REPORT: When Should the Jaguars Make a Change?

The Jacksonville Jaguars are a losing team in 2024. Struggling is an understatement. Should they stay the course?

Oct 16, 2024; Watford, United Kingdom; Jacksonville Jaguars coach Doug Pederson during practice at The Grove. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Jacksonville Jaguars are on the brink at 1-5.

This was supposed to be the best team in franchise history and instead, it is among the worst through Week 7. Everything is pointing to leadership, namely head coach Doug Pederson and general manager Trent Baalke.

Rumors galore about fractures between the two. Seemingly no answers on the field as the Jaguars continue to spiral. Every week, adjustments are promised. Every week, there seems to be more of a let down in Duval.

Owner Shad Khan is one of the best in the league and he invested heavily into this team. He sank $275 million into franchise quarterback Trevor Lawrence. Spent money for free agents like defensive lineman Arik Armstead in the offseason.

And then the team loses. A player like Andre Cisco comes out and says he saw "quit." Questions of culture arise. What are we doing here?

Writing for the 33rd Team, former NFL offensive lineman Ross Tucker gave his thoughts on rocky situations like what the Jaguars face, or the Cowboys and Jets. He posed the question -- should teams stay the course or make a big change?

He drew from experience.

"It is when anyone and everyone is calling for change after disappointing starts in all of the aforementioned cities and more. But is that the best move? Based on my experience, the answer would be no," Tucker wrote. " Look, I get it. It’s a bad time to be a fan of these teams that look like they likely won’t be a legit playoff team or even competitive the rest of the season. I can assure you that the only place it might be more miserable is in one of these NFL facilities. I was on the Washington team that started 0-5 in 2001 and the 0-4 Buffalo team in 2004. It’s bad. Some coaches won’t look players in the eyes. People begin to question themselves. There can be in-fighting among sides of the ball. With the anticipation of change, some players and coaches start to wonder if they will be the one, or perhaps one of many, to lose their jobs. What’s so interesting is that no major changes were made in both instances. No coaches were fired, and no play-callers were stripped of duties. I don’t even remember any players getting benched.

"Although, in fairness, head coach Marty Schottenheimer had moved on to Tony Banks after cutting starting quarterback Jeff George. That happened after Week 2, and we had still lost three more games in a row. Do you know what Schottenheimer did in 2001 and Mike Mularkey did in Buffalo in 2004? They stayed the course. They stuck to their beliefs, doubled down on their core values, and found a way to win a game. And then the next one. And then things snowballed. In Washington, linebacker Lavar Arrington made a season-changing pick-six against the Panthers, which spurred us to five straight wins and an 8-8 finish. In Buffalo, we went 9-2 after losing those first four and narrowly missed a playoff berth. Does that mean that all of the aforementioned teams should stand pat? Absolutely not. It means that you don’t have to make a big change to turn things around after a slow start."

Every situation is different and the results of cleaning house or keeping with the status quo will vary. But the Jaguars cannot afford another loss. A losing culture would be a catastrophe.

Khan will adjust accordingly.

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