2022, one of his first moves was to appoint Taylor as the offensive coordinator.

In his first season at the helm, Taylor called offensive plays at times and got the responsibility full-time the following year. Although the Jags got off to a strong start in 2023, they faded down the stretch and their offensive woes were part of the reason.

In Taylor's defense, his unit dealt with plenty of injuries in 2023. Then again, he wasn't able to adapt. Nevertheless, Pederson said he was pleased with his protegee's work, pointing out that he could be better but overall did a good job.

Expected to keep improving this season, Taylor and the offense have objectively gotten worse. When Trevor Lawrence was healthy, the Jags managed to reach the 20-point mark until Week 4.

To make matters worse, Lawrence has been dealing with a shoulder injury and sat out a couple games as a result. Without the star quarterback, Taylor and the offense have been exposed.

During the two games Lawrence has missed, the offense scored a combined 13 points. Some of it was due to Mac Jones but Taylor deserves plenty of blame.

Aside from Taylor, Jaguars special teams coordinator Heath Farwell and wide receivers coach Chad Hall made the cut as potential candidates to keep an eye on.

Press Taylor might not get much interest for HC openings if the Jaguars give him the boot

Change and turnover are some of the few constants in the NFL. This is understandable when you take into account that winning is the bottom line, and if you can't win much, you'll get shown the door sooner rather than later. Heck, Doug Pederson finds himself in this situation, as he's failed to get the Jacksonville Jaguars back on track and managed to go 3-14 dating back to Week 13 of the 2023 season.

If Pederson gets the boot, Press Taylor will walk with him. The former could probably get a job as an offensive coordinator but the latter may have trouble finding work if it isn't with his mentor. And that's the thing.

Apart from Pederson, there don't appear to be many teams or head coaches looking to add him to their staff. Perhaps he will have a few suitors if he's dismissed, but there's an equal chance he won't garner much interest.

The bottom line is that Press Taylor hasn't had much success with the Jaguars, so it would be legitimately shocking if a team considers him for a head-coaching opening.

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