3 Observations on Jaguars’ Assistant Jim Bob Cooter Leaving for the Colts

What does the exit of Jim Bob Cooter really mean for the Jaguars moving forward?

The Jacksonville Jaguars will be having a new-look offensive staff in 2023. 

After replacing former wide receivers coach Chris Jackson with Chad Hall, the Jaguars will also now likely have to find a replacement for passing game coordinator Jim Bob Cooter, who reportedly is expected to be hired as the offensive coordinator with the Indianapolis Colts. 

Jim Bob Cooter is expected to be named offensive coordinator for the Indianapolis Colts, per sources. Last year’s pass-game coordinator with Jacksonville was former Lions OC, worked with quarterbacks Payton Manning, Matthew Stafford and Trevor Lawrence in the past.

— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) February 20, 2023

What does Cooter's departure from Jacksonville and Doug Pederson's staff mean for the Jaguars in 2023? We break it down below. 

Why this isn't a huge loss in terms of stability for the Jaguars' offense and Trevor Lawrence 

The Jaguars have stressed continuity along the offensive side of the ball over and over again since the 2022 season ended. Even during the season, the Jaguars made clear how important it was to them to bring back as many coaches as possible, especially those who have a hand in the development of quarterback Trevor Lawrence. On the surface, losing a passing game coordinator from a top-10 offense goes against that idea. But when looking deeper, there are plenty of reasons to think this is a hire the Jaguars can stomach.

When watching the Jaguars' offense throughout training camp, the offseason and the regular-season, it was hard to say Cooter was ever one of the primary pieces of Lawrence's development. He had a voice in game planning and scheming and clearly worked with Lawrence now and then, but Lawrence spent more practice time with Mike McCoy, assistant quarterbacks coach Andrew Breiner, and offensive coordinator Press Taylor. In terms of the most important coaches to Lawrence's development after Pederson, these three coaches are likely ahead of Cooter on the pecking order.

Overall, Cooter was well-liked by the locker room and respected by his fellow coaches, and losing any assistant from one of the best offenses in team history isn't exactly a win. With that said, it isn't the worst-case scenario for the Jaguars, even if the Colts will know more about the Jaguars' offense next year than they did this year.

One external and internal candidate to replace Cooter

Perhaps the Jaguars don't replace Cooter and opt to not have a passing game coordinator in 2023. Since Cooter wasn't a position coach, the Jaguars could theoretically survive without filling his role, which is a role that isn't found on every coaching staff. As for Pederson, he has only had a passing game coordinator on his staff in two of his six seasons as a head coach (2020 and 2022). 

With that said, the Jaguars have options if they want to find a replacement for Cooter. If Pederson wants to elevate a coach on his current staff, it would make sense to promote quarterbacks coach Mike McCoy while also promoting assistant quarterbacks coach Andrew Breiner to McCoy's current role. McCoy is a veteran coach with a quarterback background, he has been a passing game coordinator before, and Breiner is a ready-made replacement. This would make sense.

If the Jaguars want to make an external hire and add a new face to the coaching staff, how about former Houston Texans offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton? The Jaguars wanted to interview Hamilton for a role on the staff last season and he has a long and extensive quarterbacks background.  

Jaguars' coaches being poached for assistant jobs is a great sign for their trajectory 

For the firs time in a long time, the Jaguars are losing assistants for good reasons. It used to be that the Jaguars only lost assistants because the entire coaching staffs were fired after losing seasons or because their contracts expired. Now, though, the Jaguars are finally seeing other teams look their coaching staff for answers. Teams, for once, are looking up at the Jaguars when it comes to coaching.

The reason for this starts and ends with Doug Pederson, and it probably isn't going away anytime soon. Offensive coordinator Press Taylor could be in line to receive calls in future offseasons as long as the Jaguars continue to move at this rate, which is what comes with the price of success.