Jags’ late-season collapse raises questions
Changes could be in works for Pederson’s staff
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The biggest late-season collapse in Jacksonville Jaguars history should prompt changes.
Coach Doug Pederson could easily justify tweaking his staff, including firing defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell and/or offensive coordinator Press Taylor. It would be a bold move and seemingly out of character for Pederson considering his allegiance to assistants was one of the reasons he was let go in Philadelphia three years after winning a Super Bowl.
Jacksonville (9-8) lost five of its final six games — the Jags no-showed on both sides of the ball during the slide — and failed miserably in a win-and-in game at Tennessee on Sunday.
It was a head-scratching finish that should at least have Pederson contemplating parting with close friends and colleagues. But Pederson didn’t sound like someone on the verge of wholesale moves Monday.
“You only get so many windows in this league,” said Pederson, who is 19-17 in two seasons in Jacksonville. “And we feel like with the personnel that we have, and we’ll continue to add, our window’s now. We’ve got to make the most of our opportunities. …
“We just can’t have the collapse like we did this year because you feel like now the season’s sort of wasted, right? You had a great opportunity to win the division and we didn’t. So we have to live with that and we have to own it and we got to learn from it. But I still feel like we have the best football ahead of us moving forward.”
The Jaguars have several rosters decisions to make in the coming months, including potentially releasing safety Rayshawn Jenkins and right guard Brandon Scherff to create salary cap space and finding a way to keep pass rusher Josh Allen and receiver Calvin Ridley.
But the locker room was more concerned with learning from the late-season freefall and using it as motivation moving forward.
“This has to become part of our story,” tight end Evan Engram said. “It’s happened. It’s the card that we’re dealt. It’s ultimately what we earned. Moving forward, this has to be a part of our story. … The leaders of this team, the foundation of our team, the guys that will be back in here, it’s up to us that we act on it and allow it to never happen again.”
Quarterback Trevor Lawrence finished with 21 turnovers (14 interceptions and seven fumbles) this season, one shy of his total as a rookie. It seemed to be a step back for the No. 1 overall pick in 2021.
Lawrence said reducing those will be atop his offseason to-do list.
“It’s definitely an emphasis,” Lawrence said. “There’s a lot that goes into that. But I’ve got to own my part and I’ve got to take better care of the ball. That’s going to give us a better chance to win a lot of these games.”