3 Observations on Jaguars Adding Press Taylor As Offensive Coordinator
We have now seen exactly how Doug Pederson's first staff with the Jacksonville Jaguars is taking shape.
Pederson made it clear how confident he was in building a staff around him in Jacksonville that can develop and relate with the roster, pushing them closer and closer to being a winning team.
With the Jaguars' staff around Pederson now completely in place, how does each hire mean for the team moving forward? In an effort to put each new addition in context, we are going to go through some of the most important and high-profile hires to give an idea of what to expect from Pederson's staff.
Next, we take a look at offensive coordinator Press Taylor. What does the hiring of Taylor mean for the Jaguars offense after years under Pederson's tutelage? We break it down below.
Press Taylor will be given considerable responsibilities in 2022, making Doug Pederson's decision to hire him critical despite play-calling duties
There is an idea that Doug Pederson's hiring of an offensive coordinator is ultimately not overly important since Pederson himself is calling the plays, but that isn't exactly true in all senses. Pederson made it clear when he met with the media Friday that his offensive coordinator would play a large role on his staff, especially when it comes to game day duties.
"But look, the way I call plays, it's still a very collaborative approach. It's me and Press game day," Pederson said. "We're sitting there talking and he's giving me ideas and suggestions, and I'm going to -- Press is probably going to take some stuff from Jim Bob Cooter, Mike McCoy, they're going to get together between series. That's how this whole thing works on game day. At the end of the day it's coming together and making the right call at the right time, and then of course just teaching our players."
So regardless of whether Taylor is calling the plays or not, it is clear that Taylor will ultimately have a large influence and significant responsibilities when it comes to the Jaguars' offense. Taylor will be Pederson's most important assistant on the offensive side of the ball, which is the area the Jaguars are the furthest away from being competitive on.
Ultimately, Pederson and Taylor will have to prove that they are right when it comes to their pairing. Taylor has been regarded as an intelligent, engaging and organized coach, but there were criticisms of Pederson's loyalty to Taylor at the end of his tenure with the Eagles. Now, Pederson and Taylor have a chance to either make that narrative look foolish or make it ring true.
"He's the type of guy that as I went through my tenure there in Philadelphia, he's the kind of -- you always have the coaches you keep your eye on, and he was always one of those guys for me that I kept my eye on," Pederson said. "I knew that one day I think he was going to be an offensive coordinator. I felt that in my heart that he could be. I was going to eventually make him a coordinator possibly in Philadelphia, and things changed. I'm so excited for him because of the working relationship that we've had and how we think alike and how we bounce ideas off each other, and just looking forward to watching him flourish from here."
Taylor got a valuable year of knowledge on the Jaguars' core by working in AFC South last season
Taylor spent the 2021 season with the Indianapolis Colts, working under Frank Reich and getting a fresh perspective after nearly a decade working for two different head coaches with the Eagles. And one major positive of Taylor's time with the Colts is the fact that he won't be walking into the Jaguars' situation with a blind knowledge of exactly what needs to be tweaked and where the talent is.
"I was -- whether fortunate or unfortunate, I was on the opposite sideline the last game of the year with a chance to get to the playoffs and Trevor comes out, he's like 20 of 25 in the very first half, 9 of 11 on 3rd down, kind of lit us up and kept us out of the playoffs. I definitely remember that," Taylor said. At the time had a bad taste in my mouth, but now on this side of it, that was very encouraging, very exciting to see."
Taylor isn't a coach who will only be relying on the tried and true method of watching film to identify where the Jaguars are on offense and where they need to go from here, which is always an advantage. Taylor's knowledge of Lawrence's game and personality at this juncture is already a good sign, and it can be assumed that he brings similar value to the rest of the offense's pieces.
Trevor Lawrence's ability to improve at certain aspects of his game in Year Two will be the ultimate sign of whether Taylor is a success
There is one thing that will determine the success or failure of the Doug Pederson era and that is wins. But when it comes down to the details of whether Pederson's assistants were the right coaches for the job in Jacksonville facing all of them, it comes down to more than just wins and losses. And for Taylor, it comes down to Trevor Lawrence and a few key aspects of his game specifically: the red-zone and on third-down.
According to Pro Football Reference, Lawrence completed just 48.21% of his passes in the red-zone for seven touchdowns and two interceptions. Only two starters had a worse completion percentage and only three threw fewer touchdowns. And on third-down, Lawrence consistently ranked near the bottom of all qualifying quarterbacks, finishing No. 27 in success rate and No. 36 in completion percentage over expectation.
These numbers aren't all on Lawrence as he obviously got subpar coaching and had a below average supporting staff, but those are the two areas he will need to make the biggest leap in. If he does, then Taylor and the rest of Pederson's offensive staff did their job. If he doesn't, then Taylor will be one of the first coaches who will likely have to answer to it.
