The Jacksonville Jaguars are leaving no stone unturned in their search for a new head coach. Not long after dismissing Doug Pederson, they placed several requests to interview potential candidates for their vacancy. While many of the options are most definitely appealing, others leave a bit to be desired, and one of them isn't getting great reviews ahead of his meeting with the Jags.
Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore is one of the candidates the Jaguars put in a request for. Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated reports that they'll meet with him on Friday the 17th. And heading into the meeting, John Kincade of 975 The Fanatic shared his thoughts about Moore.
"I am not a believer, though, that he's a difference-maker. And to me, like you talk about everybody with like Ben Johnson, the Detroit offensive coordinator, that man, his innovation, his creativity, is clearly cutting edge and different. I don't really think that with Kellen Moore," Kincade said during an appearance on 1010 XL. "I think Kellen Moore is more the guy who usually always gets an NFL head coaching job, the guy who's been an assistant for a long time or been a coordinator for a while that then gets to be a head coach because it's their turn."
Kincade continued, "To me, it's not that he has anything that he does in his job that jumps off the page and says, ¡Man, this guy's a supreme innovator,' or the guy you got to hire for the job."
For reference, Kincade has followed the Eagles for a long time. He has first-hand knowledge of the team and Moore's work since becoming their offensive coordinator last year.
It's also worth noting that this isn't the first time Moore has applied for the Jaguars' head coaching job. He was a candidate for their opening in 2022 but didn't make the cut. In his defense, it's been three years since then, and it's possible that he's grown as a coach. That said, Kincade's comments should be a reason for concern.
The Jaguars probably have better options than Kellen Moore
The Jacksonville Jaguars deserve praise for casting a wide net in their coaching search. Having said that, there are probably more capable candidates than Kellen Moore. Granted, the Philadelphia Eagles and the Dallas Cowboys have had pretty good offenses with him at the helm, but it's fair to wonder how much that is due to talent and how much is to coaching.
Back in 2020, the Boys lost Dak Prescott to injury and went 6-10. Sure, losing your starting quarterback is a massive hit, but Moore still had ample talent to work with on offense. Yet, they ranked in the bottom half of the league in points scored that year. Similarly, the Eagles' passing game hasn't been always clicking with him leading the offense.
Sure, Saquon Barkley crossed the 2,000 yards for Philly last year, but he was already a talented running back and the Eagles offensive line was better than the one he had with the New York Giants.
If the Jaguars really want an offensive-minded coach, they should go after either Ben Johnson or Liam Coen. Both are seemingly better candidates than Moore. Similarly, Robert Saleh is an appealing option if they want to roll with a coach with a defensive background.
Having said that, the Jacksonville Jaguars should still meet with Kellen Moore. It doesn't hurt to see what he offers, but they shouldn't get their hopes too high.