Jaguars’ Reported Defensive Hires Suggest a Major Shift in Scheme

Jacksonville will reportedly have three former Baltimore Ravens defensive assistants on Urban Meyer's staff this year, suggesting the Jaguars are about to undergo a serious change in how they operate on that side of the ball.

The Jacksonville Jaguars and Urban Meyer have yet to officially announce any additions to the team's coaching staff, but that hasn't stopped the flow of reports and rumors about who may join Meyer's first NFL staff.

Among those names that will reportedly be joining Meyer in Jacksonville are three assistants from one coaching staff: defensive coordinator Joe Cullen and assistants Sterling Lucas and Zach Orr. The Athletic's Jeff Zrebiec reported that Lucas and Orr would be joining Cullen in the migration from Baltimore to Jacksonville. 

With those additions, as well as the potential addition of former Kansas City Chiefs defensive coordinator Bob Sutton, one thing has been made clear: the Jaguars are revamping their defensive scheme from the ground up.

Cullen has been Baltimore's defensive line coach since 2016, giving him a front-row seat to how Baltimore coaches their 3-4 defensive front. Lucas had worked for the Ravens since 2016 and in 2020 was the team's assistant defensive line coach. Meanwhile, Orr had been an assistant for the Ravens since 2017 after playing linebacker for the team for several seasons. 

Add in the fact that Sutton has a long history as a 3-4 coach with aggressive defensive fronts, and it has become abundantly clear that Meyer and his staff have a new vision for Jacksonville's defense. 

Meyer's entire coaching history has seen him delegate his defense to his assistants, and the hiring of several Ravens assistants to join Cullen suggests this is more or less the case during his first season with the Jaguars.  

With that responsibility means the defense will be largely Cullen's to shape. If he brings over any of the principles and philosophies that have helped create the identity of the Ravens' defense over the last several years, then the Jaguars could be expected to have an entirely new-look defense. 

As we have discussed before, the Jaguars have more or less operated under the same defensive scheme since 2013. There have obviously been new wrinkles from time to time, but the Jaguars' entire identity on defense never did. They were a "bend, don't break" defense that wanted to keep everything in front of them and force the offense into making their own mistakes.

While the Jaguars didn't always adhere to the stereotypical Cover 3, single-high safety scheme that the Seattle defense has been based on, the defensive front never really changed. It was always a 4-3 front with a shaded nose and a five-technique anchoring one edge of the defensive line.

Baltimore's defenses over the last several seasons couldn't be more different, however. Jacksonville never let their players roam along the front seven, with defensive ends Josh Allen and K'Lavon Chaisson being limited to keeping their hands in the dirt more often than not.

The Ravens' defensive scheme has done the exact opposite. They stand up their defenders on the edge, blitz aggressively, and let their best players find mismatches. They push the envelope instead of letting the offense dictate the terms. 

A revamping of Jacksonville's core philosophies on defense was badly needed entering 2020, and maybe even 2019, but the Jaguars never pulled the trigger. Now, it could be assumed that they have. Perhaps the new additions don't mean a more aggressive defense with a multiple front, but there is no reason to think otherwise as of now. 

The Jaguars finished ranked No. 31 in a number of key defensive metrics last year, including yards and points per game, defensive DVOA, first downs allowed, and net yards gained per pass attempt. Talent was a bigger issue than the scheme, but the Jaguars didn't put their best players in good positions either way. 

Now, the Jaguars could potentially have the defensive scheme to change that. The hiring of several Ravens assistants indicates the Jaguars will have a major shift on that side of the ball, a shift that could ultimately benefit a number of key defenders.

If the Jaguars are to make that shift, they still need plenty of upgrades along the roster. No defensive scheme would be successful without talented players, and that should be Jacksonville's main focus. But as long as the Jaguars supply Cullen and his staff with the players they need, the Jaguars' defense can be expected to look much, much differently.