REPORT: JAGUARS TARGETING PRESS TAYLOR AS OC, PEDERSON EYES MIKE CALDWELL AS DC

Mike Caldwell Douglas DeFelice/USA Today Sports

The Jaguars are on the prowl for their coordinators. 

BY JORDAN DE LUGO

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According to Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network, the Jaguars have identified Press Taylor as their top candidate for their vacant offensive coordinator position. Wilson also mentioned that new Jaguars' head coach Doug Pederson's leading defensive coordinator candidate is Mike Caldwell. 

The Press Taylor news should come as no surprise. Taylor, the brother of Bengals' head coach Zac Taylor, was Pederson's hand-picked guy to become the Eagle's offensive coordinator before Pederson's firing in January of 2021. Taylor, 34, got his first coaching gig at Tulsa in 2011, where he was the quarterbacks coach for two seasons. In 2013, he joined the Eagles as an offensive quality control coach under Chip Kelly. Taylor stayed on with the Eagles when Doug Pederson arrived in 2016 as the offensive QC coach and assistant quarterbacks coach. In 2018, he was promoted to quarterbacks coach, and in 2020 he rose to passing game coordinator as well. In 2021, Taylor reunited with Frank Reich in Indianapolis as a senior offensive assistant for the Colts. Taylor has served his time in the NFL and seemingly makes sense as someone who has worked with a variety of quarterbacks, including Nick Foles, Sam Bradford, Carson Wentz, and Jalen Hurts. And with Doug Pederson continuing to call plays, having a trusted lieutenant managing the players on the offensive side of the ball makes sense. 

UPDATE: Josina Anderson reports that the Jaguars have submitted a request to interview Pep Hamilton for their offensive coordinator position. Hamilton is the Texans' passing game coordinator and quaterbacks coach. 

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As for the defensive coordinator position, it would appear that the choice is not so cut and dry. Prior to Pederson joining the Jaguars, former Broncos' head coach Vic Fangio was rumored to be the apple of the Jaguars' collective eye. However, if Doug Pederson prefers Buccaneers' inside linebackers coach Mike Caldwell, who he played and coached with, things could get tricky. In Pederson's introductory press conference, he mentioned the "tough conversations" that the football leadership team, currently comprised of Pederson, general manager Trent Baalke, and owner Shad Khan would have. If Baalke and Khan are sold on Fangio, but Pederson wants Caldwell, who will get their way? There's no clear power structure between the head coach and general manager; instead, they insist they're cultivating a "collaborative" work environment and decision-making process. 

Fangio is the obvious choice from the outside looking in. He's one of the godfathers of modern NFL defenses and has been a successful defensive coach/coordinator in the NFL since 1986. But should a head coach have one of his top assistants thrust upon him? Or should Pederson be allowed to hand-pick his coaching staff? While he doesn't have experience as a defensive coordinator, Caldwell has built quite a resume of his own, including being the assistant head coach for the Jets from 2015 to 2018 under Todd Bowles. It's still entirely possible that Pederson will get to choose his coordinators and assistants, but the wording of Aaron Wilson's report, leaves room for speculation. We'll see how the assistant coaching search plays out in the coming days. 

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